More of a “what happened?” than a whodunnit, The Silent Appeal turns classic mystery tropes on their head.
A small amateur theater group puts on an Agatha Christie play while shenanigans occur backstage. Affairs, love stories, embezzlement, stalking, crime and murder are all covered. It is a cornucopia of gossip all presented by emails, texts, group messages, and private journals. What is actually going on here? You won’t find out until the end even if you are a master armchair detective.
The murder doesn’t occur until more than 80% into the book. The book itself has many characters but I found it easy to keep them all straight due to their excellent characterizations. There are no cardboard stereotypes here. The ending was a great surprise but clues and red herrings were there—just missed by me.
Overall, this book is a fun ride. I loved it so much that I already have the first book in the series, The Appeal, sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to read. 5 stars for The Silent Appeal and a favorite! If you love classic mysteries, don’t miss it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.