Two crime writers find themselves caught up in an old case, one that may not be truly closed, in the dark, witty, and twisty mystery-thriller The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (The Appeal).
True-crime author Amanda Bailey wants to reinvigorate her career with a project unlike the same old murders of her previous books. The perfect opportunity arises when a new true-crime imprint approaches her with an idea for a retrospective on the early 2000s case of the Alperton Angels, a "chilling story ripe with possibility." It involves a psychopathic cult leader and delusional followers who believed they were angels. There was murder, ritual suicide, occult symbols, and the thwarted sacrifice of an infant.
That infant is now turning 18 and can finally give their story in their words to whomever secures the first exclusive interview, and Amanda aims to be that interviewer. She's just got one tiny obstacle to surmount: no one knows the teen's name, sex, where they are, or if they even know they were the Alperton Angels baby.
This unsettling and challenging mystery has at its center a protagonist who can be as much of a dark riddle as the central case. Amanda is brilliant, witty, and often conniving. As in her previous works, Hallett uses multiple formats to unspool the mystery, including e-mails, chat apps, newspaper articles, and interviews transcribed with commentary by Amanda's sharp-minded assistant Ellie. Fans of true-crime podcasts will find this complex and eerie novel just as satisfying, surprising and rapidly consumable as their favorite episodes. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads