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 The constant notes from them 'oooh did you spot that thing that x said, nudge nudge' spelling out the clues for the reader. 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

Martin and Helen reveal that Helen lost a child to meningitis years ago, before their children Paige and James were born. A murder has been committed and someone has gone to prison. But were they the right person? A QC uses the evidence to test his star pupils.To say too much wouls be to risk spoiling some aspect, I’m sure, but there’s certainly more emotional involvement in this than the transcripts of the MacDonald — I mention that one becuase thi is similarly epistolary. And I don’t really think anyone would write a modern crime novel as divested of emotion as The Maze, would they? That would be an interesting proposition… A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny * The Times * There’s something really timeless and universal about those familiar stories that is quite comforting in uncertain times. And the trends for authors revisiting those stories for a contemporary audience has been incredibly popular recently,” said Carvalho. These stories are falling into the hands of a very diverse array of authors at the moment, and that’s giving them a new life, ” agreed Jeffs, pointing to books from Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad to more recent works by Madeline Miller, Monique Roffey and Natalie Haynes. “And maybe in difficult times, that freshness and that inspiration, and just a really good story, is something we yearn for.” Is she the next Christie? I would say no, based on this book, but a very interesting debut anyway. I don’t know if I missed some bits, but while the solution makes sense, and there are some nice deduction based on subtle hints earlier on, I did not feel the eventual solution had the elegant inevitability that Christie can deliver. I also felt the book was too long.

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. This is author Janice Hallett's first novel, inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. And for a first novel it is a tour de force. I haven’t read All My Sons for a while, and my memory is fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure it’s about a family who is hiding a dark and shameful secret. If anyone has insights into the connection between the play and this story, please let me know in comments! Michelle’s book is brilliantly written. She was an accomplished wordsmith and absolutely wrote from her heart in a way not all true crime authors do. But when you watch the documentary about her, you can see she becomes so engaged with trying to solve the case that she simply can’t write the book, yet she’s desperately trying to finish it in time for a deadline. I identified with that completely and I’m sure most writers do. But not everybody is convince of the good intentions of those involved. New actress Sam raises doubts.

What are the advantages and disadvantages to you as an author, or to the reader, of telling a story in this way? While researching Poppy’s treatment at the hospital, Sam discoveres that Paige, Helen’s daughter, was frequently ill. 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 Thanks JJ for the review – sounds like I need to get my hands on this book sooner rather than later! Is it a book I can get via my local Kindle store – or does the ‘murder dossier’ format require a hard copy?

Sam tells James she knows what’s going on. James kills Sam, using his twins’ birth as an alibi. Issy knows James did it, but for some reason, she agrees to keep his secret.

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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 Allowing each character to speak for themselves is a great benefit of this style. I much prefer writing in the first person, where I can jump into that character and see the world from their perspective. As a screenwriter I had to write dialogue from every character’s perspective and I think my novels demonstrate an extension of that. There must be downsides but I haven’t discovered them yet. It feels quite natural to me to write this kind of novel.