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The Appeal #2
The Silent Appeal
Not yet published
Expected 25 Aug 26From “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.
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.
448 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 25, 2026
About the author
Janice Hallett
13 books2,740 followersJanice 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.
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Want to Read
May 5, 2026Oooo, 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.
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.
Want to Read
January 20, 2026OMGOMGOMG!!! BOOK 2 to The Appeal ?!
One of my favorite authors! Pre-ordered! I can hardly stand the wait!!
One of my favorite authors! Pre-ordered! I can hardly stand the wait!!
April 8, 2026
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.
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.
May 7, 2026
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.
I received this advanced readers copy via NetGalley and thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
May 13, 2026
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 🫶
📖 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 🫶
April 17, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
April 11, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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!
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!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
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
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
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
📱📖 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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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!
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The unusual writing style caught me by surprise, but once I got used to it, I found it refreshing and came to love this engaging murder mystery.
The story telling is unusual, in that the plot is slowly revealed through a series of historic text, Watts app, email conversations, and journal entries; and the actual crime isn’t revealed until about two-thirds of the way through the book.
The story follows a couple of lawyers tasked by a senior partner with reviewing a file of evidence (the emails etc) to see what clues had been missed. This is a clever way of telling the reader a serious crime had been committed but without telling us what it was. Also, a clever double whammy to make me keep reading, as I wanted find out what the crime was and if there had indeed been a miscarriage of justice.
To be honest, it took me a while to get used to the book’s unconventional format. However, what won me over was the very thing that I was initially uncomfortable with: the messages. They were so on the nose for how people communicate on the phone and online, and each was telling about the relationships between characters, that it became voyeuristic and difficult to put down. Then there was the sense of dilemma about the play and tension over the petty domestic infighting. What a joy! I really felt like a fly on the wall at Lower Lockwood and the thoughts of various characters.
My favourite character was Issy, a woman with potentially dangerous psychological problems and yet perhaps the highest moral standards. What irony! I will be seeking out more books by this author.
The story telling is unusual, in that the plot is slowly revealed through a series of historic text, Watts app, email conversations, and journal entries; and the actual crime isn’t revealed until about two-thirds of the way through the book.
The story follows a couple of lawyers tasked by a senior partner with reviewing a file of evidence (the emails etc) to see what clues had been missed. This is a clever way of telling the reader a serious crime had been committed but without telling us what it was. Also, a clever double whammy to make me keep reading, as I wanted find out what the crime was and if there had indeed been a miscarriage of justice.
To be honest, it took me a while to get used to the book’s unconventional format. However, what won me over was the very thing that I was initially uncomfortable with: the messages. They were so on the nose for how people communicate on the phone and online, and each was telling about the relationships between characters, that it became voyeuristic and difficult to put down. Then there was the sense of dilemma about the play and tension over the petty domestic infighting. What a joy! I really felt like a fly on the wall at Lower Lockwood and the thoughts of various characters.
My favourite character was Issy, a woman with potentially dangerous psychological problems and yet perhaps the highest moral standards. What irony! I will be seeking out more books by this author.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an early copy of this book.
It was wonderful to reunite with the Fairway Players in The Silent Appeal. I absolutely love Janice Hallett’s unique writing style, and jumping back into this familiar, mixed-media format was a treat. The fact that Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose, appears out of the blue and becomes so important to the group added an exciting level of mystery and intrigue right from the start. Plus, the surprise return of a previous Fairway Player was a great twist - that was the moment I knew things were going to get wonderfully wacky!
However, I felt this installment wasn't quite as strong as her previous books. The correspondence and summaries sent from Femi and Charlotte to Roderick were very redundant, often bogging down the pacing. There is also a massive cast of characters to keep track of, and I found it difficult to remember everyone's roles at times, even with the handy character list at the beginning of the book. Surprisingly, the main murder ended up being overshadowed by the other events and interpersonal dramas unfolding at the same time.
I really enjoyed this book even though the ending felt a bit crammed with information. Hallett’s signature format is engaging, and seeing the theater troupe back in action was a lot of fun. If you love a good mystery, this book is well worth the read. #NetGalley #TheSilentAppeal
It was wonderful to reunite with the Fairway Players in The Silent Appeal. I absolutely love Janice Hallett’s unique writing style, and jumping back into this familiar, mixed-media format was a treat. The fact that Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose, appears out of the blue and becomes so important to the group added an exciting level of mystery and intrigue right from the start. Plus, the surprise return of a previous Fairway Player was a great twist - that was the moment I knew things were going to get wonderfully wacky!
