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Appeal
Appeal | Janice Hallett
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2022 by The New York Times, Air Mail, and more! "[W]itty, original...a delight." --The New York Times Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this international bestseller and "dazzlingly clever" (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child--but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect. The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, the play's star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival. But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment's efficacy--nor of the good intentions of those involved. As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head at the explosive dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two young lawyers sift through the material--emails, messages, letters--with a growing suspicion that the killer may be hiding in plain sight. The evidence is all there, between the lines, waiting to be uncovered. A wholly modern and gripping take on the epistolary novel, The Appeal is a "daring...clever, and funny" (The Times, London) debut for fans of Richard Osman and Lucy Foley.
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throwmeabook
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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A murder-mystery told through email correspondence? Yes please! 💕 Picked this up at the cutest little bookshop @books_on_the_rise in Richmond, UK 📚#theappeal

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage I hope you love it! There‘s a Christmas sequel novella - 3mo
14 likes1 comment
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amyrohn
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

This is now the third book from Janice Hallett that I‘ve read and I just think she‘s so good! I absolutely love a mixed-media mystery, and this was a quick and fun one. What I appreciated was even though there are so many characters, she lists them out twice for the reader, and is even able to summarize all the clues in a way that makes sense for the narration. This had me pumping my fist when I figured out some of the clues being hinted at 😆

rretzler I really enjoyed this one too. I have a couple more on my TBR 6mo
46 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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amyrohn
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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I loved The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels so I‘m excited to finally get to this one!

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Kboltz
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

Loved this mystery that is written through texts and emails. It really makes you think and the clues are there. A young girl gets ill, an appeal for money begins, a murder occurs bc of it all. Great read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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BennettBookworm
Appeal | Janice Hallett
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Pickpick

What a clever, heart-pounding book!! I couldn‘t put this down. And I think the epistolary format (which I am always drawn to) made it less scary, because I was safely “outside” the situation, reading the evidence but not actually inside the story. But for regular thriller/murder mystery fans, don‘t worry, it was still duly creepy!!! Thank you @LiteraryinLawrence for the brilliant rec! 🫨

LiteraryinPA So glad you liked it! 7mo
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Nessavamusic
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

A fun and unique mystery, that is a series of emails, texts and letters. It slowly reveals a story of a community theater group that means well, but finds itself embroiled in murder and fraud. A little longer than it needed to be, I guessed part of the mystery, but not the murderer. A solid 4⭐️read.

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willaful
Appeal | Janice Hallett
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Fantastic audiobook. The full cast really brings out the depth of characterization in the emails/messages/transcripts format. The final one gave me a chill I'm not sure I would have gotten from print alone.

I feel I was a bit spoiled by having listened to The Twyford Code first. It has more heart and pathos. This seemed clever for the sake of cleverness.

A nice subtle blood splatter on the cover. #ISpyBingo

“Neighbour labour“ #fourfoursin24

LiseWorks Look at you getting all those bingo spots 9mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 9mo
Lauredhel Yay! I need to update my ispy progress too… 9mo
18 likes3 comments
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Smarkies
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Mehso-so

Between a pick and a so-so for me. I enjoyed trying to piece together the clues from the letters and emails but felt that the murder happened too late in the book. Also was not a huge fan of the way it rounded up (which felt rushed and the twist was odd).

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Traci1
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really liked this one. The modern epistolary format worked surprisingly well with the story.
Book 2 finished for #scarathlon
10 + 1 + (8 hours × 6 thons × 10)=480
Words 37×10=370
861 for team #spookyghostclub @Clwojick
#readysetread #20in4 #rushathon #31by31 #bookspin (this was my doublespin) #falling4books
@andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Read4life

Running total so far: 5,730

Magpiegem I really enjoyed this one too! I couldn‘t put it down. 12mo
Traci1 @Magpiegem yes, it was impossible to put down. I ended up borrowing it on kindle even though I had the paperback just so I could keep reading it when I went to bed and the lights were off. 😄 12mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
See All 8 Comments
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Read4life 🍁👻🎃 12mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🖤 12mo
Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 12mo
Clwojick Crushing it! 12mo
48 likes8 comments
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Chili
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Second book of #Scarathlon finished. Another one that was due back at the library. One more to finish then I can read only spooky books. #TeamWhoYaGonnaCall

FlynnDewey How was it? Sounds pretty neat. 12mo
Chili @FlynnDewey It was pretty good. It‘s emails and text messages telling the story. If you don‘t like unconventional storytelling formats then I would skip it. 12mo
bthegood glad to hear you liked it and the storytelling format sounds interesting - it's on my #BookSpinBingo list this month - 👻 12mo
willaful I really enjoyed The Twyford Code, so I should try this. 12mo
22 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Sharpeipup
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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This is me after staying up way too late to read this book in one sitting.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Mehso-so

