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*** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ***
*** WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH ***
*** THE SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH ***

‘This dazzlingly clever cosy crime novel completely trumps Richard Osman. A modern Agatha Christie’ – SUNDAY TIMES
‘This is a case you’re about to become obsessed with. A triumph’ – ALEX NORTH
‘Very different but very satisfying. I thoroughly recommend The Appeal’ – ELLY GRIFFITHS
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In a town full of secrets…
Someone was murdered.
Someone went to prison.
And everyone’s a suspect.
Can you uncover the truth?

Dear Reader – enclosed are all the documents you need to solve a case. It starts with the arrival of two mysterious newcomers to the small town of Lockwood, and ends with a tragic death.

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.

Throughout the Fairway Players’ staging of All My Sons and the charity appeal for little Poppy Reswick’s life-saving medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. Yet we believe they gave themselves away. In writing. The evidence is all here, between the lines, waiting to be discovered.

Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth?

The standout debut thriller of 2021 that delivers multiple brilliant twists, and will change the way you think about the modern crime novel.
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‘Gripping. I loved the ambitious and unusual approach’ – SOPHIE HANNAH

‘A daring debut… Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud’ – THE TIMES

‘A brilliantly fresh, ingenious and original whodunnit. So, so good’ – INDIA KNIGHT

‘Extremely addictive, it will reel you in, one piece of evidence at a time’ – ALEX PAVESI

‘Takes the whodunnit to a whole new level. A rare feat’ – ELIZABETH HAYNES

‘Fiendishly clever and totally gripping’ – CASS GREEN

‘A cracking book. Fresh, original and very clever’ – MEL SHERRATT

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 * [A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny * The Times * Very gripping. I loved the ambitious and unusual approach -- Sophie Hannah, bestselling author of Haven't They Grown 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 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