A true crime novel unlike anything else

Janice Hallett writes her third crime thriller book in the form of letters, chats, news clippings, interview transcripts—which she has admirably done in both of her earlier novels. But what makes Alperton Angels distinctly different is that it turns out to be a true crime investigatory novel in its core, where the fictional author Amanda Bailey sets out to solve the mystery of a decade-old case featuring a series of gruesome murders by members of a cult, who believe themselves to be embodiments of heavenly angels.

As Amanda Bailey gathers evidence, and interacts with the police, detectives, witnesses involved in the case—she comes face to face with some astonishing fallacies, which makes her believe that there were multiple conflicting motives running in parallel, all of which ultimately led to the killings.
Janice Hallett refuses to make this book into a traditional whodunnit, instead she makes the readers go deep into the minds of criminals, and out comes a tangled web of vengefulness, silence, intentions and atonement. The characters in the book are plenty, and the correspondences and interviews numerous—but not everyone are actually who they call themselves to be. Personally, I believe that Hallett has tried to makes the readers understand of how vulnerable a true crime investigator becomes psychologically when they dive deep into spaces they’re unwelcome in, and how often investigators and witnesses have to endure harm and death, just because they were at the wrong place and time.

‘The Mysterious case of Alperton Angels’ is lengthy and tedious to read through, but is indeed a treat for crime lovers as they will navigate through a sea of evidences and detection materials that will piece together unrelated information into something coherent. Each reader of this book can therefore take part in the investigation and adorn the hat of a detective.

Thanks Hachette India for the copy.