A former magazine editor and award-winning journalist, Janice Hallett has written speeches and articles for, among others, the UK's Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. In screenwriting, Hallett's first feature film Retreat was released by Sony Pictures (co-written and directed by Carl Tibbetts) which starred Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell.
Her debut novel is The Appeal.
At the Waterstones blog Hallett tagged five favorite gripping mysteries set in small towns, including:
Big Little Lies by Liane MoriartyRead about the other entries on the list.
Whether or not you’ve seen the TV series, it’s well worth checking out the original novel. Set not in California, but in a small beachcommunity north of Sydney, Australia, the story follows three mothers – Jane, Madeline and Celeste – in the months before a murder. Just how are these three women and their families involved in what happens that fateful night at the school quiz? There’s a cheerful façade over terrible reality in this world of thinly veiled competitiveness and tense oneupmanship. Domestic violence, abuse, rape, bullying and step-family angst bubble ominously behind perfect smiles and declarations of happiness. What I love about this book is that you laugh as loudly as you gasp, and although it’s a cliché to say it, you are hooked right to the very last line.
Big Little Lies is among Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman's six riveting titles of ultra-competitive parents, Pamela Crane's five novels featuring parenting gone wild, Michelle Frances's eight top workplace thrillers, and Jeff Somers's teen novels that teach you something about marriage.
--Marshal Zeringue
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