However, I felt this installment wasn't quite as strong as her previous books. The correspondence and summaries sent from Femi and Charlotte to Roderick were very redundant, often bogging down the pacing. There is also a massive cast of characters to keep track of, and I found it difficult to remember everyone's roles at times, even with the handy character list at the beginning of the book. Surprisingly, the main murder ended up being overshadowed by the other events and interpersonal dramas unfolding at the same time.
I really enjoyed this book even though the ending felt a bit crammed with information. Hallett’s signature format is engaging, and seeing the theater troupe back in action was a lot of fun. If you love a good mystery, this book is well worth the read. #NetGalley #TheSilentAppeal
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What fun it was to reunite with The Fairway Players as they prepare for their newest production, The Hollow by Agatha Christie. In this follow up to The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal we catch up with some returning players, as well as some new recruits, and follow along with their emails, texts and other media as the mystery unfolds. For readers of the first book and novella, don’t forget, it’s Joel Halliday OBE ;).
I loved this newest book from Janice Hallett and the return to the characters of The Appeal. The book has all the twists and turns we have come to love from Janice Hallett, I love the unique way she tells her stories. I was drawn in immediately and had no trouble remembering the characters from the first book and novella. The story kept a great pace and I flew through it over the weekend. I am not one who tries to solve the mystery and I was happy to be along for the ride, though I did have some suspicions. My only slight issue was that I felt that things were explained by the two lawyers looking into the case in greater detail than was needed.
I would like to say a sincere thank you to the publisher Atria Books, author Janice Hallett, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I loved this newest book from Janice Hallett and the return to the characters of The Appeal. The book has all the twists and turns we have come to love from Janice Hallett, I love the unique way she tells her stories. I was drawn in immediately and had no trouble remembering the characters from the first book and novella. The story kept a great pace and I flew through it over the weekend. I am not one who tries to solve the mystery and I was happy to be along for the ride, though I did have some suspicions. My only slight issue was that I felt that things were explained by the two lawyers looking into the case in greater detail than was needed.
I would like to say a sincere thank you to the publisher Atria Books, author Janice Hallett, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This is a sequel to the author's first book, The Appeal, which I absolutely loved. It is also an epistolary novel and has the same basic structure: someone has been murdered but we don't know who, why, how, or by whom. It also takes place in the same town as The Appeal and features some of the same characters. The investigators are provided with letters, emails, texts, etc. written by the victim, the killer, and everyone else involved and tasked with solving the mystery.
As I said after reading The Appeal, I'm a big fan of epistolary novels and at the moment nobody does them better than Janice Hallett. Again, the story is enormously clever, very involved, and there is one twist that I was genuinely blown away by. I really wanted to give it five stars as I couldn't wait to get back to the book every chance I got which is all you can hope for in a story. Unfortunately, I was kind of put off by the circumstances surrounding the actual murder. This is purely a personal observation as it takes nothing away from the story. It just didn't work for me.
Having said that, Janice Hallett is now a must-read author for me, and this was a Goodreads giveaway so I thank them and the publishers, Simon and Schuster.
As I said after reading The Appeal, I'm a big fan of epistolary novels and at the moment nobody does them better than Janice Hallett. Again, the story is enormously clever, very involved, and there is one twist that I was genuinely blown away by. I really wanted to give it five stars as I couldn't wait to get back to the book every chance I got which is all you can hope for in a story. Unfortunately, I was kind of put off by the circumstances surrounding the actual murder. This is purely a personal observation as it takes nothing away from the story. It just didn't work for me.
Having said that, Janice Hallett is now a must-read author for me, and this was a Goodreads giveaway so I thank them and the publishers, Simon and Schuster.
May 14, 2026
The Silent Appeal, a sequel to Hallett’s debut epistolary novel The Appeal, brings The Fairway Players, a small community-based drama troupe, back into centre stage! This time, the group of actors are performing The Hollow by Agatha Christie, and the drama isn’t only on set.
The novel follows a large cast of characters and is told through evidence (letters, emails, texts, What’s App messages, etc.) that lawyers are combing through, as a second and third pair of eyes, to support an unknown (to them) client’s appeal.
It’s hard to explain much of this book without letting the reader just experience Janice Hallett’s writing and storytelling for themselves. It’s always a race to devour one of her books and this one was no exception. In fact, I really preferred this to its predecessor, the Appeal, because I preferred the characters in this one.
