The Christmas Appeal

The Fairway Players theater group returns! I absolutely adored Janice Hallett's mystery, The Appeal. I was thrilled to discover that Hallett has written a Christmas novella, again starring the myriad members of the troupe.
The Christmas Appeal is written in one of my favorite storytelling methods - epistolary. The entire novella is told only through emails, messages, police reports and more, just as The Appeal was. There's a large group of players, but it's easy to keep track of who's who. There's also a handy list at the beginning of the book.

The group is constantly bickering amongst themselves. The battle for leadership has spanned many years. The level of 'snark' is off the charts and me laughing out loud more than once - and that's show more hard to do! Things go wrong more than once, but the 'can do' attitude is the group's motto. Each and every characters has a chance to 'speak'. And yes, I had my favorites (looking at you Sarah-Jane). It was easy to imagine being in the midst of the group.

Is there a crime? Of course there is, but I'll let you discover what it is. Clues are dropped all the way to opening night and are slowly revealed from differing viewpoints. Two law students and a retired lawyer are going through all of those missives, also looking for the final answer! I felt like I was in an Agatha Christie novel, trying to ferret out the damning piece of evidence, ready to point my finger with a satisfied ah ha! Well, point I did, but at almost every character along the way.

Hallett is such a clever, clever writer! Her writing is addictive and so very entertaining. Perfect as a stocking stuffer for yourself and/or a friend!

AND Janice Hallett's new novel - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - releases on January 24, 2024. I can't wait!! show less

The Christmas Appeal takes us back to Lower Lockwood, the location of Janice Hallett's debut, The Appeal. This time, amateur dramatics group, The Fairway Players, are putting on a Christmas panto, Jack and the Beanstalk.

As is Hallett's signature style, the story is told almost entirely in emails and texts, a device which makes this an extremely pacy read indeed. The main protagonists are Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald, co-chairs of the group as well as being director and producer respectively, and Celia and Joel Halliday (don't forget Joel's OBE, whatever you do!) who quite clearly wish they were in charge. Celia is a brilliant and horrible character, undermining and backstabbing Sarah-Jane at every turn, one of those people who send a show more very boastful round robin every year. The huge fibreglass beanstalk and the dead body throw something of a spanner in the works and turn the panto into an unintentional farce.

As we first saw in The Appeal, Roderick Tanner KC (now retired) enlists the help of Femi and Charlotte, who are now establishing themselves as criminal lawyers, to read through all the evidence and come to a conclusion, just as the reader is invited to do. I thoroughly enjoyed following events in Lower Lockwood and I found it really amusing. There's all of the worst of human life in this book, a cast of unlikeable but compelling characters. For a Christmas book with a difference I highly recommend The Christmas Appeal - it's funny, festive, fast and fabulous, and hugely enjoyable. show less

3.5⭐

As the story begins, we find lawyers Olufemi (Femi)Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd once again tasked by now-retired Roderick Tanner, KC to peruse a bundle of correspondence between members of The Fairway Players, a community theater group from Lower Lockwood who are again embroiled in a mystery involving one of their own.

The Fairway Players are gearing up for their Christmas production. This time it’s a pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk and the proceeds are meant to go to repairing the church roof. Leadership within the community theater group has changed hands and though much effort is being made toward casting, rehearsals, costumes and of course, set design which includes an old but impressive beanstalk, there is quite a bit of show more tension between old and new leadership. Opening night is not without mishaps and some not-so-pleasant surprises including a body in a Santa suit on stage. As the narrative progresses, we follow the investigation in the aftermath of the incident.

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is a thoroughly entertaining read. Humor, drama and secrets with a murder mystery at the core make for an engaging story. The narrative flows well and is presented to us through email correspondence, WhatsApp messages, Christmas letters and police transcripts, similar to The Appeal. While I found The Appeal a tad long drawn, given the short length of this book, I thought the structure and format worked well. However, I thought that the “mystery” element should have been introduced earlier in the narrative ( the body is discovered after the halfway mark) which would have made for an even more interesting read.

