The Silent Appeal

The Appeal #2

by Janice Hallett

From “modern Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times, London) Janice Hallett, a follow-up to her blockbuster debut novel The Appeal, featuring the Fairway Players as they put on Agatha Christie’s play The Hollow and find themselves embroiled in murder, blackmail, and betrayal once again.

Welcome back to Lower Lockwood. The Fairway Players return with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald as committee cochairs. This year, they have chosen to stage Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. But auditions aren’t their only problem: Sarah-Jane’s sister, Nicky-Rose, is suddenly back in town under mysterious circumstances, having sold her home in Barbados, left her business providing entertainment on cruise ships, and moved back into their mother Carol’s house.

As always, they’re short on men, and new Player Fran Elroy-Jones enlists a young married couple and the husband’s cousin to join. But no one wants to play the part of the hated Gerda, leaving Kevin and Sarah-Jane with no option but to reach out to an old member they know would be happy to perform in any role.

As with any production, tensions run high, and our intrepid lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering exactly what happened on the opening night of The Hollow—and whether the correct person has taken the blame.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Adult

480 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 25, 2026

About the author

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and cowrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is her first novel.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack]

Oooo, what's this? More Janice Hallett!

I finally got around to The Killer Question earlier this month, and of course it was so much fun. Thank you so much, Atria! I'm excited for this.

[Trisha]

OMGOMGOMG!!! BOOK 2 to The Appeal ?!

One of my favorite authors! Pre-ordered! I can hardly stand the wait!!

[Marissa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome back to the world of the Fairway Players! I must say, I enjoyed this one even more than book 1 in the series, The Appeal! Having just read it recently, I really appreciated the connections made to the first book, although this could be read as a standalone. This plot was a bit easier to follow than The Appeal, in my opinion, but was still a plethora of intricate stories amongst a variety of possible suspects. Like The Appeal, we get a look at a play within a play, this time, Agatha Christie in “The Hollow”. That was initially the draw of this particular book to me, as I love a good Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery! Told in an epistolary fashion, this is kind book is almost a puzzle within itself. Overall, I enjoyed this book but towards the 2/3rds mark, it started to drag a little for me. This would be a 3.5 for me!

[Rob McMinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doesn’t seem five minutes since I was reviewing the (audiobook of) The Killer Question, but here we are with an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Viper of the forthcoming sequel to The Appeal, her first novel. Janice Hallett is on fire.
A couple of technical matters to begin with. I’ve consumed all of the Janice Hallett books I have “read” (which is almost all of them) as audiobooks, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy actually reading one, with my eyes, as an ebook. This is because she uses the modern-day epistolary form, doing away with a narrator, and having the plot unfold through emails and whatsapps and texts. There are also some facsimiles of paper documents. With the audiobook, you get the entertainment offered by different voices, but reading off the page or screen, you’ve only got your own brain.
As it turned out, it proved impossible to read the Kindle version of this provided by Netgalley, for a couple of reasons. The first was that, as they so often do, the ARC played havoc with my Kindle, causing it to crash literally every time I turned it on while reading the book. The second was that the Kindle formatting was hopeless, completely messing up the various text exchanges, failing to display tabular data, and generally making it difficult to follow. So I resorted to the Netgalley app, and read the facsimile of the printed version provided there. This was a different kind of pain because the pages obviously rendered tiny on my phone and I bloody hate reading on my phone screen, especially in the sun, which is where the Kindle wins every time.
That said, it was great to see how the book was meant to look, with a variety of different fonts and layouts, depending on the communications technology being used.
How was the book, and how was it to read one of these rather than listen?
Well, the reading experience was absolutely fine, though I still intend to get the audiobook version when it’s out, because I love those full cast recordings. And since this one features a particular character who was all over the original Appeal, I do hope they get the same voice actor.
As to the book, it was an odd experience, because I realised that it is a hell of a long time since I enjoyed reading anything quite this much. I’ve read 241 books over the past three years, and, setting aside audiobooks, of those 200+ books, there was not a single one I enjoyed as much as this. I absolutely blasted through it, even having to read it on my phone.
We’re back in Lower Lockwood, where the Fairway Players (excluding those in jail or overseas or otherwise making themselves scarce) are planning a production of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow.
The Hollow was originally a Poirot novel that Christie disliked because she regretted having the Belgian detective in it. So she recast it as a stage play, wrote Poirot out of it, and replaced him with a couple of regular policemen. The play takes place in a country house, with a cast consisting of the owner and his family, several houseguests, and a glamorous movie star. There are love triangles, a murder committed in plain sight, cousin marriages, and a dowdy wife who everybody thinks is slow-witted.
I explain all this because Hallett brilliantly riffs on The Hollow while weaving her own mystery around the amateur dramatics. Successful businessman Kevin McDonald is to direct, with his Microsoft Excel-fixated wife Sarah-Jane as producer. A spanner is thrown in the works when Sarah-Jane’s sister Nicky-Rose reappears after 20 years working in entertainment on cruise ships. When casting the play, they find themselves both short of men and short of anyone willing to play the drudge.
So they send out an appeal to former members of the troupe, and… in they come. If you know, you know, as they say.
There are dodgy dealings, there are drugs, there are risky props, on-stage accidents, charity appeals, affairs, love triangles, pregnancies, cousins, limerent obsessions, and lots and lots and lots of texts, emails, and whatsapps. There’s at least one hilarious “Reply All” and a dangerous copy-paste.
All of this is overseen by lawyers Femi and Charlotte, who have to try to work out what has happened and whether it can be the basis of an appeal for someone who is in jail for murder. The whole thing is a hoot from start to finish, even better, I think, than the original Appeal, because, well, you already know what a certain character is like and what they’re likely to do.
It’s a banger.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars again for this epistolary mystery by Janice Hallett. I completely adore all her books. I have loved a puzzle mystery since I was a teenager and read The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I feel like these books are a worthy successor to that legendary author. Everything is so creative and it feels just like found material in vibe and tone and characterization. The way each person writes is unique just like in real life but it takes a talented writer to pull that off in a mystery of this type. And if you are really observant you will find the Easter eggs (clues) in The Silent Appeal. I spotted a few but missed several others. The mystery is very tight and well constructed. I know this form of book isn’t everyone’s cuppa but I would urge all mystery lovers to pick up this book or one of her others. They are so unique. I already can’t wait for her next book!

