Happy Monday everyone. I fancied a bit of blogging this evening and wanted to share a brilliant book I have just read. But first of all, I need to tell you Hattie has had a hair cut and is looking very swish indeed.

We had a busy weekend, with said Hattie haircut, a dinner party and of course watching the England match on Saturday night which was absolutely nerve-jangling. I am the worst football fan, and only follow major tournaments if England happen to be in the later stages. (I know!!) Given that we never have the best record with penalties, I watched the men take these from behind a cushion. It's an awful but a much needed way to sort out the winner after extra time, and I always feel for those that miss on either team. Brutal.

Read about my 2024 To Be Read Pile

Book wise, I have been busy. I had a jolly good sort out of my books which felt wonderful. Over the years I have come to realise I am not good with shelves and shelves of unread books, I actually find it quite stressful. So, armed with the mantra that I am only keeping what I really, really want to read I got rid of quite a number, donated to charity shops and distributed amongst friends. Of course, I then went out and bought another Agatha Christie and a summer crime book which takes my To be read pile up to 19. That is more than enough for me.

Here is a list of Agatha Christie Books in Order

I had some thoughts about this blog and have been popping down ideas The first being that I am only going to review those books that I very much enjoyed. The kind of book you would want to tell a friend about ('Have you read......you must read it....' ). Talking of which let's kick off with a book by the excellent Janice Hallett. Janice's first book, The Appeal, was a runner up on my 2021 Book of the year list, beaten only by the wonderful Beartown which no book was ever going to come close too.

Read my 2021 Books of the Year Post

This book felt like it was Janice Hallett back to her very best. The book follows Amanda Bailey, a true-crime author, who is approached about writing a fictionalised true-crime book about the Alperton Angels, and more importantly is tasked with finding the baby, now turning 18 for an interview.

Told in a similar style to The Appeal, we are left a cryptic note at the start to review the papers, email, documentation and interviews, and decide for ourselves if we would lock the information back up again, or tell the world the truth. Interesting right?

What then follows is the documentary evidence. We read interviews, see templates of letters, emails, plus see two authors tripping over themselves to get the big scoop. This is a similar Modus Operandi to The Appeal.

Believe me when I say I could not put this down and finished it in 2 days. I would read until I was nodding off. The characters are great, and not entirely likeable. Even Amanda, who appears very sensible would exploit her grandmother if it meant getting ahead. The novel also provides a glimpse into the wonderful world of publishing. I could almost hear the air kisses being blown, and the clink of a champagne glass or two.

Very enjoyable and this feels like the Janice Hallett I have grown to love. My husband is now reading this and is equally enjoying it.

And that is it for today, wherever you are I hope you have a great week. I will have another good read for you very, very soon.