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The Appeal #2
The Silent Appeal
Not yet published
Expected 3 Sep 26A New Play. Another Murder. Who Will Speak the Truth?
It's a new theatrical season in Lower Lockwood, and the amateur thespians of the Fairway Players are starting rehearsals for their production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow. Despite divisive new arrivals, countless petty jealousies and a near-fatal accident with the lighting rig, surely this will be their greatest show to date?
But someone isn't going to make it to opening night. Could it be producer Sarah-Jane's mysterious sister, lately arrived home after twenty years abroad? New member Lucas, whose shady business dealings may be his downfall? Or perhaps once-convicted murderer Issy Beck, recently acquitted but still up to her old tricks?
Lawyers Charlotte and Femi must sift through the emails, texts and police reports to identify the victim and find out why the person convicted of the murder refuses to speak out in their own defence... Will they uncover the truth in time? Will you?
It's a new theatrical season in Lower Lockwood, and the amateur thespians of the Fairway Players are starting rehearsals for their production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow. Despite divisive new arrivals, countless petty jealousies and a near-fatal accident with the lighting rig, surely this will be their greatest show to date?
But someone isn't going to make it to opening night. Could it be producer Sarah-Jane's mysterious sister, lately arrived home after twenty years abroad? New member Lucas, whose shady business dealings may be his downfall? Or perhaps once-convicted murderer Issy Beck, recently acquitted but still up to her old tricks?
Lawyers Charlotte and Femi must sift through the emails, texts and police reports to identify the victim and find out why the person convicted of the murder refuses to speak out in their own defence... Will they uncover the truth in time? Will you?
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 25, 2026
About the author
Janice Hallett
14 books2,767 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.
May 17, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
🎭📧 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?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (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?
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
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.
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
June 2, 2026
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.
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.
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.
May 22, 2026
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!
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!
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
ARC for review. To be published August 25, 2026.
3.5 stars
I love and adore Janice Hallett’s books. They are all (at least so far) mysteries that are made up solely of written documents: emails, memos, texts, newspaper articles, you get the picture. Fabulous!
That said, this is a sequel to Hallett’s THE APPEAL, which, according to Goodreads, I read. I remember nothing about it, but I vividly remember the other Halletts that I’ve read. Even after having read this sequel I really have nothing on the first book.
THE SILENT APPEAL clearly features some of the same characters as the first book and it references a few things that happened in it, but I don’t think you have to read the first book to enjoy this one. Here, amateur acting troupe The Fairway Players will be staging Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” which has a good sized cast plus lots of behind the scenes people.
Readers know from the beginning that someone will be murdered and that someone else is the culprit…but neither are revealed until nearly the end of the book. The fun is in getting there, because as people are revealed many people could potentially be either.
This is not my favorite of Hallett’s books but, as always, it was enjoyable. If it’s your first go round with her I wouldn’t go with either of the two “Appeal” books, but try another as she’s well worth reading if the description appeals to you.
3.5 stars
I love and adore Janice Hallett’s books. They are all (at least so far) mysteries that are made up solely of written documents: emails, memos, texts, newspaper articles, you get the picture. Fabulous!
That said, this is a sequel to Hallett’s THE APPEAL, which, according to Goodreads, I read. I remember nothing about it, but I vividly remember the other Halletts that I’ve read. Even after having read this sequel I really have nothing on the first book.
THE SILENT APPEAL clearly features some of the same characters as the first book and it references a few things that happened in it, but I don’t think you have to read the first book to enjoy this one. Here, amateur acting troupe The Fairway Players will be staging Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” which has a good sized cast plus lots of behind the scenes people.
Readers know from the beginning that someone will be murdered and that someone else is the culprit…but neither are revealed until nearly the end of the book. The fun is in getting there, because as people are revealed many people could potentially be either.
This is not my favorite of Hallett’s books but, as always, it was enjoyable. If it’s your first go round with her I wouldn’t go with either of the two “Appeal” books, but try another as she’s well worth reading if the description appeals to you.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.25 stars
Thank you Atria for sending me a copy of The Silent Appeal!
I have now read all but one of Janice Hallett's works, and I am continuously impressed by their level of plotting and detail. I'm sure they must have murder boards all over the place when writing!
The Silent Appeal gave me almost everything I would have asked for from a full follow up (I also read The Christmas Appeal, the first true follow up The Appeal, a funny quick read) to The Appeal. I had no idea how Hallett could follow up with another murder mystery to be solved with a lot of the same cast of characters and setting, but she pulled it off! Not only was I engaged in finding out how the victim was killed, but also who was killed. Perhaps more importantly, on this journey I laughed my entire way through it. Hallett is so good with her humor, and the characters are so cemented in my mind because of their quirks, way of speaking, and relationships to each other.
My only let down was that I found the mystery that unfolded to be a bit more simple than in her other works, and the way it is spelled out for the reader to be a bit too straightforward. It happened nearly all at once, and was given to us line by line over and over again. This made the ending not as intriguing for me, but I didn't mind so much as I had a great time getting there.
