Published: August 2024
Pages: 466
Standalone
Summary
The mature students of Royal Hastings University’s new art course have been nothing but trouble. From accusations of theft and setting fire to one another’s artwork, to a rumoured extramarital affair and a disastrous road trip, course leader Gela Nathaniel is at her wits’ end. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?
The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students’ coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now…
My thoughts
I have read all of Hallett’s work so far (I really DO need to add my reviews to this blog, I love her work). My favourite so far has been The Appeal with this story coming in second! Her usual style I’ve grown to love, filled with emails, post-it notes and text messages. It’s such a unique take on storytelling. I’ve recently reviewed the Illuminae Files which is very similar but with notebook entries, cctv, encrypted files etc. I just love books that are a bit more interactive. It feels like an experience.
In this story we have an art class where the examiner who has been brought in to grade their final project is convinced that one of them is dead. How could I not pick up that? With layers of evidence peeled back, the truth becomes increasingly elusive, obscured by unreliable narrators, hidden agendas, and the inherent biases found within the ‘documents’ themselves. We are entrusted to don our detective caps and see if we can figure out what happened and when. I had so many ideas as I was going through this book and although I ended up getting some pieces correct, there were others that were surprising!
A good crime book needs mystery and suspense, and this book has that. Although near the end the story got a little bit silly at parts.. I still really enjoyed this book. Hallett is very good at creating these compelling characters. Much of this story revolves around emotions. How anger, jealousy, naivety, desperation can shape people in what they do and how they act. It is all hidden within the documents awaiting for you to put the pieces together.
The pacing has a slow-burn tension with sudden, shocking revelations. Each document, email, or transcript is a breadcrumb building more and more suspense through the small discoveries rather than overt action. This was an interesting book that looks at the fragile line between culpability and innocence and how all our actions build into the bigger picture.
Would I recommend?
Yes – if you like a crime book where you play as the detective, sorting through evidence and compiling your theories. You should like this one. Perfect as a holiday read or something to tide you over the weekend, give this book a try. If you have never read Hallett before I strongly recommend picking up The Appeal first! (thank me later).