A review by theinkwyrm
The Appeal by Janice Hallett

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

3.5

I really enjoyed the mixed media format that this book was told in, or at least I enjoyed it for the most part, although it seemed kind of anachronistic for them to use email as their main mode of communication (especially just between individuals) when this is supposedly taking place in 2018, when most people would be texting. Around the 2/3 mark where the main body of evidence ended and the more lawyer-y narrative took over I found it a bit repetitive even though I get that they’re supposed to be mimicking the readers’ thought process. It just got kind of slow and I still don’t really understand why the main lawyer was so interested in the case. I did really enjoy the overall reveal of who did it and why, even if the victim wasn’t who I was hoping it would be. Also, there were so many characters that I got them mixed up quite a bit, even with a character guide pretty close to the front.  I’ll be interested to see if her other novel also plays with format. 
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