Review of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

Check out my Review of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels with protected spoilers and the ending explained! I usually do not read epistolary fiction, but Janice Hallett is the one author I make an exception for. This book was quite the wild ride, so see if it’s for you and then feel free to join our discussion!

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Published in the US on January 23, 2024 by Atria Books, and in the UK on September 14, 2023 by Viper Books.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

Jen’s Quick Take on The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

• Intricate plot
• I found the investigative format very readable
• Really original; if you are tired of books that feel the same, this is for you!
• According to the author, inspired by I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, a favorite book of mine
• Possibly confusing, but I hope we can figure it out together

My Three-Sentence Summary for The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

Work rivals, a cult, a creepily charismatic cult leader, a missing baby, clues in books and movies, an amateur murder club, and a LOT of twists and turns.

As the missing baby in a notorious true crime case turns eighteen, two journalists compete to find the now grown-up baby and publish a book about the puzzling case. But the case of the Alperton Angels is indeed very mysterious and seems to leave a lot of bodies in its wake.

Review of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

I read The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels over the holidays, and I must confess to a bit of amnesia on all the plot details. In my defense, there is a LOT here.

Fortunately, since the book has been out for a few months in the UK, there are more people who have read it and can help me hash this all out.

One of my favorite parts of the book was feeling right in the middle of a journalistic investigation. I thought this worked extremely well with the epistolary format, as journalist Amanda traded WhatsApps, emails, and more with her editor, friends and sources. There are also interviews and conversations transcribed by her trusty assistant Ellie.

By the end, there was twist after twist, revelation after revelation. The plot felt like a Russian doll, with more and more dolls hidden beneath and me having the feeling that there was no end.

Indeed, a lot of things were mysterious and I could use your help! Check out the spoilers below or just use the comments to leave your questions.

Spoilers for The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

My Questions About the Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

Who is Whom in the Story?

So first off, there were two Hollys, one in the early 90s and one in the early 2000s. Which makes sense, given the timeline. But only one Jonah, and one baby.

Holly One, aka Ashleigh, aka Sonia, helped Gabriel with some credit card fraud in the 1990s. She escapes Gabriel and later comes back to help Holly two get away with her baby. Holly/Ashleigh/Sonia conspires with Don to keep Gabriel in prison.

Jonah became a monk.

Holly Two was actually Rowley Wild, aka Georgina Ogilvy, classmate of YA author Jess Adesina.

Harpinder Singh was not a waiter, but an undercover police officer investigating a drug ring back in 2003. The police (led by Marie Claire) passed off the body of Chris Shenk, the man they believe to be Singh’s killer, as Raphael, a cult member. Shenk actually died in custody. But Singh’s killers were actually Jonah and Holly Two. Gabriel is framed for Singh’s murder.

Jess Adesina, the YA writer of My Angel Diary (lol) is now the partner of Georgina Ogilvy, formerly Holly. Georgina wrote down her experiences in a script which was stolen by Clive Badham and passed off as his.

Ellie is convinced that the missing baby is now known as Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Edward and his wife, Sophie. (I guess through adoption).

Amanda thinks that Holly’s baby is actually Connor, the biological son of DCI Don Makepiece and his wife. As an infant, Connor was kidnapped by Gabriel, as revenge for the fact that Makepiece put him in prison in the 80s. Holly helped rescue the baby, so people assumed the baby was hers.

Spiritual advisor Peter Cole (who was emailing poor Oliver) was really Amanda.

Who Killed Whom?

Oliver becomes invested in Ellie’s idea of the baby being Lady Louise Windsor, and goes to her school. Amanda follows him there and both Oliver and Amanda are killed by police.

Ellie believes that the Mad Squaddie, Oliver’s stalker, lured Oliver to his death. And was possibly a friend of Don’s (DCI, father of the kidnapped Connor, wants to keep Gabriel in prison.)

Amanda leaves Ellie all her research in a safe deposit box. Amanda’s flat is broken into and her laptop, phone and hard drive disappear. (Probably Don is responsible.)

Ellie Cooper writes the story of Oliver and Amanda and leaves all Amanda’s research in the safe deposit box.

What was with the deaths of anyone connected to the case:

1. reporter Gray Graham (who died right after reading Amanda’s text) and
2. author Mark Dunning (who died right after getting Amanda’s email)
3. Filmmaker Suzi Korman
4. David Polneath, who was corresponding with Amanda when he died in a fire
5. Amanda and Oliver

• Did Don murder all those people???
• Did Amanda know she was going to die?
• Is Brother Jonah right? Nowhere and no one is safe? Is this like The Ring?

What are your thoughts and questions? Did I miss anything or get anything wrong? Please feel free to leave spoilers in comments!