The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett (Review by Aura Johnson)

Rating: 4.5/5

 The story starts with a theater group, whose make up is mostly people well past their middle age, trying to plan a play for a one-night-only performance of “Jack and the Beanstalk” in order to help fund a new church roof. There is, of course, some off-stage personal drama mixed in between, such as a bragging Christmas newsletter sent out entirely too early, dangerous props, and unexpected mix up with giveaways, causing more tensions and misunderstandings between the Fairway Players theater group. As the play moves closer to the opening date, more mishaps continue to occur during its production that teeters on the verge of the cancellation of the play, culminating in a dead body found in the beanstalk during the opening night. Who is the victim? Was it a murder or an accident? As the audience recovers from the discovery, the theater group scrambles to live by the ‘show must go on’ adage during the play. The rest of the story follows interviews between two detectives and the Fairway Players theater group as they untangle the Christmas mystery, and unexpected discoveries about each other shake the group’s foundation.

 Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can easily say that I had a very difficult time putting it down. The book’s format kept me very engaged and the story continuously built up several heated email exchanges between the players, where anyone could be the victim or the suspect; it was almost as if I was part of the story and kept wanting to know who said what and what happened next. Funny and addictive, this novella proves that drama and secrets will follow you regardless of age.