I received this advanced readers copy via NetGalley and thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

[Lauren Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SILENT APPEAL by @janice.hallett
📖 book review • out 08.25.26
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

thank you @atriabooks @atriathrillers for my gifted copy #atriapartner

yesss, I know this review is way early, but I was very unmotivated by any books that I was looking at.. and sometimes a Janice Hallett book just hits the right way 👌🏻 told in texts & emails, our favorite investigators are back solving ANOTHER murder with the fairway players. and with the way it’s written out, it’s sooo easy to say, just a few more pages!

definitely read book one, The Appeal, first. that’s where you really learn these characters and their personalities. Something about the way her books are written feel like solving a puzzle in my brain is so gratifying, I can’t recommend them enough! Thank you Atria Books for helping me find one of my new favorite mystery writers 🫶

[Cassie Luellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Silent Appeal is a compelling sequel that picks up again with The Fairway Players a few years after the events of The Appeal. The group has come together to put on Agatha Christie's story, The Hollow and of course there is murder involved. Told once again in Hallett's signature style of mixed media we have a compelling story of gossip, betrayals, and obsession.

Every time I pick up a Hallett book I'm in awe of what a masterful storyteller she is with her ability to make characters come alive with her mixed media style. Each character has such a distinctive voice and there is just enough detail given about the setting that I could easily picture everything happening in my head. I also appreciated that there was so much interpersonal drama happening that it wasn't clear til the end what was the actual event that led to the lawyers getting involved in an appeal. And I was amazed at how many seeds had been planted by Hallett to make the murder possible.

As usual, there is a lot going on with the story. Between the play and each character's personal dramas it can be a lot to juggle. The Silent Appeal is a story that demands to be read as quickly as possible or else tendrils of the story will be lost and the ending will lose its impact. However, I found myself not really caring who died by the end of it because I was more personally invested in seeing the mystery of who killed who reveal itself. Also, after the high of figuring out who killed who I did think the remainder of the book felt a bit flat. There were moments I really liked but there were also some moments that pushed me out of the story a bit.

Overall this was a fantastic story that kept me fully engaged and turning pages as fast as I could. I will forever read anything Janice Hallett writes and I do hope that we get more from The Fairway Players in the future.

[Beth Reads Crime]

It’s been over 5 years since Hallett burst onto the scene with her successful debut mixed-media mystery, The Appeal. It was quirky, charming and incredibly well received.

Since then, Hallett has had four more stand-alone novels, two children’s books and a Christmas novella tie-in, The Christmas Appeal, published. Now it’s finally time to return to Lockwood with this sequel and be reunited with the Fairway Players and Issy Beck!

This time the amateur dramatic group are undertaking Agatha Christie’s The Hollow and the book unfolds throughout rehearsals and past the final performance nights. This leads to one of my favourite lines in the book: “I’m the biggest fan and have read ALL her books: Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.”

If you’re already a fan, you’ll know what to expect here: a mysterious murder that, like The Appeal, doesn’t actually occur until much later in the book and a story that unfolds through diary entries, emails and text messages. Plus a list of characters which you’ll need for the whopping cast of 37 plus the 4 on the law team, who are reading through all the documents.

I love the way Hallett uses mixed media. We get to see the characters from all sorts of angles and observe how they present themselves to different people through different forms of communication. An email to a member of the am-dram team might be eloquent and carefully drafted, while a text message to a friend reveals what they really think about X, Y and Z.

This was a great addition to the series and Hallett’s wider catalogue of stand alone mysteries. She is one of my favourite authors and her new books are always one of the highlights of my reading year!

