“Six Students. One Murder. Your Time Starts Now…

The mature students of Royal Hastings University’s new art course have been nothing but trouble. From accusations of theft and setting fire to one another’s artwork, to a rumoured extramarital affair and a disastrous road trip, course leader Gela Nathaniel is at her wits’ end. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?

The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students’ coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Examiner by Janice Hallett. The Examiner was published by Viper Books on Thursday 22nd May 2025 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free ARC of The Examiner but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to the team at Viper Books for sending me a proof copy.

A new Janice Hallett book is always a very exciting thing indeed! I’m a huge fan of this author and have been since Hallett’s astonishing debut, The Appeal, was published in 2021. I read an early copy towards the end of 2020 and despite it not being published, it still made it to my ‘books of the year’ list! I don’t think any other book has achieved that. The Examiner follows the same format as Hallett’s earlier books. A gripping mystery at its heart, a story expertly told using mixed-media resources and a thrilling race against time to find out whodunnit (and often, to whom!). I still find it hard to believe exactly how well you feel you know the characters, their foibles and idiosyncrasies, their motivating factors and their fears, from only reading their written communication. How does the author do it? I just don’t know!

The Examiner revolves around a group of six mature Multimedia Art Masters students and their course leader, Gela Nathaniel. Told using emails, group chats, tutor reports, WhatsApp messages, diary entries and their final ‘long’ essays over the course of nine months. From the first time they all meet, to the moment their final piece is presented and judged. Sounds simple, but there’s so much more to the story than that!

The external examiner for the course feels unable to grade the group’s final work. On closer inspection, they feel something is terribly wrong. They’ve contacted the police but the police don’t see a problem and aren’t really concerned. However, if the external examiner’s worst fears are confirmed, one of the students is dead and the others have all played a part in covering it up!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Hallett has worked her magic again! The Examiner is a clever, multi-layered, multi-faceted mystery. I’ve already said it once in this review but it bears repeating. I don’t know how the author manages to convey to the reader who her characters are, the real bones of them, to the level that she achieves, by using only written communication. I want to talk to you about the characters. They’re sublime. An eclectic, mismatched group of people thrown together in an already intense situation and put under even more pressure. They’re highly unlikeable and out for themselves. But gosh, they all play their parts beautifully. Jem is the youngest of the group, a bit of a daddy’s girl who is used to getting her own way. She’s highly suspicious of her peers and keeps a running tally of the art supplies, tattling to the teacher when she thinks someone is taking more than they should. Causing tension, calling them out on things, generally getting in the way. I couldn’t stand her but she was also my favourite character! She’s thoroughly unlikeable but I came to respect her determination and drive. The other characters are all brilliantly flawed with their own secrets and agendas. What a wonderfully toxic group! All in all, The Examiner is an intelligent, well-drawn mystery that pulls the reader into the story. With exceptional characters and a detailed, engaging plot, told in a now familiar, but still highly engaging way, I very much enjoyed the time I spent on the MMAMA(FTP). Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Examiner. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett was published in the UK by Viper Books on 22nd May 2025 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Janice Hallett is the author of five best-selling novels. Her debut, The Appeal, was awarded the CWA Debut Dagger of 2021 and was a Sunday Times’ Bestseller, Waterstones’ Thriller of the Month and Sunday Times’ Crime Book of the Month. Her second novel The Twyford Code was named Crime & Thriller Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2023. It was also a Sunday Times’ Bestseller and a Financial Times book of the year. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was an instant Times and Sunday Times bestseller on its launch in January 2023 and a Richard & Judy Book Club pick.

The Christmas Appeal, a fast, fun and festive novella, was launched in October 2023. It was a Times and Sunday Times bestseller.

Her latest novel The Examiner, was an instant Times and Sunday Times bestseller on its launch and is out now.

Her first novel for children aged 8-12 is A Box Full of Murders, out in June 2025.