The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels features two rival authors after desperately hunting down the same scoop.
Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies have a history together, not necessarily pleasant. Yet they’re about to be back in each other’s orbit as the both investigate the whereabouts of a baby who survived a cult, the Alperton Angels, close to two decades ago.
The Alperton Angel cult brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. Eventually, the girl came to her senses and contacted the authorities for help.
It was a huge case at the time, which garnered a lot of attention due to its sensational and bizarre circumstances. The Angels committed suicide, but the baby was free and survived. However, after that, the baby disappeared, their circumstances never made public knowledge.
Now that baby has turned 18, and the world is dying to know, where have they been all this time? What is the true story behind the Alperton Angels cult? And where is the baby now? Who have they become?
Amanda and Oliver, against their own inclinations, decide to collaborate in their baby research. If they both agree to focus on different aspects of the case, it shouldn’t be a problem to both cover the case at the same time.
In fact, it may actually be helpful, as each book could create more interest for the other. But the truth about the Angels is much more disturbing than they originally anticipated, putting them dangerously close to the heart of the story.
Janice Hallett has made quite the name for herself as the Queen of the Unconventional Narrative. Her books are always a journey, a truly a unique reading experience.
As the Reader, you are supplied with all of the same documents a researcher may use when studying a real life case. You have access to things such as emails, text messages, news articles, and even transcripts from phone conversations.
These things are blended together in such a way that eventually helps to perfectly piece together the overall story. It’s pretty amazing how well Hallett can build out a story using solely these mixed media elements.
For me, her novels seem to work better via audiobook, but that’s 100% personal preference. I have read one of her books physically, and it at times it seemed jarring, and occasionally, even a little boring.
The other two I have listened to via audio, and because of the vibrant narration, have felt more pulled in and engaged with the story. This one in particular was fantastically executed via audiobook and I would recommend that format.
This story got pretty wild. I definitely wasn’t expecting the direction it ended up going. Writing a novel in this format has got to be extremely challenging, but somehow Hallett nails it every time.
I won’t claim to have been able to follow every single detail of this. Hallett’s stories are impressive in scope. There’s a lot going on, and at times, it can feel chaotic. Regardless, this one was never dull. Fast-paced and intriguing the whole way through, this was a great time.
Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Hallett’s uniquely-presented and impeccably-plotted Literary Mysteries will keep me coming back as long as she keeps cranking them out.
I can’t wait to see what’s next!