There is something so satisfying about being able to read page after page of correspondence and watch the story unfold and be unpacked by different points of views and through different lies and truths.
Thank you so much to Atria Books and Net Galley for an e-ARC of The Silent Appeal in exchange for an honest review. I truly had such a fun and thrilling time reading it.
The novel follows a large cast of characters and is told through evidence (letters, emails, texts, What’s App messages, etc.) that lawyers are combing through, as a second and third pair of eyes, to support an unknown (to them) client’s appeal.
It’s hard to explain much of this book without letting the reader just experience Janice Hallett’s writing and storytelling for themselves. It’s always a race to devour one of her books and this one was no exception. In fact, I really preferred this to its predecessor, the Appeal, because I preferred the characters in this one.
There is something so satisfying about being able to read page after page of correspondence and watch the story unfold and be unpacked by different points of views and through different lies and truths.
Thank you so much to Atria Books and Net Galley for an e-ARC of The Silent Appeal in exchange for an honest review. I truly had such a fun and thrilling time reading it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
We're back following the Fairway Players as they rehearse for their next play, The Hollow, by Agatha Christie! The Appeal is one of my favorite books by this author, so my fingers were crossed that this sequel would live up to its predecessor. I'm thrilled to report that this is now my favorite Janice Hallett book and the first one I've given five stars! Hallett masterfully executes the epistolary format, making it such an engaging read! Roderick Tanner has reached out to lawyers Charlotte and Femi about a murder that involves the Fairway Players. While the murderer was recently sentenced, he believes there is more to the story and that his client should appeal. He then gives the lawyers chunks of documents at different times. While reading the book, you have to figure out who is murdered and who is the murderer. The murder doesn't happen until about 80% of the way through, but I was having so much fun figuring out who it was going to be that I didn't care. Some of the twists I did catch onto early on, but there were plenty I didn't see coming! This is peak Hallett, and I can't wait for her next release!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! Pub: August 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! Pub: August 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Fairway Players return! Kevin MacDonald and his wife, Sarah-Jane, decide to stage Agatha Christie's The Hollow (which, importantly, does not get spoiled at all in the process!), but will they find enough actors to participate and win them a coveted award?
Luckily for them, Sarah-Jane's errant sister, Nicky-Rose, is back in town and willing to help direct, plus Fran has some new friends whom she definitely didn't meet through her counseling group for inmates. Only one role proves difficult to cast, which allows an opportunity for our resident clinger Issy to rejoin the fray. There are affairs and blackmail and drugs, oh my! Then, when someone is shot outside of the opening night performance, lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked to wade through all the correspondence to determine what really happened and who is to blame!
I absolutely adore Janice Hallett's writing style, but modern epistolary won't be for everyone! Give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you catch on to the various character's quirks and personalities, most of which are distinguishable even early on.
Thanks so very much to Atria, via NetGalley, for the ARC!
Luckily for them, Sarah-Jane's errant sister, Nicky-Rose, is back in town and willing to help direct, plus Fran has some new friends whom she definitely didn't meet through her counseling group for inmates. Only one role proves difficult to cast, which allows an opportunity for our resident clinger Issy to rejoin the fray. There are affairs and blackmail and drugs, oh my! Then, when someone is shot outside of the opening night performance, lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked to wade through all the correspondence to determine what really happened and who is to blame!
I absolutely adore Janice Hallett's writing style, but modern epistolary won't be for everyone! Give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you catch on to the various character's quirks and personalities, most of which are distinguishable even early on.
Thanks so very much to Atria, via NetGalley, for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
The Fairway Players are an amateur drama group. They are currently putting on Agatha Christie's "The Hollow" as their next production, which is being directed by Kevin and produced by his wife Sarah-Jane. When Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose, mysteriously appears back in town after leaving Barbados (where she's been living the last several years running her cruise entertainment company), questions start arising about why she left and what secrets she is trying to keep. And as several of the other members of the cast clearly have secrets they are trying to keep as well, it all leads up to a murder on opening night.