I would suggest reading The Appeal before approaching this novella to get a better idea of the backstories of the characters and past events that are mentioned in the narrative.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novella. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Christmas Appeal was published (in the United States) on October 24, 2023. show less

If you have not given author [a:Janice Hallett|20523461|Janice Hallett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1641132243p2/20523461.jpg], you really should! The stories are always so fun - told through emails, text messages, whatsapp, and more.

This is a story that takes place in the same theater house as a previous book. If you can, I'd recommend reading book 1 first (just because it's so good!) but this one does stand well on it's own. It's a contained mystery and set up just like the previous one.

No longer paralegals or lawyers in training, Charlotte and Fami are contacted by their previous mentoring attorney/co-worker and he has another case for them to read. A new mystery and he's giving little detail at the start. Just a huge file show more of messages they must sort through to answer the questions - who died? and who killed them?

As usual, I had no idea how to answer those questions. This one is short, so it was a very fast read. It had me laughing out loud at so many points, along with groaning at funny dad jokes as well as mirroring the frustration of other characters as some of the underhanded and passive-aggressive moves by other cast mates. As always, the night of the play was a comedy of errors and I loved it.

I really hope this isn't the last we see of this group. Surely, they can have another mystery or two in this town before it feels like everyone is dying and/or killing everyone? I'd definitely read it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

The Fairway Players are at it again, this time raising money for the church hall roof fund with a one-time performance of the pantomime Jack & the Beanstalk. There's the usual drama and bickering of course, but things get more serious when a body in a Santa suit appears in the middle of the performance! Who is the murderer -- and who is the victim? The same legal team who inspected the documents in The Appeal is given a new bundle of correspondence, with instructions to discover what they can.

I enjoyed returning to this group of characters, as there's plenty of snark and humor in their correspondence. However, I don't think the mystery was really solvable until the reveal at the end of the book. It's a fun holiday read for those tired show more of sentimental holiday stories, but I don't feel that it's this author's best work. show less

While the writing style may not be for everyone, The Christmas Appeal is at times a laugh-out loud pantomime which morphs into a farce and ultimately a Christmas Tragedy, that remains hilarious throughout. This short little piece of fluff was enjoyable from start to finish as the Fairway players are sniping at each other, undermining their production, as they are, one and all, picking it up, giving it a wink, and knocking it out of the park. What can you possibly say about the excitement of being cast as a giant fairy but later being promoted to the ugly idiot?!Janice Hallett just has a way of coming up with the most outrageous dialog that had me laughing so hard I almost choked.

A warning - if you are reading on a kindle it is very show more helpful to have a magnifier close at hand to read the very small emails. I enjoyed The Appeal and while acknowledging that The Christmas Appeal may not be for everyone it’s was definitely a win for me. Thanks to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster for a copy. show less

The Fairway Players are on a mission to fund a church roof, and their chosen festive play is Jack and the Beanstalk. However, behind the scenes, it's not all carol-singing and mistletoe—petty rivalries, a questionable beanstalk with potential asbestos, and a cast of characters dealing with more drama than cheer. Plus, there's the added twist of a mysterious death on stage. 'Tis the season for a different kind of suspense!

In this yuletide whodunit, lawyers Femi and Charlotte take the stage, unraveling the mystery by exploring Christmas letters, emails, and police transcripts. Their journey aims to uncover the identity of the victim and the culprit before the final curtain falls.

Now, about my take on it—I'm leaning toward a 3-star show more rating after reading three books by Janice Hallett. The sticking point? Finding a character to root for proves to be a bit challenging. The ensemble comes off as lacking that relatable charm, with some elements of classism and subtle racism toward new low-income housing residents.

I find myself questioning the necessity of this book. The plot feels elusive, and the overall story might not resonate with everyone. While the mystery unfolds, it's not without its drawbacks. Perhaps Janice Hallett's writing style may not align with my preferences.

So, if you're up for a holiday mystery with a unique twist, "The Christmas Appeal" offers an intriguing narrative. Just keep in mind that the character dynamics and plot might not resonate with everyone. It's a 3-star experience for me, but your mileage may vary. Happy reading! show less