Synopsis: Amanda Bailey’s career is on a downhill trajectory, and the only way to save it is to write a book on the infamous Alperton Angels cold case: the cult where the members thought that a teenage girl’s baby was the anti-Christ. However, when the girl called the authorities, the Angels all committed suicide and the teenager and her baby were nowhere to be found. Also on the case, is rival true crime author Oliver Menzies. Amanda and Oliver are forced to work together, but as they investigate further, they find themselves closer to the case than they imagined.
I could not put this book down once I got into it. This book was an absolute adventure to read, from the unusual formatting to the storyline!
The formatting in this story was different compared to other mystery books that I’ve read. Instead of being narrated from a character’s perspective or an omniscient perspective, it was told through audio transcripts, newspaper clippings, text messages, and other pieces of evidence. It made for a very immersive reading experience, as the reader experiences everything from their own perspective, and not through the lens of the protagonist. I found myself feeling more unnerved than I had been with other mystery books for this reason. One problem that I found with this was that I often forgot who was being interviewed during the evidence, or what relation they had to the crime. It also could make it hard to keep track of all the characters. One thing that I really enjoyed, was the audio transcriber, Ellie Cooper, because her character would add little side comments that either helped visualize the interaction (like a pause indicating that someone was thinking, or the tone that was used) or help further guide the atmosphere (like saying that something felt wrong during an interview). The way that it was set up also allowed the reader to solve the crime along with Amanda, which is something that I personally look for in mystery books!
The ending was completely unexpected for me. There were characters that I never expected to be involved in the resolution, which was done tastefully. I find that with some mystery, the plot twist can feel a little forced or rushed, but I think that Hallett did a really good job with it. I also thought that the plot twist in Amanda’s personal storyline was a wild plot twist (in a good way). It was one of those moments where you see everything line up in retrospect, but not as you’re reading. In summary, this was a well-written true crime book that had me on the edge of my seat until the very end! I’d recommend this book to people who are looking to dip their toe into some fictional true crime novels or those looking for a different take on your typical mystery novel.