This book is quite quirky, but fun. It's not written as a narrative, but rather the story is told through e-mails and text messages beyond the cast of characters. I found it a little challenging to understand what was going on at first based on the style of writing, but once I figured it out, I really enjoyed it. The book is a bit long and a bit of a slow burn to the actual murder (which doesn't happen until the very end of the book), but it's an easy read and a fun one.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is quite quirky, but fun. It's not written as a narrative, but rather the story is told through e-mails and text messages beyond the cast of characters. I found it a little challenging to understand what was going on at first based on the style of writing, but once I figured it out, I really enjoyed it. The book is a bit long and a bit of a slow burn to the actual murder (which doesn't happen until the very end of the book), but it's an easy read and a fun one.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Janice Hallett does it again. I read her books so quickly, eager to know how I'll be surprised. The format of text messages, emails, journal entries and police reports etc helps the book pages fly. I had forgotten some of the relationships from previous Appeal books but it didn't much matter - the book helps you remember. I definitely didn't figure out the twist-
The only reason it isn't five stars is because the ending falls prey to a trope in murder mysteries that I don't love .
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review ahead of other less lucky readers!
The only reason it isn't five stars is because the ending falls prey to a trope in murder mysteries that I don't love .
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review ahead of other less lucky readers!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The thing is: if Janice Hallett writes a book, you all know I will be seated! Excited to meet new kinds of weirdos! Poking at inconsistencies like I have half a braincell to rub together!
And this delivered on all of those fronts. It was such a treat to return to Lower Lockwood and while I was worried that the whole sequel effect would come in and make this lackluster, it wasn't! It was fun to revisit the existing characters, to get some new oddballs in the mix, and also spend a good chunk of the novel watching all the threads pull together and wonder who the hell is going to die. I also felt like the pacing in this was so solid, and I didn't have moments where my attention started to flag (which has happened with other books of hers, like The Twyford Code).
Also it had the customary "bit of information that re-contextualizes most of the book" and I was soooo chuffed when it all came together.
Anyway! Good book! I was delighted!
The thing is: if Janice Hallett writes a book, you all know I will be seated! Excited to meet new kinds of weirdos! Poking at inconsistencies like I have half a braincell to rub together!
And this delivered on all of those fronts. It was such a treat to return to Lower Lockwood and while I was worried that the whole sequel effect would come in and make this lackluster, it wasn't! It was fun to revisit the existing characters, to get some new oddballs in the mix, and also spend a good chunk of the novel watching all the threads pull together and wonder who the hell is going to die. I also felt like the pacing in this was so solid, and I didn't have moments where my attention started to flag (which has happened with other books of hers, like The Twyford Code).
Also it had the customary "bit of information that re-contextualizes most of the book" and I was soooo chuffed when it all came together.
Anyway! Good book! I was delighted!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Oh Janice! You are the source of so many undone chores, yet so much joy!
Personally, I'd rather have my teeth pulled without anaesthetic than join an AmDram group, but reading about them - especially with the added appeal (yes, I did that!) of a puzzling murder - in her epistolary fashion - is absolute bliss.
In this book, we're back to the Fairway Players and their drama, both on and off the stage. It's a tribute to Hallett's skill that she is able to draw such complete characters (not all of them, mind) without straight prose, relying on their texts and emails to show their internal and external workings.
If I had one tiny quibble about this one, it was that the murder wasn't quite what I'd like (no spoiler), but with the added Easter eggs, not all of which I got first time around, I will certainly be re-reading this one in time, and that, for me, is the sign off of a gripping author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ms Hallett for another several hours of rapid-page-turning enjoyment, all opinions are my own.
Personally, I'd rather have my teeth pulled without anaesthetic than join an AmDram group, but reading about them - especially with the added appeal (yes, I did that!) of a puzzling murder - in her epistolary fashion - is absolute bliss.
In this book, we're back to the Fairway Players and their drama, both on and off the stage. It's a tribute to Hallett's skill that she is able to draw such complete characters (not all of them, mind) without straight prose, relying on their texts and emails to show their internal and external workings.
If I had one tiny quibble about this one, it was that the murder wasn't quite what I'd like (no spoiler), but with the added Easter eggs, not all of which I got first time around, I will certainly be re-reading this one in time, and that, for me, is the sign off of a gripping author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ms Hallett for another several hours of rapid-page-turning enjoyment, all opinions are my own.
May 4, 2026
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Although this is labelled as the second book in the series following The Appeal (with The Christmas Appeal also part of the same set), I do feel that it can be read as a standalone. There are some returning characters, but you don’t need prior knowledge to follow the story.
Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering what really happened on the final night of The Hollows, performed by the Fairway Players. The key question is whether the person who has taken the blame is actually guilty, and this is gradually revealed as they work through the case.
