Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

This book is like a season of the Podcast Serial mixed with a Sherlock Holmes novel. I’ve never read anything like it and I was engrossed from the first page. Instead of telling a story in a normal, linear way, you are presented with all of the evidence (emails, articles, text messages…) and it is left to you to figure out what to do with it. Highly recommend for anyone who is a fellow true crime junkie!

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bessadams's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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nadiajohnsonbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I absolutely adore Janice Hallett's quirky found-footage/epistolary take on mysteries. Hallett is in top form with the Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, which balances quite a dark mystery with her characteristic wit and humor.

The first book of hers that I read was the Appeal, which I found to be quite cozy and irreverent. While the style of Alperton Angels is the same, the characters were a more vicious and the themes considerably darker.

Alperton Angels consists of the collected research materials of fictional true crime writer Amanda Bailey as she digs into the events surrounding the apparent collective suicide of a small cult 18 years prior and the murder of their neighbor. The tragedy left four survivors: the leader, a man who claims to be the archangel Gabriel come to Earth, a teenage boy and girl, and a baby who would now be on the cusp of adulthood. Her publisher wants her to track down the baby and revisit the crime from their perspective.

Her investigation reveals a twisty knot of characters with varied motivations and levels of fanatical belief and so, so many secrets. The closer she gets to answers, the more dangerous the investigation seems to become.

This mystery was an utterly wild ride, and you truly don't know who to trust for the bulk of the text.

With cynical call-outs to the salacious world of true crime publishing and podcasting, Hallett shows how well she understands the genre. I wasn't surprised to see her list the impeccably researched brainchild of Michelle McNamara's obsession, I'll Be Gone in the Dark among her inspirations.

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about cults, reading true crime, and mysteries delivered with a side of cheeky British humor.

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