I liked this one well enough although I definitely didn‘t love it. The format was fun—the story was told through emails, chats, newspaper articles, and so on—but I thought the book was overly long & it took some time for things to really start happening. Add in a cast of throughly unlikeable characters and for me, you have a book that was ok but could have been better if it was tightened up a bit. I see why people like it but it‘s not my favorite.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Going with this one for my flight…

✈️📖

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage Enjoy! I love her books. 1y
37 likes1 comment
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majkia
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT

Wow. That was different. In a good way! A murder mystery, presented as a series of email, texts and phone calls. Someone is dead, and you are presented with this evidence as lawyers are appealing the case for the person found guilty, whom they believe is really innocent.

Lots of secrets, lies, and people who don't always tell the truth. What a surprise.

Well Done!

#Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Ooo sounds intriguing!! 2y
bthegood I've had this on my TBR for a while now, I'll add it to my April #BookSpinBingo - thanks for the review. 2y
majkia @bthegood hope you enjoy the appeal as much as I did. 2y
17 likes3 comments
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Lucy_Anywhere
Appeal | Janice Hallett
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Pickpick

I was so absorbed in this that I almost forgot to get off the train! Written like a case file of emails, messages and other documents, it‘s an unusual way of writing a murder mystery but it works and I resented having to put it down to go to work!

jlhammar Such a fun read! I'm looking forward to reading more Hallett. 2y
23 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Jeg
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Mehso-so

Not sure why this was on my list to read but🤷🏻‍♀️. Turns out I have read her 2nd book. I‘ll say the same for this one, slow start almost gave up. Was not a page turner. Took me ages to get through. Written in emails, text messages and What‘s app messages. Different but by the end tedious. I liked her second book better.

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Jeg
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Went to the library to return books. Came away with these. Tagged book was on a list I had. No idea why now. Giving Alexander another go. I‘ve gone off him in latter years. The other book just looked interesting. So much for going to return books and telling myself that was all I was doing. Library super busy with Toddler time. Love it.

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AmandaBlaze
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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After reading The Twyford Code, I decided to reread The Appeal. Structure-wise, I think I like The Appeal better. However, I liked how everything was brought together in the end with TheTwyford Code. Regardless, I'll keep reading Hallett's work.

ShelleyBooksie This book made my fav book podcast top ten books from last year list. It sounds so interesting! 2y
36 likes1 comment
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KarenUK
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

A fun epistolary murder mystery, that slowly reveals everything you need to solve the puzzle yourself. Told mostly through emails and whats app messages, ‘The Appeal‘ has a double meaning. Both as a fund raising effort for a poorly child, and for the efforts to release the wrongly convicted murderer of the late revealed victim. Clever and witty but takes commitment. It‘s not short, and there‘s a LOT of characters! But I found it worth the effort.

53 likes6 comments
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AmandaBlaze
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
WJCintron 🙌😃 2y
28 likes2 comments
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canbku
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

This was super interesting and the format really worked to propel the story, which I wasnt expecting. I kept wanting to read one more message and figure out one more bit of the story

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RebelReader
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Bailedbailed

This was my #bookspin this month, but I just couldn‘t. I started reading the emails and memos and thought….When do these end? I looked ahead…. NEVER! Not a technique I enjoy I guess!🤣

MicheleinPhilly This book annoyed the crap out of me! 2y
TheAromaofBooks That kind of format definitely doesn't work for everyone!! 2y
RebelReader @MicheleinPhilly I‘m glad I‘m not the only one! 2y
41 likes3 comments
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KristiAhlers
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

This story format is done through text messages, emails and other forms of communication. As you read along with the “detectives” you unpack the clues and find out once the police figure out the tangle of who killed who. One dead body fifteen suspects. It‘s a super fast read and the author did a pretty decent job not revealing the murder until the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Mariasimon
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

A thriller mystery written in emails, messaging conversations, and documents. This thriller follows a small UK theatre group through a cancer diagnosis, charitable fraud, and a death. The reader is given access to these documents through the eyes of two law students. An interesting twist on thrillers.

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RebelReader
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Here we go….I‘m shooting for a black out, but we‘ll see!

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
36 likes1 comment
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MrsV
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Going to try and finish this one up this evening!

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Addison_Reads
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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I read this early in 2022 but I still think about it. I loved the way the story was set-up. Unique, tense mystery read that I finished in a day because I didn't want to put it down.

