The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

Series: The Appeal #1.5

Published by Atria Books on October 24, 2024

Genres:  Mystery, Christmas, Fiction, Holiday, Crime, Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Novella

Pages:  208

Format:  eBook

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★★★★★

This immersive holiday caper from the “modern Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times, London) follows the hilarious Fairway Players theater group as they put on a Christmas play—and solve a murder that threatens their production.

The Christmas season has arrived in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking among the amateur theater enthusiasts with petty rivalries, a possibly asbestos-filled beanstalk, and some perennially absent players behind the scenes.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the dead body onstage. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they investigate Christmas letters, examine emails, and pore over police transcripts to identify both the victim and killer before the curtain closes on their holiday production—for good.

Another 5-star read from Hallett! I loved jumping back into the world of the Fairway Players to see what mystery has fallen upon them this time.

I adore the way Hallett writes in epistolary form - it truly makes you feel like you are in the detective seat and looking into everyone's lives like a fly on the wall.

The mystery this time wasn't quite as thrilling as her last books but I enjoyed it all the same. If you read the first book, the characters will be recognizable to you and some old characters pop back up that you might not expect.

I enjoyed where the book led and would recommend this to anyone who read The Appeal!