The case centers around a group of community members involved with a play, and a two year old girl who has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The community members rally around the family involved to raise money for experimental treatment to save the little girl's life. Janice Hallett's The Appeal is definitely a fun change of pace in the standard Murder Mystery genre. Someone has already been convicted of this brutal murder and is currently in prison, but we suspect they are innocent. What's more, we believe far darker secrets have yet to be revealed.

Who was murdered, why, and by whom? What is happening regarding Poppy's medical treatment, and will the child survive? Are there problems and even fraud connected to the fundraising, and is the experimental drug even effective?

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I loved this story and the telling of it. The narrations were outstanding, making all of those pieces of communication come alive like dialogue instead of flat messages. I figured out a lot of the mystery but there were still hosts of unexpected twists and turns delivered before it was all revealed, even a little bit of something at the end to keep me wondering. This was a marvelous listening experience, reinforcing my appreciation of the epistolary writing style that’s really tough to master. It’s at its finest here. A book that will leave its mark on both mystery and epistolary novel writing as in a single book, in her first published work aged 50+, Janice provides a about-to-be-much-copied way of setting these out for 21st century audiences. In the mystery, not only am I the reader studying all the available communications the same time as the law students; I as a reader, am also investigating the students and the trial lawyer's aims. Last shout-out to the Isobel character, what an exceptional, spot on, and heart breaking character... if this is ever adapted, this is a dream role, from a dream book. All the hearts, all the stars, a Five Star, 10 out of 12. (I was going to give this a Four Star 9.5 out of 12, but as I began writing this review, I realised how wrong that would be!) There has been a murder. Someone is in prison for it. What was the motive? Is the person incarcerated truly guilty of the crime? I started off on Cosmetics International, an industry magazine, and then worked for magazines aimed at retailers of beauty products. Most people got fed up with writing about bubble bath after two years – it took me 15 before I moved on.

I applaud the author for trying something different and out of the box. This is a modern take on the epistolary novel concept and definitely has a lot of different feel than your typical mystery book. It may take some time to get used to. They must decipher IF the appeal is being used for personal gain, and by whom. And, also if the suspect in custody is the correct one.

I certainly wouldn’t want to read this kind of book all the time (and I imagine the author put so much time into it that she wouldn’t want to write another anytime soon), but this was a great change of pace for those looking for something a little different. Especially recommended for those who like things like logic puzzles, actually enjoyed classes like Con Law, or who find themselves always solving the mystery before the big reveal in most thrillers. Here, even if you do solve it, it feels like you’re making a professor or boss proud, rather than simply ruining the book for yourself. Some of the correspondence does provide for comic relief. Not just tactless comments, but how info gets twisted and gossip gets passed around. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. They're presented chronologically, so what you get is actually a fairly thorough picture of what has occurred among this chaotic group of characters; and what a group of characters they are! Many thanks to Edelweiss, Maudee Genao at Atria, and Janice Hallett for a DRC in exchange for an honest review! Now available in the US as of 1.25!!**

I applaud the author for trying something different, but I didn’t feel this approach was successful. I really did have high hopes for this one, but sadly it fell flat for me. Little Poppy has been diagnosed with cancer and there is a massive fund raising campaign to raise money for an experimental treatment. But is everyone on the up and up? Enter nurse Samantha who is very focused on the truth and weeding out corruption. She knows all about corruption because she lost her last job trying to expose it. Now she's seeing the signs again and she wants the bad characters exposed. The community she lands in for her new job is led by Poppy's well respected family. The Fairway Players, a local theatre group run by this family, is central to the story as are the goings on at the local hospitals. stretching the parameters of the goal a little bit, since this book isn't one that's been languishing on my shelves for years, like many others, but one i JUST RECEIVED from my gr secret santa this year. still, it ain't published here (yet), so i'm counting it! All you know in the beginning is that someone was murdered, someone was sent to prison, and it's up to you, the reader, to figure out the who, what, when, where, and how. 🕵️‍♀️

Table of Contents

Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer team up to exonerate a woman who’s already served five years for killing her ex-husband. For mystery fans that are open to trying a new format with a book – this one is filled with messages, texts, social media posts, and news articles – but has all the trademark elements of a case to solve. There’s a murder, a wide cast of characters, and lots of details to read! The format was unique and well-composed. I felt like I was getting a secret peek into these people's lives that I shouldn't have been having. It felt a bit illicit. The characters are a diverse lot. The family of the little girl are all involved in the play as directors and stars, some secondary talents and a couple of newbies. A lot of the documents are from Izzy, a clingy, ditzy single woman that puts herself into the center of everything. She also attaches herself like a leech to the new female recruit. She’s the kind of character I love, but would hate to have to deal with in real life. A prominent family finds out that their granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of cancer. The family learns of an experimental treatment that they hope will cure Poppy. Since the treatment does not qualify for health coverage, the family calls in the help of their amateur theatre company, and together, they begin to raise funds for Poppy’s treatment.

The plotting was irksome! I have seen elements of this plot before on a tv show that I cannot remember and in another book. If someone knows which show(s) or books, please let me know in the comments? This is driving me crazy. A local theatre group, The Fairway Players, are getting ready for Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons, when tragedy strikes the family of Martin Hayward, the director, and his wife, Helen, the play’s star. Their granddaughter has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. An experimental treatment costing a large amount of money may be the only thing to save her life. Their friends and colleagues support them by babysitting, dog-sitting, and fundraising. However, accusations, fights, and a dead body bring a mystery to life. A prominent family finds out that their granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of cancer. The family learns of an experimental treatment that they hope will cure Poppy. Since the treatment does not qualify for health coverage, the family calls in the help of their amateur theatre company, and together, they begin to raise funds for Poppy’s treatment. As they begin to fundraise, some begin to raise questions about the treatment and the fundraising itself. While everyone participates in this fundraiser, the theatre company begins rehearsals for its next play. As the play nears, lies begin to unravel. I particularly loved trekking round Madagascar. I went there for the wild life – there are lemurs you can’t see anywhere else on earth and crazy-looking giraffe weevils – but it was the people that most enthralled me. I found it such an education. I was very satisfied with the ending and felt like everything was explained. It just took a little too long to get there. Still, if you are looking for a uniquely presented mystery, then this one should have strong appeal.

With this being said, the mystery itself wasn't super-engaging for me. Even when I found out who was murdered, I wasn't particularly bothered by it, or really compelled to discover who did it. The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot. After a member of a small local theater trope, The Fairway Players, is murdered, another member ends up imprisoned for the crime. Overall, I think it is a good book that a lot of readers will like reading due to its unique premise and a solid storyline. This mystery is a superb top drawer attention holder as good as the best of Agatha Christie; but that wasn't enough for Janice Hallett, Janice takes a long dark look at close-knit hierarchal communities, local fundraising, digital communications and joy-beyond-joy the creation, management and possible repercussions of digitally-based conspiracy. It could also be argued that it's a much needed tale on the plight and strength of whistleblowers! Confused. Just read the book already!