The Appeal
The smash-hit bestseller
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3.9 • 368 Ratings
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE 2022 CWA JOHN CREASEY NEW BLOOD DAGGER
ONE MURDER. FIFTEEN SUSPECTS. CAN YOU UNCOVER THE TRUTH?
There is a mystery to solve in the sleepy town of Lower Lockwood. It starts with the arrival of two secretive newcomers, and ends with a tragic death. Roderick Tanner QC has assigned law students Charlotte and Femi to the case. Someone has already been sent to prison for murder, but he suspects that they are innocent. And that far darker secrets have yet to be revealed...
Throughout the amateur dramatics society's disastrous staging of All My Sons and the shady charity appeal for a little girl's medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. The evidence is all there, waiting to be found. But will Charlotte and Femi solve the case? Will you?
'Agatha Christie for the 21st century' THE TIMES
'Witty, clever and completely addictive' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Gripping, ambitious and unusual' SOPHIE HANNAH
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of British journalist, playwright, and screenwriter Hallett's ingeniously plotted debut, two young lawyers face a Herculean challenge: blitzing through almost two years of emails, texts, and messages so they can assist with an appeal brief due within days. Initially, the communications among members of a London area amateur theater group seem unremarkable, even banal. But things get real when troupe leader Martin Hayward shares that his two-year-old granddaughter, Poppy, has been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor—for which the only hope is an astronomically expensive experimental drug. Though plans for the show proceed, an urgent appeal to raise funds for Poppy's treatment takes center stage. As contributions climb and someone ends up dead, Hallett skillfully lays an intricate and twisty trail of bread crumbs that leads to half a dozen suspects, which should delight those eager for the opportunity to sift through the evidence. For others, however, reading this murder mystery may feel more like attempting to solve a large jigsaw puzzle without a picture for guidance. Either way, Hallett remains a writer to watch.
Customer Reviews
Different...in a good way
As an avid crime reader, I loved how differently this book is set out to most. You feel a part of things as everything comes together. I found it hard to put down...would recommend!
Fresh and Addictive!
This style of murder mystery is just fantastic. The pages fly by and the twists keep coming.
LOVED IT!!!!
Top notch mystery
Another classic, similar in nature to the Twyford Code, truly complex, a bit tricky to get into due to that and the fact it‘s story is told through messages and emails, but well worth it.
Some of the twists will have you kicking yourself you didn‘t get them, other plots are easier to pick, but you won‘t guess the ending. All is revealed however so nothing left for a sequeal.
Great book, enjoy it.