If you haven’t read the first book (and novella) then I would recommend doing so first, as this does contain characters from both and some have quite the background

Which leads me onto a slight tangent here, but bear with me. One of my favourite video game series is Dragon Quest; it’s a huge story-driven role-playing game spanning hours of content and lore. When you continue a saved game, you’re presented with “The Story So Far“, which summarises your recent progress and the plot up to that point. Hear me out: I’d love books in a series to have this kind of recap, especially when they feature large casts of characters and intricate plots. This isn’t meant as a slight on this, or any one, book in particular as I’m also the type of person who needs to fire up a YouTube recap video refresher before starting a new season in a TV series.

[Andie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan and Janice Hallett completist, I was thrilled to win an advanced copy of her upcoming book The Silent Appeal.

Here we return to Lockwood, the scene of prior books The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, and the world of the Fairway Players. This time they are staging Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow”, a murder mystery; as tensions steadily mount, we are left guessing for quite some time who will be the victim of the crime and why. Meanwhile, in signature Hallett style, we are given a kaleidoscope of perspectives, clues, and red herrings through a series of texts, emails, and letters. We meet some new characters here, though many are familiar personalities from the prior books.

I found the pacing to be a bit less successful than some of her other books; it takes almost 400 pages to find out who’s been murdered. While I appreciated the steady build up, I began to wonder if there was even going to be a crime committed at all!

I did appreciate the return of Issy Beck, who I find sympathetic despite being off kilter. The chaotic Nicky-Rose was also interesting. Overall I most enjoyed the dynamics of this quirky group, their power struggles and games of telephone and all the drama that felt very true to life in a small town setting such as this.

All in all, a good read for fans of Hallett, best enjoyed after at least The Appeal for a better grasp on the large cast of characters and the appreciation of returning to their world.

[bluerose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janice Hallett's The Appeal is the rare mystery that I have read four times through. I also loved the follow-up novella, The Christmas Appeal, so I was beyond excited for this third installment in the series. The Silent Appeal returns to the community theatre group/amateur dramatic society The Fairway Players, and this time they are staging a production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow. Like the two previous installments, this is written in an epistolary fashion; the story is told through text messages, emails, and notes. Fans of backstage shenanigans, romantic intrigue, organized chaos, and of course a good old-fashioned whodunnit that keeps you guessing but somehow still makes perfect sense at the end will love this.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cassandra Larsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A theater group with more secrets than members. A bad accident. A murder victim.

I love reading books from this author. This is written in the form of emails, texts and letters. It’s such a fun format, even if the content isn’t that much “fun”. This book keeps you guessing the whole time. At first you’re guessing what will even happen, as the “narrators” don’t tell you. Then you’re trying to figure out who is responsible.

[Books Before Bs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Janice Hallett’s previous books, especially ‘The Appeal’, so I was keen to read the sequel, ‘The Silent Appeal’. Unfortunately, it proved too predictable, unbelievable and contrived to be a satisfying read. I liked the epistolary format, with the emails, texts, journal entries and newspaper clippings, but the rest was a bit of a letdown.

First, the set up feels incredibly manufactured: lawyers are asked to review a case they know nothing about by someone who also hasn’t read any of the relevant files. To make matters worse, certain documents are deliberately withheld and presented out of chronological order. This feels entirely inauthentic to the scenario, employed purely to prevent readers from gathering key information too early and ruining the unfolding plot.

The actions of the characters, too, feel contrived, driven by the author’s desire to mirror elements of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Hollow’, rather than being true to their (or human) nature. Furthermore, the cast is massive, yet only a handful are standout enough to be memorable. A cast list is included, but really, who wants to keep flicking back to work out who each person in a text exchange is? (The very fact that a cast list is required tells you there’s a serious problem with the writing.) The characters also feel more like stereotypes than real people, and the author's constant mockery of them adds an unpleasant tone to the book.

This superficiality extends to the dialogue, resulting in a fair number of "As you know, Bob" moments where backstory is delivered ham-handedly. For example, a wife texts her sister’s entire life history to her husband in a way that feels utterly unnatural. There are plenty of other unbelievable moments, too—not least the ending. The idea that someone could perform in a live play while tripping on LSD, delivering all their lines perfectly without arousing a shred of suspicion, is laughable to say the least.

It’s also hard to believe that the lawyers reviewing the material are really that dense. They take everything at face value and show zero critical thinking skills. It’s deeply frustrating to keep reading their obviously wrong conclusions, especially when it is so clear (and predictable) what’s actually going on. Readers don’t need that much hand-holding to guide them through a mystery—especially not when the ones doing the recapping are getting everything wrong.

All in all, there’s plenty to dissect in ‘The Silent Appeal’, so it will probably make a great book club pick for sparking lively discussions. I just wish there had been more positives to talk about.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Janice Hallett, and Viper for the ARC.

⚠️ Infidelity, disordered eating, sexism, drug use, mental illness, murder

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎭📧 What if your community theater group’s biggest drama wasn’t on stage?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)

I was absolutely delighted to return to the world of the Fairway Players in The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett! Thank you to Atria Books for the early copy of this novel, which publishes in August 2026.

If you’ve been intimidated by the nearly 500-page length, don’t be. This is told entirely through emails, text messages, WhatsApp chats, memos, and other correspondence, so it absolutely flies by. Janice Hallett continues to prove that she’s the queen of the epistolary mystery.