#adventrecommends @emilyrose_x

PageShifter Sounds awesome 👍 2y
jlhammar Yes! This really was a fun one. 2y
33 likes2 comments
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MicheleinPhilly
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Panpan

I was so looking forward to this but sadly, it was a MASSIVE letdown. There isn‘t a dead body until almost 300 pages in, one of the “twists” was hugely obvious from the start, and the emails and chats conceit became supremely annoying quite early on. I read half of it on the flight to Jamaica and then promptly abandoned it for 2 weeks. 👎🏼

julesG Oh wow. I was also looking forward to this. 2y
MicheleinPhilly @julesG Such a disappointment. 😔 I appear to be in the minority though so it may still work for you. 2y
squirrelbrain I‘ve wavered about whether I want to read this one…. Maybe not now! 2y
See All 9 Comments
TrishB My son hated this one so I didn‘t bother! 2y
RaeLovesToRead @julesG @squirrelbrain @TrishB I thought this one was really fun!!! 😄😋 @MicheleinPhilly Noooooo!!!! 🤣🤣 2y
MicheleinPhilly @RaeLovesToRead I was really hoping someone would kill Issy. 2y
julesG @TrishB @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead guess I'll go in with low expectations 2y
TrishB @julesG you may enjoy it then 😁 2y
RaeLovesToRead @MicheleinPhilly Haha, I don't remember much about it... I remember there were a lot of SUPER irritating characters... 😅 2y
51 likes9 comments
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RedxoHearts
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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I'm determined to finish this book but i do hope it gets more interesting. I just realized I've only read a third of it so far. I didn't realize it was so long. I love the concept though and that it's a mystery written in emails/messages.

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Rachiiebookdragon
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
Pickpick

This is an intriguing murder mystery.

4/5

Read for:

#TheDisneyReadingChallenge2022

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RedxoHearts
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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I'm a sucker for books written in letters, emails, texts, etc. I hope this is a good one. It wasn't too hot out but the mosquitos were awful. Harley got to monitor the porch for a bit at least though lol #dogsoflitsy

MaleficentBookDragon I 😍 your book sleeve. 2y
33 likes1 comment
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eraderneely
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Help fellow Littens! I‘m reading this for book club and I really need to know if Poppy dies. If so, I need to be forewarned.

MinnieTimperley No she doesn't. 2y
eraderneely @MinnieTimperley thank you! When it comes to kids, I need to get my head in the right place. 2y
17 likes2 comments
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LiteraryinPA
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

This was super fun to read! It was all emails, texts, and transcripts from interviews, and you‘re trying to figure out what criminal activity happened in this community theater group. I found it really entertaining and look forward to reading the author‘s other book.

batsy 😻 2y
83 likes1 comment
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Gissy
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

2nd book read during #JubilantJuly Readathon @Andrew65 I enjoyed this suspense/cozy mystery. The story is written in emails/text communications which I think was so creative. Imagine, the whole plot and characters dynamics narrated in this format. I liked the audiobook but you still need the book. Some expected twists some not but it worked for me. I‘m a hardcover lover but I found prettier this paperback cover 3.8/4⭐️

Gissy Book read also for #Summerween Readathon (YouTube Gabyreads) prompt halloween colors -spot of blood red, that counts prompt make a treat-hot chocolate
July 2022 #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaOfBooks
(edited) 2y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 2y
43 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Skeeterisme
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

Wow 🤩🤩🤩

43 likes2 stack adds
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Acoleman
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Mehso-so

This was a fun format. Written all through emails, texts, interviews and new articles. It went on a little too long for me and I‘m not even sure a really understand who did it and why in the end. A very quick quirky read.

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Eringogreen
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
Mehso-so

THE GOOD: I enjoyed the epistolary approach and being presented with evidence, so as the reader I could “read between the lines” to follow and try to solve the mystery.
THE BAD: some of the correspondence just wasn‘t realistic and took me out of the story. People don‘t write emails as narrations of things currently happening outside their window or in the moment. Also, some characters were so grating, it became difficult to read.

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fictionaddictbooks
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Who killed Sam?
Was the appeal a fraud?
Was Poppy even sick?

Questions....

11 likes1 stack add
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Erinreadsthebooks
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

A neat whodunit written completely in emails and text messages. That part was super interesting. IMO, there was one too many side plots occurring and the book was about 50-100 pages too long. But still, definitely a pick and highly entertaining. Loved reading about the busybody main character and how the other characters truly saw her. A fun read!

