Janice Hallett delivers another stellar mystery!
I love Janice Hallett's unique writing style. Her books are complex mysteries written in epistolary style, told through texts, emails, transcripts, news reports, and other mixed media. From what might initially appear fragmented, she skillfully weaves layered, intelligent, and suspenseful stories with well-developed characters. She is an auto-buy author for me, and this did not disappoint!
The story centered around two competing journalists writing books about an infamous cult whose members thought they were angels on Earth. Both of them are trying to track down the identity of a baby at the center of the mysterious cult-- a baby who would be an adult now but disappeared many years ago, along with its mother. Conflicting evidence, dead ends, and secrets abound.
Well-written and compelling, Hallett pulled me into this investigation and kept me guessing and off balance, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The characters were so good, the mystery was a bit creepy and cleverly done, and the ending was one I could have never predicted. This was a fun read! Twisty and dark, with moments of irreverent humor, and very entertaining!
Thank you to NetGalley, Janice Hallett, and Atria Books for the free book!
My steep was Through the Looking Glass Masala Chai from LiteraTea. I received this bookish tea as a Christmas gift! It's a delicious chai blend with Ceylon black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chicory, and cocoa nibs.
Publisher's Synopsis:
A whip-smart and “fast-paced mystery” (The Daily Telegraph, London) from the internationally bestselling author of The Twyford Code and The Appeal about a true crime journalist who revives a long-buried case about a cult—and finds herself too close to the story.
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.
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