This is the second book featuring the Fairway Players, a local amateur drama group, but you don’t need to have read The Appeal to enjoy it. That said, readers of the first book will have a lot of fun catching up with familiar faces.

This time, the group is preparing a production of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow while eagerly hoping for recognition at the prestigious NODA awards. Between auditions, casting mishaps, forgotten lines, dropped-out performers, suspected affairs, hidden secrets, and plenty of backstage chaos, there’s never a dull moment. 🎭👀

One thing I particularly appreciate about Hallett’s books is how accessible they are despite the large cast of characters. Throughout the story, two investigators periodically exchange notes, highlighting important details and helping readers connect the dots. It makes the mystery feel interactive and keeps everything easy to follow.

My only minor criticism is that the story occasionally feels a bit repetitive, particularly when some of the theater-related conflicts start circling back on themselves. Even so, I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, amateur sleuthing, community theater shenanigans, and books told through unconventional formats, this is an easy recommendation. Janice Hallett has truly mastered this style, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. 📚✨

🎭 Who should read this?
✔️ Fans of cozy mysteries
✔️ Readers who love epistolary novels
✔️ Anyone who enjoys community theater drama
✔️ Mystery lovers looking for something a little different

❓QOTD: Have you ever read a novel told entirely through emails, texts, or letters? If so, what’s your favorite?

[marg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought me right back to the brilliant epistolary storytelling of The Appeal, and it was such a treat revisiting a familiar cast of characters. One of the biggest surprises for me was Issy. In The Appeal, I found her one of the most obnoxious characters (in the most entertaining way possible), but here her POV absolutely steals the show. Her emails and messages are packed with personality, and despite her quirks, she ends up driving much of the sleuthing and uncovering some of the most interesting details in the story. I also loved catching up with Sarah-Jane and Kevin McDonald, who have taken on new roles within the committee since the events of The Appeal. Seeing how their dynamics have evolved added a lovely sense of nostalgia.
Plot-wise, I did find this one a bit slower than The Appeal. Despite the constant stream of correspondence, the middle section felt like it lingered a little too long without advancing the mystery in a meaningful way. In the original novel, clues and revelations seemed to arrive at just the right pace, constantly pushing the story forward and encouraging readers to reassess their theories. Here, the hints felt more subtle and spread further apart, which occasionally made the investigation lose some momentum. That said, Janice Hallett’s epistolary format remains as addictive as ever. I was still eagerly turning pages, trying to work out what the “murder” actually involved and how all the pieces fit together. The red herrings, particularly those involving the tangled romantic relationships and love triangles, were a highlight and kept me second-guessing my assumptions throughout.
Overall, this book was a very satisfying follow-up and a welcome return to a cast I thoroughly enjoyed the first time around. While it may not have the same tightly wound pacing or constant stream of revelations that made The Appeal such a standout, it still showcases Janice Hallett’s talent for creating intricate interpersonal drama and mysteries that invite readers to become detectives themselves. Fans of the original The Appeal will find plenty to enjoy in this one.

[Mikey ಠ◡ಠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I always have a good time reading a Janice Hallett novel and I felt pretty excited to return to Lower Lockwood! One thing I will say in praise of the author is I may see some twists coming, but I don't see all of them. As a devourer of mystery and thriller novels after a while it starts to feel like once you've read one, you've read them all, but not so with this author!

I absolutely adore the epistolary format the author uses, I always find it so fun and engaging. Plus I'm terribly nosy so I love reading emails and texts and the line, these books always scratch my itch to be meddlesome.

So why the 3.5 star rating? I was fully immersed and locked all the way in until like, idk 95% of the way through the book. Then I felt as though the book was trying address questions readers may have as if the author felt as though people were going to read this in a secondary reading kinda way. (Y'all know about secondary watching tho, right? Like when TV is written assuming people are going to half watch the show while on their phones so characters say a plot beat or thread 39867834645 times?) Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt as though readers weren't trusted to know wtf is going on and as though they hadn't followed through with the story and suddenly had to be coached and hand held to the ending and the reveal.

If the whole book has been written like that, I'd be no less annoyed if I'm honest, but I don't think I'd feel as betrayed. Maybe this is a hot take but I think now more than ever authors need people to engage authentically with art and reading. If people are spoon fed the ending, it diminishes the story. People will either get it or they won't. I feel like I don't want to be punished and patronized to because some people want answers handed to them 47 times to make sure they got it.

Anyways Janice, if you wanna hit me with your car, the offer still stands, as always!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The BRILLIANT Janice Hallett reunites us with The Fairway Players whom we first met in her debut novel, “The Appeal” (2021) and again in 2023 in “The Christmas Appeal” (The Appeal 1.5)

And, like with ALL of her books, the mystery is told ENTIRELY by emails, text messages, What’s APP, newspaper articles, interviews and transcripts.

There is more DRAMA off the stage than on it, as co-chairs Kevin and Sarah Jane MacDonald stage Agatha Christie’s play, “The Hollow”.

