Book Review: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

I should not be allowed in bookstores unattended. On the day I’m thinking of, I wandered past a Waterstones and saw an intriguing book cover in the window. A small paperback that wasn’t too expensive, I went in and picked it up. And then I picked up another one because the first one was in an offer - two for £15 or something like that. And this is why my ‘to read pile’ never gets any smaller.

The second book I picked up didn’t immediately appeal to me - the cover was interesting, with its angel wings and cryptic symbols, but the title made it sound like a whodunnit, a Sherlock Holmes kind of crime mystery that isn’t really my cup of tea. I decided to buy it when I peeked inside and saw that it was a story comprised of ‘found documents’ - emails, WhatsApp conversations, half-finished article drafts, interview transcripts. In movies it would be called ‘found footage’. In books it’s called ‘epistolary’. And after falling in love with Bram Stoker’s Dracula in my youth, I am a big fan of the epistolary novels. So I took home ‘The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels’ by Janice Hallett.

It didn’t hurt that it’s about a cult - another interest of mine. The book touches on the subject of cult leaders and coercive control multiple times, displaying through WhatsApp messages and emails the damaging effects of it in action - in real time, if you like. The reader literally observes a character (I won’t say who) slowly becoming convinced of the dogma behind the cult, slowly becoming indoctrinated despite themselves. And they’re an intelligent, sceptical person as well - not one of the vulnerable people we usually picture when we think of cult victims. It iterates the very important point that anyone can be affected by a skilled manipulator.

So, the story. The Alperton Angels were a group of men who were found dead in an abandoned warehouse, bodies mutilated and arranged to make an occult symbol. A young man and woman were with them, and hidden away in a carrier bag, the woman had a baby. And the discovery of these is what starts the whole mystery.

Of course it’s not as simple as it at first seems. Journalist Amanda Bailey sets out to uncover the truth for her upcoming true crime novel. The book collects her research, conversations with publishers, transcribers, colleagues and interviewees, winding together the story behind the mystery. Helpful transcriber Ellie is the reader’s proxy, commenting on key points that the documents bring to light. What is uncovered is a tangled web of chance collisions, secret organizations, opportunistic criminals and devout believers. 

Through the WhatsApp messages and emails, we also get a sense of who Amanda is. My impression of her went from a bright and ambitious young woman to unscrupulous and selfish, then back round to finding her redeemed at the end as we learn of her troubled past and she faces and owns the consequences of her actions. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The epistolary format isn’t for everyone, and it could occasionally be jarring to jump from one document type to another - from emails to messages to film scripts to chapter drafts - but as you get used to it and the dots start to connect, this becomes less of an issue. By the end I was racing through, eager to see what the next revelation would be. If you like epistolary novels, this is a really good example of a modern take on the style. If you enjoy stories about cults, this is a really interesting and thoughtful take on the subject. And if you like a mystery, this one will keep you guessing right up until the end.