Her latest is entitled The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and it’s out 19 January 2023. The story involves a two rival authors, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, who are both researching a the mad case of a cult that brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ and tried to kill the baby. Now, that child is 18 and both Amanda and Oliver think there’s a story in it. Indeed, there is, but it’s not quite what they anticipated… The Appeal was told mainly through letters, and The Twyford Code through transcripts. What documents do you use to tell the story in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels? A wonderfully revealing portrait of how we communicate - what we hide and show of ourselves. It's sharp, funny, a brilliant game, and once you start playing you won't be able to stop -- Rachel Elliot, author of Whispers Through a Megaphone Brilliantly crafted, The Appeal is a refreshingly different take on the modern crime novel. Full of suspicion and secrets, I raced my way to the end - and what an ending! -- Lisa Hall, author of The Party Is Sam just being paranoid given her unhappy history with Tish? Or is something truly sinister afoot, something that could cost one or more of the Fairway Players their lives as Sam seeks to expose the truth?

Synopsis: The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals for an Arthur Miller play, when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Haywood and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their fellow castmates rally to raise money. But not everybody is convince of the good intentions of those involved. New actress Sam raises doubts. So many writers have inspired me: Cervantes, Thomas Hardy, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, Patricia Leitch, Douglas Adams… and that’s only a few. I felt exactly as you do! My brother-in-law who doesn’t read much at all, mentioned it to me (‘you know all these crime books, you must know this one’), and I had never heard of it. I absolutely ripped through it, and enjoyed it very much. Yes, too much periphery, and actually I did not find the solution satisfying – but it made me laugh & kept me guessing,and I will certainly be looking out for her next one.You were inspired by true crime and Michelle McNamara’s book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. What is it that interests you about the genre and that book? Is she the next Christie? I would say no, based on this book, but a very interesting debut anyway. I don’t know if I missed some bits, but while the solution makes sense, and there are some nice deduction based on subtle hints earlier on, I did not feel the eventual solution had the elegant inevitability that Christie can deliver. I also felt the book was too long. I’d never heard of this one either, until someone told me about it…that’s how hearing about stuff works, isn’t it?

Hallett seems to have done that rae things of pleasing the classicists and the modernists…no mean feat for her first novel!A totally original take on a thriller - intriguing and dark but with a dash of humour - I raced through it -- Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet I’m not cynical or making excuses, but what do they expect? Crowdfunding campaigns are built on trust. You never really know where the cash goes. We’ve all contributed to friends’ campaigns without asking questions. Publication of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in January, of course! I’m also in the middle of writing book four and even I think this one is devious.

The summary files, as you say, are just an irritating way of summarising what we already know and don't add anything. It's like the author doesn't trust you to follow anything. A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny * The Times * The members of a drama club come together in the face of tragedy, unaware they could be the victims of an ongoing fraud. A very clever novel that puts you in the place of an investigator. A hugely enjoyable challenge and a most original book -- Jane Lythell, author of The Lie of You Wholly original, constructed as delicately as a spiderweb, and as heartfelt as it is intelligent, I could not stop reading The Appeal -- Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless StreetI still don’t really understand why Issy agrees (offers?) to take the fall for James. It made no sense to me. The Appeal is also a love letter to another kind of masquerade, to acting even in amateur dramatics. As Issy writes to James Hayward, Martin’s son and the play director, who’s called away to his heavily pregnant wife’s bedside ahead of the opening night performance:

Brilliantly original, inventive and clever. I loved this book and you will too -- Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll HouseI haven’t read All My Sons for a while, and my memory is fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure it’s about a family who is hiding a dark and shameful secret. If anyone has insights into the connection between the play and this story, please let me know in comments! So cleverly written. I felt like I was a trainee lawyer sifting through evidence and trying to discover the culprit. It was exciting, fresh, and forces the reader to be an active investigator. I loved it -- Louise Mullins, author of I Know You