Expect:

Three bunches of red flowers
Three love triangles
At least one proposal and
One DEAD body

Also expect:

Misunderstandings
Hurt feelings
and Betrayals

Back in town under mysterious circumstances is Sarah-Jane’s sister, Nicky-Rose and we meet new member Fran Elroy-Jones who has also enlisted young married couple, Amelia and Lucas and his cousin Georgia to join the troupe.

Some characters are familiar including Issy, a NEEDY former member who was always willing to play ANY role offered- even that of Gerda-who is described as both unattractive and unpopular!!

Also returning are lawyers Femi and Charlotte who are tasked once again with combing through all of the mixed media to try to determine exactly what happened on the opening night of the Play, and whether the person in jail for the crime committed should file an Appeal….

These books CAN be read as STAND ALONES-as each crime is new. Although, I read The Appeal, I couldn’t remember ANY of the characters when I started this book as I have read over 750 books since reading that one so details are fuzzy at best!

It amazes me how the author can always tell a compelling story this way, and I always look forward to her next!

Review for The Appeal: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This installment is available on August 25, 2026

A buddy read with Marilyn! Be sure to check out her review!

Thank You to Atria books for the invitation to read this ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

[Hope Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fairway Players are back, which means two things are guaranteed. Someone is going to be outrageously petty, and someone is probably going to end up dead.

The Silent Appeal is everything I hoped a follow-up to *The Appeal* would be. Janice Hallett somehow manages to reunite this wonderfully dysfunctional cast of amateur theater enthusiasts and remind us that community theater isn't about the drama on stage. It's about the drama in the group chat.

Once again, Hallett proves that emails, text messages, meeting minutes, and passive-aggressive WhatsApps are all perfectly acceptable murder weapons. Her epistolary style shouldn't work as well as it does, yet before long I was reading every message like a detective convinced that the missing comma was the clue that would crack the case. Spoiler alert. It wasn't.

Seeing these familiar characters return felt like catching up with old friends, if your old friends specialized in gossip, grudges, questionable decision-making, and making Agatha Christie productions far more dangerous than Agatha Christie ever intended. The return of Nicky-Rose added another delicious layer to an already tangled mystery, and the behind-the-scenes squabbling over casting was worth the price of admission all by itself.

The mystery is clever, layered, and packed with enough red herrings to stock a seafood market. Every time I was certain I'd figured it out, Janice Hallett politely took my theory, laughed, and filed it in the recycling bin.

If you loved The Appeal, this is exactly the sequel you wanted. It feels familiar without repeating itself, giving readers another chance to eavesdrop on the most entertainingly chaotic amateur dramatic society ever assembled. Honestly, these people should stop putting on plays and start charging admission for committee meetings.

Five stars. I would happily read another three hundred pages of the Fairway Players arguing about casting, refreshments, and whose fault the murder was. Preferably in that order.

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

The Silent Appeal is the sequel to The Appeal and follows the Fairway Players. It is Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald’s turn to direct and produce a play so they choose Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. This play will be judged for the National Amateur Drama Awards so Kevin desperately wants this play to go well. Kevin allows some new people to join the group and some familiar faces return such as Fran, Barry, Nick and Joyce. Sarah-Jane’s long lost sister, Nicky-Rose has come back to Lower Lockwood and helps to produce the play and Kevin has to recruit Isabel Beck to play a part nobody wants. Someone is going to die though and lawyers, Charlotte and Femi must go through the emails, texts and police reports to discover the victim and find out why the person convicted of the murder admitted to the murder and won’t defend themselves.

I enjoyed this book and I think this is a good sequel to The Appeal. I would say that The Appeal must be read before reading this book because that will give you a much richer experience of this story and then you know the characters. I enjoyed puzzling out the mystery and I didn’t guess what was going on so it was all very exciting. As usual with a Janice Hallett book, the characters feel very real and I’m always impressed with how their characterisation is so deep and well done when we never actually experience the story within the characters heads. This book kept me intrigued and I enjoyed every second of reading it. There was some humour too which I enjoyed and I loved seeing these characters again, particularly Sarah-Jane, Kevin and Joyce, Barry and Nick who are my favourites. Due to the way this book is written, it did take a lot of my focus to read this but I was compelled throughout. I will be recommending this and I think this is a must read for fans of the first book, The Appeal.

[Donna's Book Addiction Book review Arc Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
Release Date: 3 September 2026

The Silent Appeal was my first introduction to Janice Hallett’s work, despite this being a sequel to The Appeal, and I can honestly say I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even without reading the first book, I never felt completely lost, and the mystery itself was engaging enough to pull me in very quickly.

Set around the amateur theatre group, the Fairway Players, the story combines murder, secrets, petty drama, and hidden motives in a way that feels both clever and entertaining. The rehearsal setting for Agatha Christie’s The Hollow adds a fantastic atmosphere to the novel, creating plenty of tension while also giving the story a slightly chaotic and theatrical edge.

One of the strongest parts of the book was the way the mystery slowly unfolded through different pieces of evidence and conversations. Every character seemed suspicious in their own way, which kept me constantly questioning who could really be trusted. The pacing worked well, steadily building intrigue while revealing just enough information to keep me hooked.