Hallett is extremely talented, and I'm looking forward to her next work!
Thank you Atria for sending me a copy of The Silent Appeal!
I have now read all but one of Janice Hallett's works, and I am continuously impressed by their level of plotting and detail. I'm sure they must have murder boards all over the place when writing!
The Silent Appeal gave me almost everything I would have asked for from a full follow up (I also read The Christmas Appeal, the first true follow up The Appeal, a funny quick read) to The Appeal. I had no idea how Hallett could follow up with another murder mystery to be solved with a lot of the same cast of characters and setting, but she pulled it off! Not only was I engaged in finding out how the victim was killed, but also who was killed. Perhaps more importantly, on this journey I laughed my entire way through it. Hallett is so good with her humor, and the characters are so cemented in my mind because of their quirks, way of speaking, and relationships to each other.
My only let down was that I found the mystery that unfolded to be a bit more simple than in her other works, and the way it is spelled out for the reader to be a bit too straightforward. It happened nearly all at once, and was given to us line by line over and over again. This made the ending not as intriguing for me, but I didn't mind so much as I had a great time getting there.
Hallett is extremely talented, and I'm looking forward to her next work!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As long as Janice Hallett writes these epistolary/mixed media mysteries I will read them because they are always such a fun time.
Unfortunately, much like The Appeal, I found this particular one to be rather boring. The use of email as the main mode of storytelling is just not my favorite and it felt highly unrealistic that in 2025 people would choose it as their mode of conversation. Maybe I'm just weird, but even when I worked in a community theater I didn't send as many emails as these characters do.
Speaking of the characters ... this is now the third story I have read featuring the Fairway Players and every time I've struggled to remember who anyone is because there are just so many characters and only a small handful really have much of a personality. Which is unfortunate because this is more of an interpersonal drama than a murder mystery imo, and I just didn't like any of the characters enough to care about their drama.
I also didn't love the intervals of the lawyers discussing everything they read. It made me feel like the author didn't trust me to figure things out on my own. I don't need every little thing explained to me!!
But overall this is still a fun, quick read. Hallett loves her red herrings and I can honestly say I didn't truly figure it all out until almost the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC.
Unfortunately, much like The Appeal, I found this particular one to be rather boring. The use of email as the main mode of storytelling is just not my favorite and it felt highly unrealistic that in 2025 people would choose it as their mode of conversation. Maybe I'm just weird, but even when I worked in a community theater I didn't send as many emails as these characters do.
Speaking of the characters ... this is now the third story I have read featuring the Fairway Players and every time I've struggled to remember who anyone is because there are just so many characters and only a small handful really have much of a personality. Which is unfortunate because this is more of an interpersonal drama than a murder mystery imo, and I just didn't like any of the characters enough to care about their drama.
I also didn't love the intervals of the lawyers discussing everything they read. It made me feel like the author didn't trust me to figure things out on my own. I don't need every little thing explained to me!!
But overall this is still a fun, quick read. Hallett loves her red herrings and I can honestly say I didn't truly figure it all out until almost the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC.
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 Goodreads Giveaways
Thanks to Goodreads, the author and publisher for this ARC (8/25/26).
A huge book of all emails and texts? If it was described as such initially, I'm not sure if I would have tried to win but I'll give it a try. I tried The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which were all letters but that didn't appeal to me (sorry for the pun) and boring and a dnf, but all books aren't the same whether letters or emails.
I was glad there were at least a cast of characters and their jobs pertaining to these plays they put on. There were many to keep track of. They were putting on the play The Hollow by Agatha Christie. Never read or heard of it since I've never read any of her books.
Maybe I should have read the first book in this series to get a better perspective and understanding of The Fairway Players and the plays they did previously in the other book. There was supposed to be a murder too.
I don't think I could have taken almost 500 pages of emails and texts back and forth between all these characters to be honest and to find out what the mystery was.
I'm the only one on here and LibraryThing that didn't like it. Maybe they enjoy these types of format and read the first in the series.
A huge book of all emails and texts? If it was described as such initially, I'm not sure if I would have tried to win but I'll give it a try. I tried The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which were all letters but that didn't appeal to me (sorry for the pun) and boring and a dnf, but all books aren't the same whether letters or emails.
I was glad there were at least a cast of characters and their jobs pertaining to these plays they put on. There were many to keep track of. They were putting on the play The Hollow by Agatha Christie. Never read or heard of it since I've never read any of her books.
Maybe I should have read the first book in this series to get a better perspective and understanding of The Fairway Players and the plays they did previously in the other book. There was supposed to be a murder too.
I don't think I could have taken almost 500 pages of emails and texts back and forth between all these characters to be honest and to find out what the mystery was.
I'm the only one on here and LibraryThing that didn't like it. Maybe they enjoy these types of format and read the first in the series.
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