The story unfolds through texts, emails, journal entries and WhatsApp messages. I really enjoy this format, and Janice Hallett does it so well. There is something very satisfying about piecing everything together at the same time as the lawyers. The mystery is revealed slowly, and I found myself completely absorbed in trying to work out what had really happened.
One thing that surprised me was a character who I felt I was not supposed to like or trust, as she had caused trouble before. I actually found myself warming to her and feeling a lot of empathy towards her. I’m not even sure if that was the intention, but it added an extra layer to the story for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and very much hope that the author continues with this series.
Although this is labelled as the second book in the series following The Appeal (with The Christmas Appeal also part of the same set), I do feel that it can be read as a standalone. There are some returning characters, but you don’t need prior knowledge to follow the story.
Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering what really happened on the final night of The Hollows, performed by the Fairway Players. The key question is whether the person who has taken the blame is actually guilty, and this is gradually revealed as they work through the case.
The story unfolds through texts, emails, journal entries and WhatsApp messages. I really enjoy this format, and Janice Hallett does it so well. There is something very satisfying about piecing everything together at the same time as the lawyers. The mystery is revealed slowly, and I found myself completely absorbed in trying to work out what had really happened.
One thing that surprised me was a character who I felt I was not supposed to like or trust, as she had caused trouble before. I actually found myself warming to her and feeling a lot of empathy towards her. I’m not even sure if that was the intention, but it added an extra layer to the story for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and very much hope that the author continues with this series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5⭐️This was so much fun!! I absolutely adore Janice Hallett’s books. This one was one of my favorites. Bonus that the fictional play was based on an Agatha Christie novel. I loved the attorney case summaries throughout the book. They helped me keep track of all of the intertwining stories and characters. The only reason this isn’t a five was because there were a few side characters I kept forgetting existed and some of the texts/emails were not as interesting. Overall I SPED through this. Hallett’s evidence/appeals case format is my favorite because it feels like the author is giving you the opportunity to try and figure it all out (even though I didn’t guess the ending correctly).
I will always be on the lookout for Hallett’s next books. Her mixed media format is addictive and unique.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was one of the ARCS I was most excited to receive and it did not disappoint.
I will always be on the lookout for Hallett’s next books. Her mixed media format is addictive and unique.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was one of the ARCS I was most excited to receive and it did not disappoint.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the third “Appeal” book by Janice Hallett, and we return to Lower Lockwood for the Fairway Players’ latest production.
I love the unique style of writing, through texts, emails, etc, which keeps the story moving at a great pace.
It’s a while since I read the previous books, but was easily drawn back into the world of Am-Dram with all the rivalries and squabbles. Some old favourites, and new characters, a blast from the past, and a Caribbean connection, not to mention possible drug dealing made for a complex cast and plot.
It was a long build-up to the crime, with an unanticipated death, by which time I was invested in all the characters and with no idea of the perpetrator.
I just hope that Roderick Tanner (and the long-suffering Sharon) stay around and send his protegees another case.
Thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for the opportunity to read this book.
I love the unique style of writing, through texts, emails, etc, which keeps the story moving at a great pace.
It’s a while since I read the previous books, but was easily drawn back into the world of Am-Dram with all the rivalries and squabbles. Some old favourites, and new characters, a blast from the past, and a Caribbean connection, not to mention possible drug dealing made for a complex cast and plot.
It was a long build-up to the crime, with an unanticipated death, by which time I was invested in all the characters and with no idea of the perpetrator.
I just hope that Roderick Tanner (and the long-suffering Sharon) stay around and send his protegees another case.
Thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for the opportunity to read this book.
May 12, 2026
This was absolute perfection. I first fell in love with Janice Hallett after reading The Appeal, and she’s been my number one ‘auto-buy’ author ever since. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything she’s written, this might just be my new favorite. In The Silent Appeal, we’re reunited with Lockwood’s amdram group the Fairway Players, and by way of our favorite crime-solving duo of solicitors, tasked with solving another murder. This time however, the twists and turns are absolutely next level. This has all of the brilliance of The Appeal, except that it’s even more addictive, and twice as shocking. Which I didn’t think was possible. There was an extra level of heart in this one, in that while I very much wanted to solve the murder, I also found myself with heavy doses of empathy for most of the characters. I couldn’t have enjoyed this more, and I’m gutted to have finished it far too quickly.
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