I also really enjoyed the dynamic between the characters. Their rivalries, secrets, and small-town tensions made the story feel believable and immersive, while the dry humour sprinkled throughout helped balance the darker moments perfectly.

Although longtime fans of the series may pick up on returning characters or references that I missed, I still found The Silent Appeal to be a highly enjoyable standalone mystery. Janice Hallett’s writing style is sharp, intelligent, and incredibly addictive, making it very easy to keep turning the pages.

Overall, this was a cleverly constructed murder mystery filled with twists, secrets, and theatrical drama. Even as a newcomer to the series, I found myself completely invested in uncovering the truth and will definitely be interested in reading more of Janice Hallett’s work in the future.

[Neely · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Janice Hallett writes a book, I will read it. It’s that simple.

I’ve read quite a few of her books now, and I love her style. Her stories are told in an epistolary format—texts, emails, articles, messages—and she does it so well. It makes the whole experience feel interactive, like you’re piecing everything together yourself.

This is a sequel to The Appeal (and there’s also The Christmas Appeal, which I haven’t read), but while reading the first book helps with context and characters, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.

Speaking of the characters… this group is wild. They are some of the most petty, passive-aggressive people I’ve ever read about, and it is so entertaining. The way they talk to each other, what they say versus what they actually mean—it’s just constant drama, and I love it.

I do think this one felt a little slower to get into compared to her other books, at least in terms of when the central mystery really kicks in. But honestly, the buildup is part of the fun. Reading all the back-and-forth between the characters and watching things unfold is what makes these books so enjoyable.

It’s definitely more of a cozy mystery, centered around a local amateur theater group, and the chaos that unfolds when something goes wrong. You’re essentially digging through all their correspondence trying to figure out what happened.

What really stands out to me is how distinct every character feels. Even though it’s all written through messages and emails, you can tell exactly who is speaking just from their tone and style. That’s not easy to do, and she pulls it off every time.

Overall, this was such a fun read. It made me laugh, kept me engaged, and reminded me why Janice Hallett is one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

[Beth Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

The reader is back in Lower Lockwood with the Fairway Players as they are going to put on Agatha Christie’s play “The Hollow.” The MacDonalds are back and so are several other characters, like Issy, from THE APPEAL. And some new characters. It definitely does help to have read the first book, but I read the first in the series several years ago and enough came back that I felt fine not revisiting the original novel.

(As an aside, their play as a business proposition sounds terrible. They are only having 3 performances selling 100 seats each, and they are rehearsing for 5 MONTHS! Way too much investment with no reward other than the satisfaction of pulling it off…if they can pull it off.)

🩷 Readers who love to delve into people’s emails and texts will enjoy this one. Snooping is so fun, and you get to check in with the professionals at certain times throughout the book to get the rundown. (Some may say this is being spoon-fed, but I liked to see if what I spotted in all the correspondence was in that rundown and if I missed anything.)
🩷 Lots of drama - your mileage may vary.
🩷 As always, I find this a fun format.

⛔️ Like the previous novel in this series, you don’t find out who the victim is for a very long time. That really annoyed me in the first novel (after all, you would know who died), but I think I’ve acclimated to Hallett’s style, and it didn’t bug me in this one.
⛔️ This novel felt a little long. It is long, but it felt long after things had mostly tied up and then it kept going…

If you liked THE APPEAL, then definitely check out this sequel. It was fun to become reacquainted with the Fairway Players and delve into their latest drama and mystery - both on the stage and off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advance Reader Copy. My review is completely my own.

It publishes August 25, 2026.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading The Appeal a few years ago and being so absolutely impressed with it! How the author was able to create such a compelling whodunnit completely through text messages, emails, news articles, journals and other print artifacts. All the evidence is laid out for the reader, giving every opportunity to solve the mystery yourself! How unique!

I received a copy of The Silent Appeal in the mail on Thursday, started reading it on Friday, and finished Monday afternoon! I could not put it down! Dare I say I liked this one even more than the first! The clincher for me with both of these books: They are funny!! There is so much snarky and dark humor. I am chuckling outside many times!

If you aren’t familiar with this author or The Appeal, the books follow a local theater group as they prepare the audition, cast, rehearse and put on a play production. Along the way, a murder happens, and a couple of detectives are reading through all of the evidence documents to try and read between the lines snd solve the case. The best part, in my opinion, is that nothing is left secret. You’re getting everything the detectives are getting. If you like the chance to genuinely solve the case, then you would love these books! And I truly believe they could be red out of order, each book is following a different play production. There was almost nothing pulled into The Silent Appeal that came from the first book, so if you wanna die right then go for it you can always come back to the first book later.

If you love whodunits and mystery novels, and you’ve been looking for something different and unique to spark your interest, look no further! As of right now, this is probably my favorite book of the year so far! This book is so fun, so addictive, and so snarky!!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Silent Appeal, Janice Hallett has us back in Lower Lockwood, preparing for a new play with the Fairway Players. This time they are staging Agatha Christie’s The Hollow, with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald in charge of producing and directing.

