A review by amyvl93
The Appeal by Janice Hallett

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 I LOVE an epistolary novel so was very excited to read The Appeal a crime/mystery novel told via emails and text message exchanges that have been handed to two trainee lawyers.

The actual plot centres in a small British town, with an influential amdram society's production of All My Sons and a charity fundraiser for a young girl with cancer to get expensive overseas treatment - all of which are complicated by the arrival of a young couple who have been nursing in Africa.

Whilst a cosy mystery focusing on an wealthy influential family and a bunch of hangers-on isn't anything new, I was really engaged with this novel in both working out the crimes and the who did it - whilst I did guess some of what was revealed, I didn't figure it all out, and it was fun to have this be part of the narrative.

There were times when it was difficult to always keep track of timescales (probably because I wasn't taking detailed notes) and not all the characters felt as real or developed as others, but this was a fun read, and I'd definitely look to Hallett for more like this. 
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