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FelinesAndFelonies
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

You all were correct! This book was fantastic! Once I got through the beginning & found a rhythm, I flew through this book. I don't think I've ever annotated with this level of intensity. It helped me immensely. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

jlhammar Yay! Glad you ended up enjoying it! 2y
FelinesAndFelonies @jlhammar me too! Definitely a lot of fun! 2y
63 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Aims42
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
Pickpick

I liked not loved this book. It wasn‘t a five star read for me and I‘m glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it, but a solid “Pick”. I had to put a sticky note on the page that listed everyone, I found myself referencing that a lot 😆

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Bookboss
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

I raced through this puzzle constructed from emails and text messages. I love epistolary novels, and this one is great! The frame story is two law students are reviewing the evidence for an appeal. Someone has been convicted of the murder of a member of a community theater group, and the two law students are tasked with looking for the real story amidst the emails. The emails and texts are interrupted by the students‘ musings via text. So fun!

Aims42 I have this one on my pile next to read, I can‘t wait! I also love epistolary novels 🥰 3y
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Addison_Reads
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

When I started this I was unsure about the format, but after about 20 pages I was completely hooked. The story unfolds in a series of emails, texts, and memos. The central story surrounds a group involved in a community drama club who start raising money for a sick child. Things escalate into so much more though and even I didn't have things fully figured out until the end.

Intriguing, entertaining, and overall just a great mystery read.

Aims42 I have this at my library ready for me to pick up 👍 Thanks for the heads up about the format, I‘ll know to stick with it 😁 (edited) 3y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Alfoster
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

Told in a series of emails, texts, and memos, this novel showcases a community theater production of Arthur Miller‘s All My Sons. During rehearsals, Two-year-old Poppy is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor and her family must crowd-fund to afford her treatment. Lots of red-herrings and a murder keep you off-balance until the end!

86 likes3 stack adds
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FelinesAndFelonies
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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I need some help from anyone who has read The Appeal by Janice Hallett. I started it & got about 40 pages in & realized I still didn't understand anything going on. I can't keep the characters & their relationships straight.

I want to read it. Everyone who has finished it has said amazing things & I have serious FOMO.

For anyone who has read it, how did you keep it all sorted? Any tips, tricks, or advice are appreciated!

charl08 Have you got to the bit with the lawyers? That was where it started to fall into place for me (at least, in terms of what she was trying to do with the book). 3y
RaeLovesToRead I loved The Appeal. I think I did do a certain amount of flicking about back and forth at the beginning while I established who everyone was - the personalities become clearer as it goes on and it does do a certain amount of summarising. 3y
RaeLovesToRead Also, great picture! 3y
jlhammar Yeah, I think it is best to just go with it, things should become clearer as you progress. Also, pages 15-16 in my edition has a list of The Fairway Players with their ages and relationships to each other that is very helpful to refer back to as needed. Fun book! 3y
FelinesAndFelonies @jlhammar mine does too, I guess I'm just not used to needing to refer to a diagram repeatedly while reading. @charl08 I don't think I got that far in yet. They've only shown up 3 times so far, I think. @RaeLovesToRead I am glad to know it gets clearer. It felt like a family ecomap homework assignment so I had to regroup. Time to break out the annotation tabs! 3y
43 likes5 comments
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Magpiegem
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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There was no competition for March, although I read some really good books, The Appeal grabbed me on page one and didn‘t let me go until the very last word. It‘s rare these days that I genuinely can‘t put a book down to the point where it make my hubby grumpy 😂 I‘m excited to see what can compete with this book in April!

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Magpiegem
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Pickpick

14/22 When a book stops me browsing Litsy it must be be good. This one had me hooked from the start. It was clever, witty and if you have ever had an encounter with AmDram you will have the added bonus of a sly smile on your face throughout. I enjoyed the format of a pack of evidence to be picked apart, and a ending, although not totally surprising, was satisfying. I would definitely recommend to any mystery lovers out there. 4.5⭐️

jlhammar Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. Such a fun mystery. 3y
29 likes1 comment
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Magpiegem
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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This book has A LOT to answer for. I went to bed early last night because I was tired. Thought I would read a few pages of my new library book… at MIDNIGHT I thought uh oh I have to get up soon 😣😂 definitely the sign of a good book!!

Cathythoughts Sounds like a good one 👍❤️ 3y
jlhammar Ha! It's a fun one, isn't it? 3y
EvieBee I had no interest in reading this until I saw the cute UK cover. SOLD! 3y
Magpiegem @EvieBee You are right, I‘ve just seen the Simon and Schuster cover- totally uninspiring. I wouldn‘t have picked up that book either. But definitely give it a go 😊 3y
29 likes1 stack add4 comments