The Silent Appeal is a sequel, so it is helpful to have read The Appeal (or even The Christmas Appeal), but not totally necessary. Our favorite (and not so favorite) characters are back, along with a few newbies, but the story doesn’t rely on plots from the previous books.

Lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked with shifting through evidence to uncover what happened on opening night of The Hollow.

The story unfolds through Janice Hallett’s signature style of emails, text messages, and journal entries. It took me a little while to commit to memory who each character is and what they’ve done. There were so many characters, that when one someone was mentioned towards the end of the book, it took to me a moment to remember who he was.

In addition to the story being told through correspondence, The Silent Appeal is unique in that we know a crime has been committed, but we don’t know what it is yet. We must comb through clues to figure out who has done what and to whom. There are so many misdealings going on behind the scenes of The Hollow, that many of the players appear to be guilty of something. I figured out some of what was going on, but not all of it, so I was left guessing until the end.

This isn’t a traditional thriller, but that’s one of the many things I enjoyed about it. It’s a big puzzle that’s full of mystery and humor. I give it four and a half stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers for reviewing purposes! Special thanks to the team at Atria because I did email them specifically asking for this book and the next day I got approved AND two agents sent me the widget for it. Dreams really do come true!

Not to become a Janice Hallett stan account, but I have read and enjoyed everything she’s ever written so this review may be slightly biased.
That said, this is a really good mystery. I so enjoy the epistolary style of books made up of letters, emails, text messages, etc., where the reader has to read beyond the face value of the texts that are given to see the underlying meaning, what people are hiding or trying to project (and why) and piecing together what really happened between all the different narrators, each with their own perspectives. Hallett is especially good at giving each of her long cast of characters a distinct voice and personality-not easy, and something I find a lot of other authors struggle with, when different POVs are so similar you can barely tell the characters apart.
That said, it’s been awhile since I read The Appeal, but the characters came right back to me with the first email from Celia, but it’s a strong enough story and character building that this book could stand alone, and you could definitely get by without reading The Appeal first. I love the drama among this amateur theater group, and all the twists and turns we get along the path from figuring out WHO was murdered and what really happened. Only drawback for me was one of the reveals at the end had seemed quite obvious to me for the whole read, but overall one of her top books (Though The Killer Question remains my fave).
Highly recommend, and do catch me bugging the publishers for any of Hallett’s ARCs in the future- she’s got me for as long as she keeps writing!

[Kiersten Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ARC through NetGalley!

READ THIS BOOK! FIVE FULL STARS! Janice Hallett is the epistolary queen! I have read all of her published books, and even received an ARC of her last book, The Killer Question, as well.

The Silent Appeal is a follow-up to her first book, The Appeal. There is also a novella called The Christmas Appeal. I was a little nervous to read this book because The Appeal is the first book I read from Hallett, her first published, and also my favorite with a satisfying ending, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Although, this is a follow-up novel, you could probably read this without reading The Appeal and not be too lost.

Hallett is masterful in her usage of the epistolary format. We learn about the characters through their interactions via texts, WhatsApp, and emails, so the reader gets the opportunity to draw their own conclusion- what details are important? Who is lying? Who is manipulating others for their own benefit?

I bought into this novel very quickly and felt like the pacing was perfect and the plot points were generally believable. Some of the charcters really grew on me and I was rooting for them and others made me feel strong emotions in the other direction- anger, anxiety, frustration.

In addition to being a who-dun-it mystery, this novel touches on a few larger themes as well. There are a few parts of the novel where we get a bit of a summary to make sure the reader hasn't missed any major important points, and these recaps were very helpful, although maybe a little heavy handed.

I had high expectations for this book and I am so glad it met those expectations! Definitely in the top 3 books I have read this year!

[Pgchuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is set (as 'The Appeal, #1' was) in an amateur dramatic society as they rehearse and put on a play. There is an enormous cast of characters in this book, and they might be easier to keep straight if you are better at remembering books you read a few years ago than I am - most were from the first instalment and I only really remembered Issy, who is a really well-drawn character.

Again, this novel consists mostly of emails and texts between members of the society and is framed as two lawyers reading through these to reassess a murder conviction. I found the framing device a bit unconvincing here (and it didn't help that the formatting of the text conversations between Femi and Charlotte were extremely difficult to read on my Kindle and were impossible to enlarge), but they didn't even know who had died for most of the book. This made no sense to me, both in terms of the efficiency of the task they had been asked to undertake, and also surely the case would have been widely reported in the press and they would have known much of what happened from that.

