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THE SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

WINNER OF THE 2022 CWA JOHN CREASEY NEW BLOOD DAGGER

ONE MURDER. FIFTEEN SUSPECTS. CAN YOU UNCOVER THE TRUTH?

There is a mystery to solve in the sleepy town of Lower Lockwood. It starts with the arrival of two secretive newcomers, and ends with a tragic death. Roderick Tanner QC has assigned law students Charlotte and Femi to the case. Someone has already been sent to prison for murder, but he suspects that they are innocent. And that far darker secrets have yet to be revealed…

Throughout the amateur dramatics society’s disastrous staging of All My Sons and the shady charity appeal for a little girl’s medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. The evidence is all there, waiting to be found. But will Charlotte and Femi solve the case? Will you?

‘Agatha Christie for the 21st century’ THE TIMES

‘Witty, clever and completely addictive’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘Gripping, ambitious and unusual’ SOPHIE HANNAH

Publisher Review

This dazzlingly clever cosy crime novel in emails completely trumps Richard Osman... Hallett uses the epistolatory form to superb effect in this terrific debut * Sunday Times * Agatha Christie for the 21st century. A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told via emails, about sinister goings-on in an amateur dramatics group * The Times * Witty, clever and completely addictive * Mail on Sunday * This witty thriller is giving Richard Osmond's Thursday Murder Club a run for its money in the cosy crime stakes, as it continues to charm readers. Hallett's debut, set in a sleepy town where an am-dram production of All My Sons is in the works, is funny and full of twists. Amateur sleuths and thespians alike will love it * Evening Standard * This ingeniously conceived whodunnit encourages the reader to turn detective in a murder case set against the backdrop of an amateur dramatic club. Brain-twistingly clever * Metro * If you're looking for a crime novel that is very different but very satisfying I thoroughly recommend The Appeal by Janice Hallett. I loved it -- Elly Griffiths, bestselling author of The Postscript Murders Very gripping. I loved the ambitious and unusual approach -- Sophie Hannah, bestselling author of Haven't They Grown [A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny * The Times * I couldn't put it down. [Hallett's] take on the epistolary novel is so involving AND funny at the right moments. Puts the reader right in the thick of it, as we become the spyware eavesdropping on all these private emails and messages. Brilliant idea and SO cleverly executed -- Diane Setterfield, author of Once Upon a River If you're looking for something insanely gripping to take to the sofa with, then run to The Appeal by Janice Hallett. It's a brilliantly fresh, ingenious and original whodunnit that is heading to the top of the bestseller chart if there's any justice. So, so good -- India Knight, author of In Your Prime The Appeal grips from the start, expertly stage-managing emails and messages to create an intriguing mystery with a cast of vivid, memorable characters. Original, clever, devious - and never less than utterly compelling - this is a case you're about to become obsessed with. A real triumph -- Alex North, bestselling author of The Whisper Man Takes the whodunnit to a whole new level. Intriguing, clever and above all, wholly original. A rare feat indeed, and to be savoured -- Elizabeth Haynes, bestselling author of Into the Darkest Corner One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. Extremely addictive, it will reel you in, one piece of evidence at a time. Ingenious and highly original -- Alex Pavesi, author of Eight Detectives Fiendishly clever, highly original and totally gripping -- Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage in a Wood Sly, funny, perfectly observed and clever. A superior and sophisticated Midsomer Murders packed with delicious red herrings -- Kate Griffin, author of Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders What a book. It has galvanised me to do better! Exceptional -- Matt Wesolowski, author of Six Stories Fresh, funny and impossible to put down. The Appeal is about an amateur dramatics group and an appeal to raise funds for a sick child and it's brilliant -- Mark Edwards, bestselling author of The House Guest Brilliantly crafted, The Appeal is a refreshingly different take on the modern crime novel. Full of suspicion and secrets, I raced my way to the end - and what an ending! -- Lisa Hall, author of The Party What a cracking book. Fresh, original and very clever -- Mel Sherratt, author of Taunting the Dead Brilliantly original, inventive and clever. I loved this book and you will too -- Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House Ingenious and page-turning traditional crime given an original twist... like a modernised Agatha Christie -- Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time Highly original with characters that leap off the page. An addictive read -- Michelle Frances, author of The Girlfriend I loved this - it's utterly compulsive and unlike anything I've read in a while. It is such a cliche to say it, but I genuinely could NOT put it down. Bravo -- Katie Lowe, author of The Furies A very clever novel that puts you in the place of an investigator. A hugely enjoyable challenge and a most original book -- Jane Lythell, author of The Lie of You A totally original take on a thriller - intriguing and dark but with a dash of humour - I raced through it -- Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet A wonderfully revealing portrait of how we communicate - what we hide and show of ourselves. It's sharp, funny, a brilliant game, and once you start playing you won't be able to stop -- Rachel Elliot, author of Whispers Through a Megaphone So cleverly written. I felt like I was a trainee lawyer sifting through evidence and trying to discover the culprit. It was exciting, fresh, and forces the reader to be an active investigator. I loved it -- Louise Mullins, author of I Know You What a book. Right up there with the best I've read this year. Great characters, smart structure, and kept me guessing all the way to the end -- Dan Malakin, author of The Regret A brilliant hybrid of Agatha Christie and Silk -- Guy Morpuss QC I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Standard Deviation. Congratulations, Janice Hallett! -- Louise Voss, author of The Last Stage Fantastic. Gives you that deliciously satisfying feeling of reading other people's private emails -- S.V. Leonard, author of The Islanders An utterly compelling whodunnit putting the reader at the centre of the action. A must read for thriller fans. A blistering, page-turner of a debut -- Michael Wood, author of The Seventh Victim Highly original... for a first novel it is a tour de force * Crime Review *