The Appeal

Funnily enough, I was all in for the first half of this book. I really liked the modern epistolary format. It wasn't super realistic (if so it would all be fragmented texts littered with emojis) but I was okay with that. I was engaged with the characters. The plot was interesting and provided lots of theoretical routes to go down.

But then... I lost some interest once the murder actually happens and the lawyers start discussing theories. It was a tad too “meta” for me, since the lawyers are supposed to be like us—the readers, trying to solve the murder. Really it was an avenue of misdirection for the author, which bothered me because I was so aware of it. Some of the theories they start with are so outlandish and unbelievable it felt like an insult to my intelligence. “15 suspects” is also an exaggeration, since most of them have zero motive whatsoever and I didn't even consider them as suspects. And the “questions” posed made it feel like a crime-solving board game instead of a novel.

I wish the author had kept going after the murder with texts, emails, etc. from the characters we were already familiar with, through the trial itself. It would have held my interest more than looking back and reading between the lines. In the end, I had called most of it (confusing questions aside), though I thought the author's choice of murderer had a weak motive.

In any case, it was still fun and I would consider reading her next book.