In the face of coincidence and unexplained phenomena we are all at the mercy of our own thought processes

Tense and fast-paced, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a contemporary parody of the true-crime genre that will entice Hallett fans and intrigue newcomers who enjoy the cultish true-crime theme.Having enjoyed Hallett’s previous book, The Appeal (though not without some reservations), I was cautiously optimistic about diving into this one. This book is an attempt to parody and engage with the modern true-crime movement. The plot follows our protagonist Ellie Cooper, a decently successful true-crime writer, as she investigates the case of the Alperton Angels, a series of murders revolving around a secretive cult. Her goal is thwarted by a nemesis of sorts, Oliver Menzies, who becomes an interesting foil as the book progresses. As before, the mixed-media format of this book was engaging and would appeal to the reader’s inner detective. Some of the formats didn’t make much sense, though—for example, the transcriptions of audio recordings had way too many self-inserts from the ‘transcriptionist’. The characters felt stunted. Ellie; her assistant, whose name I’ve forgotten; Oliver; even the cast of side characters merely feel like pieces moving the plot around. By itself, this isn’t a dealbreaker for me, since I prefer plot-heavy books. But given the predictability of the plot and the heavy emphasis on the interpersonal relationships of the characters, the characters’ shallowness only highlighted the gaps of narrative logic. The mixed media format also didn’t work as seamlessly here, since some portions felt more contrived, even compared to her former book. Their character arcs start going a bit haywire towards the end, though, and the shakiness of it all could have been developed better.The plot was more or less predictable; other parts had terribly convenient turns that progressed the plot. I wanted to feel stronger about the stakes, but my main reaction was curiosity—I finished the book because I wanted to see how it all gets resolved. In that respect, the ending was a bit of a headscratcher, since it is almost a shift in tone from the rest of the book. I did appreciate that Hallett is willing to go in an unexpected direction, but it didn’t work as well here as in The Appeal because it felt so much more superficial. I may have read too many books focused on cults this year (at least 2, so far). I’m not quite convinced it’s a sticking point, but you can definitely see the intrigue in this book’s premise. True-crime is also something of an obsessive trend; every now and then, I’ll get a spurt of motivation to deep dive into random true-crime articles, but it never lasts. This book could have explored some of these themes in greater detail—for example, the expectations journalism and media place on victims of mass tragedies and the victims’ expectations of privacy and desire to grow and move forward from said events. There was also a hint of examining the nature of memory, collective mania, and other tangents. While Hallett touches on these themes, she didn’t convincingly probe their depths.This is a qualified recommendation from me—if you enjoy Hallett’s work, go ahead and give this one a try, particularly if the premise interests you. But if you haven’t tried any before, this may not be the best one to start with; The Appeal likely has broader appeal. All in all, while this was a flawed read for me, it was nonetheless quite gripping and moving in parts. I look forward to reading more of Hallett in the future.