The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is a mini sequel to The Appeal. The Appeal was one of my absolute favourite books of 2021. I must admit I was unsure at first whether to read The Christmas Appeal, as it is a very short book and it seemed a bit of a waste of money. But then I read Anne’s review on At Home a Lot and I knew I had to read it. So I picked up a copy in Sainsbury’s and I wasn’t disappointed!

The Christmas Appeal goes back to Lockwood and amateur drama group, The Fairway Players. After the events of The Appeal, the founding members have moved on, leaving Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald to step up and take over. But Celia and Joel Halliday aren’t happy and try to undermine everything Sarah-Jane does.

The Fairway Players are staging a panto for one night only to raise money for the church hall roof. It might only be for one night, but Sarah-Jane is determined it will be the best panto ever, which means bringing in an enormous beanstalk.

Things don’t exactly run smoothly through the rehearsal period, but nobody is prepared for a dead Santa to turn up on performance night…

Once more, the story is told entirely through emails, WhatsApp messages and transcriptions of interviews. Retired barrister Roderick Tanner gets in touch with young lawyers, Charlotte and Femi, with all the evidence. Can they work out what happened and who was behind it?

The Christmas Appeal is a very funny book indeed. The passive-aggressive messages and snobbery of many of the characters actually had me laughing out loud. It took me two days to read and was the perfect brain palate cleanser after the brilliant but disturbing Demon Copperhead.

If you’re looking for a funny read this Christmas (or at any time), I would highly recommend The Christmas Appeal. Do you have to have read The Appeal beforehand? You don’t have to, but The Appeal is well worth a read. Treat yourself to both of them this Christmas!