Book Review: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Author: Janice Hallett
Published: January 23, 2024
Kindle: 416 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: December 30, 2023 – January 27, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared.
Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail.
As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it.
Jessica’s Review:
This is my first book by Hallett and I am impressed! The format is unique with the reader: First, you (the reader) are in possession of a key that goes to a safety deposit box that has many documents. Then you have a choice: Put everything back and throw the key away or take everything to the police. These documents are composed of newspaper articles, transcribed phone calls/meetings, WhatsApp messages, emails, and more.
Through these documents you go on a journey with Amanda Bailey. She is a True Crime author hoping to revive her career by writing a book about an infamous case: The Alperton Angels. It was a small cult that killed themselves and involved a teenage mother who thought her infant is the Anti-Christ. It turns out that Amanda is not the only one planning on writing a book on this case, she has competition. And they communicate.
This multi-layered mystery where the details must be paid attention to while reading. There are many twists and turns that occur and keep going all the way to the truth and the shocking ending! I found myself tuned into the story even more as I progressed in my reading. As I read, I felt like I really got to know Amanda through this journey. I absolutely adored Ellie Cooper, the transcriber, who gave her opinions throughout the journey as she transcribed. She was hilarious, and a comic relief was needed for this novel.
I read an arc, so I know formatting was changed around for the finished book, but I would definitely like to see how the finished product turned out. Many thanks to the publisher Atria Books for granting me a copy. I enjoyed this one!