There were some good twists and turns, but I found this quite a cerebral read in the sense that there were too many characters for me to decide who to identify with. There were some good running jokes, like the fact that Joel has an OBE, but at times it got bogged down in who was going to babysit Sammy (is it babysitting if it's your own child?), who would give who a lift, where the props would be sourced from etc. Mixed feelings about this one - it held my interest, but I won't remember much about it in a few months' time.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for review!

i was SO excited to see this title as an up-and-comer for 2026; i loved its predecessor, which continues to leave a resounding impression on me years after turning its final page. my joy was further escalated when i was approved for an advance copy, and it has only continued to skyrocket throughout my reading of the book.

janice hallett utilizes unconventional storytelling so cleverly and refreshingly. getting to read the "case files" for both the silent appeal as well as the original appeal creates such an immersive, almost addictive experience. the pages fly by when you feel like you're watching the drama unfold right in front of you.

and what drama it is! the reader is provided with months worth of information to parse through with the opportunity to decide what details truly matter and what's just noise. but that's the thing: it ALL matters. theres no such thing as gratuitousness when it comes to these stories, and seeing how hallett ties even the smallest moments back into the big picture by the end is genuinely delicious.

finally, without spoiling anything, i loved issy's arc in this following all that she's been through. getting to revisit most of the original fairway players was somehow even more fun than it was the first time. im almost sad that ive finished the book because i cant realistically imagine how hallett can bring them back for more darkly humorous antics a third time, but i also wasnt expecting this sophomore in the series so--hopefully--never say never!

i will be recommending the appeal duology to anyone who listens (and even to anyone who doesnt) FOREVER!

[Amanda’s_Good_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silent Appeal
By Janice Hallett
Release Date 08/25/2026
5✨S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉

Janice Hallett is an automatic download, auto-buy, auto-request author for me at this point.
ARC, library copy, smoke signals — I do not care. I will be reading it. I absolutely LOST IT the day this ARC showed up. 💃💃

The Silent Appeal brings readers back to the absolute chaos that is The Fairway Players — and honestly, nobody writes dysfunctional theater people quite like Janice Hallett. This time, Kevin and Sarah-Jane are running the show as co-chairs while directing Agatha Christie’s The Hollow for a prestigious drama competition that Kevin is taking way too seriously.
Familiar faces like Fran, Barry, Nick, Joyce, and Isabel Beck return, alongside new additions including Sarah-Jane’s long-lost sister, Nicky-Rose, who immediately adds another layer of tension to an already messy production.
Told through emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, police reports, and attorney notes, the story slowly unravels into another addictive puzzle where someone ends up dead, someone confesses, and absolutely nothing about it makes sense.
Watching Charlotte and Femi piece together the truth from the mountain of drama, passive-aggressive messages, and theatrical egos was ridiculously entertaining.
Janice somehow makes amateur theater feel as dangerous as organized crime, and I ate up every second of it.

My advice for reading this book is to get to know the characters, broken down before the first chapter begins ~ an absolute must for helping you navigate the entire book. (don’t worry, it only takes about 50 pages to catch on 😉)

#janicehallett #thesilentappeal #simonandschuster #atriabooks #atriapartner

[Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edition:
📱📖 Read on Kindle
📃 448 pages
⏱ Duration: 6 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Atria Books
📅 Expected Release: August 25, 2026
✨ ARC provided by NetGalley

Here's the thing about Janice Hallett's books: the format is everything. If you don't vibe with reading a mystery told entirely through emails, texts, and chat logs, this series will feel like work. But if you do, Buckle up, because it's addictive. The Silent Appeal brings back the Fairway Players from The Appeal, and honestly, that familiarity made diving back in so much smoother.

The mystery itself kept me hooked. It's layered enough that you can't just skim your way to the answer, but not so convoluted that you need a spreadsheet to track suspects. I love that Hallett trusts her readers to piece things together without hand-holding. The epistolary format does require a little mental effort. you're reading fragmented conversations, sometimes jumping between multiple threads at once, but that's part of the charm. You're right along with those detectives combing through evidence, not just passively consuming a story.

Nicky-Rose's mysterious return added a nice emotional undercurrent to the chaos, and the casting drama around who would play the despised Gerda gave the whole thing a delicious layer of pettiness. Community theater has never been this deadly, and I'm here for it.

Would I recommend it?
If you loved The Appeal, this delivers more of what made that book so fun. If you're new to Hallett's work, start with Book 1 to get the full character history, but this format is worth trying even if epistolary novels aren't usually your thing. It's sharp, clever, and just the right amount of twisty.

[Hanah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a little biased because I love all Janice Hallett books, and this one was no different. Thank you, NetGalley, for the early copy!
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I am obsessed with the audiobook of The Appeal, so when I was reading The Silent Appeal, I could hear the voice actors in my head, and I really enjoyed that. I'm sure the audiobook for this book will be as fantastic as all her other novels, and I can't wait to listen to it when it's out.
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We have some of the same characters from The Appeal returning and some new ones, because the Fairway Players are always short on men. Kevin McDonald and SJ are the new co-chairs of the Fairway Players, and they trade off with Joel OBE (HAHA iykyk) and Celia Halliday every other play on their co-chairship. This year, the FPs are doing The Hollow by Agatha Christie. During the play, a murder takes place, and it's up to Femi and Charlotte to figure out who in the Fairway Players is guilty.

Stand-out characters for me:
Nicky-Rose: She is so devious and conniving.
Isabel Beck: My favorite little weirdo is back. I just love Issy. I love her observations and how she sees things others tend to overlook because they don't think of her as significant. I love her quirks and her commentary.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, engaging, and made you want more, so it was hard to put down. I think there were some parts of the book where things were overexplained that they didn't need to be because the reader was going to find out what happened in the next few pages anyway.