Janice Hallett’s debut novel, The Appeal, is unlike any epistolary novel you’ve read. Even the title has several meanings. And, the story itself? Don’t believe anything until you get to the end of the book. All you can do is guess with the clues you’ve been given.

In 2018, the Fairway Players, a small community theater group, is preparing to put on Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”. The Haywood family has always directed and starred in the local shows, but just as they’re about to put together the cast, the patriarch of the family announces they have tragic news. Martin Haywood’s letter to the committee says their two-year-old granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of brain cancer. While his wife will continue to star in the show, he’s turning the reins over to his son, James. Instead, he’s going to head up the drive to raise funds for Poppy’s experimental treatment.

The community rallies around the Haywoods, but, a nurse, new to the community, has her doubts about the course of treatment and the fundraising. Tension mounts, and an explosion leads to death. Although there’s an arrest, Roderick Tanner, QC, Senior Partner in a law firm, has his doubts. He turns all the relevant documents, emails and messages, over to two law students, and asks them to find answers.

That’s actually where The Appeal begins. Along with the law students, the reader goes through emails, messages, an occasional sticky note, searching for the truth. Hallett has taken a page from Golden Age mystery writers. As part of the documents, she lists all the participants in the story. Then, again, halfway through, when the two students are supposed to turn in their answers to Tanner, the cast is listed again as a reminder. Throughout the book, Tanner drops additional information as it’s discovered.

The Appeal isn’t the type of book I normally read. While the victim is the most likable person in the small group, even the victim isn’t trustworthy. But, epistolary novels always interest me, and this one sucked me in. Before I knew it, I was halfway through, determined to learn the truth.

Hallett’s debut novel is compelling. Here’s my warning. If you make it through the introductory material, you’ll probably read the entire book. Let me know if the ending is what you expected. While I distrusted one person from the beginning, and I was a little bit right, the ending was still unexpected. Good luck!

The Appeal by Janice Hallett. Atria Books, 2022. ISBN 9781982187453 (hardcover), 432p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley on NetGalley with permission of the publisher.