Described by The Sunday Times as 'A modern Christie', this is an extraordinarily inventive crime debut in which the reader is challenged to solve the crime.

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

"This dazzlingly clever cosy crime novel in emails completely trumps Richard Osman... Hallett uses the epistolatory form to superb effect in this terrific debut" - Sunday Times

"Agatha Christie for the 21st century. A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told via emails, about sinister goings-on in an amateur dramatics group" - The Times

"Witty, clever and completely addictive" - Mail on Sunday

"This witty thriller is giving Richard Osmond's Thursday Murder Club a run for its money in the cosy crime stakes, as it continues to charm readers. Hallett's debut, set in a sleepy town where an am-dram production of All My Sons is in the works, is funny and full of twists. Amateur sleuths and thespians alike will love it" - Evening Standard

"It's hilarious, intriguing and absolutely unputdownable" - Stylist

"This ingeniously conceived whodunnit encourages the reader to turn detective in a murder case set against the backdrop of an amateur dramatic club. Brain-twistingly clever" - Metro

"The whole thing is a delight... Teasing out the mystery in the madness is nearly as fun as searching for the solution" - New York Times (Best Books of 2022)

"[A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny" - The Times

"This debut mystery from British author Hallett is a kick: a whodunit epistolary novel in which a pair of young lawyers sort through a mountain of emails, messages and letters to try to sort out a mysterious death in an amateur theatrical troupe" - Seattle Times

"Highly original... for a first novel it is a tour de force" - Crime Review

"Will have you reading between the lines to discover whose hands are covered in blood" - USA Today (Best Beach Reads)