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Title details for The Examiner by Janice Hallett - Wait list

The Examiner

A Novel

by Janice Hallett
Anushka Chakravarti
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 3 weeks
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0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 3 weeks
Told in emails, text messages, and essays, this unputdownable mystery follows a group of students in an art master's program that goes dangerously awry, from the internationally bestselling "new queen of crime" (Electric Literature) Janice Hallett.
Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University's new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life across the United Kingdom for her new master's program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one.

There's Jem, a talented sculptor recently graduated from her university program and eager to make her mark as an artist at any cost. Jonathan, who has little experience aside from running his family's gallery. Patrick manages an art supply store, but can barely operate his phone, much less design software. Ludya is a single mother and graphic designer more interested in a paycheck than homework. Cameron is a marketing executive in search of a hobby or a career change. And Alyson, already a successful artist, seems to be overqualified.

When the examiner, the man hired to grade students' final workssifts through the students' final essays, texts, and message boards, he becomes convinced that someone is in danger...or already dead.

With her trademark "witty, original" (The New York Times) voice, Janice Hallett weaves a fresh and mind-bending page-turner that will keep you guessing until the final page.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 10, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797182698
      • File size: 296237 KB
      • Duration: 10:17:09

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 29, 2024
      Combing through emails, essays, texts, and chatroom messages, a mysterious “examiner” uncovers the hidden motives of six graduate students enrolled in a multimedia art course at London’s Royal Hastings University, in the convoluted latest epistolary mystery from Hallett (after The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels). With varying degrees of skill, the students—established artists Ludya and Alyson; gallery owner Jonathan; bored executive Cameron; art supply store owner Patrick; and emerging audio artist Jem—create elaborate art installations while forming friendships and rivalries that mask their true reasons for taking the class. As the communications wear on, it becomes clear that there’s been a murder among the group, and that many of the students are concealing secret identities. With her colleague’s help, class instructor Gela Nathaniel attempts to follow the clues to uncover the killer, but her efforts only propel the narrative to a tangled, unsatisfying conclusion. The initial novelty of the format collapses under the plot’s increasingly intricate mix of climate activism, nuclear threats, and latent Cold War intrigue. This is likely to leave readers lost. Agent: Markus Hoffmann, Regal Hoffmann & Assoc.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      An ensemble of six narrators narrates this twisty British thriller, which follows six art students who are enrolled in a nontraditional graduate program. Eager to impress the university, their instructor secures a year-long collaboration with a local tech company as part of the curriculum, but when a student disappears after an off-site excursion, the group struggles to work together under tense circumstances. As the story unfolds through emails, texts, reports, and messages from the course examiner, the narrators capture each character's distinct personality, which makes the format easier to follow. Anushka Chakravarti and Brendan Dempsey are particularly great as Jem and Patrick, respectively, who form a tenuous friendship. The disastrous end-of-year gala keeps listeners engaged to the very end. C.A.P. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      January 1, 2025

      An examiner is tasked with reviewing the collaborative coursework submitted by university students enrolled in a multimedia arts program. As their diaries, message-board posts, and private communications are revealed, however, it becomes clear that something sinister occurred among the classmates. Hallett (The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels) crafts an intricate, engaging take on an epistolary crime novel, presented through emails and instant messages. Narrators Anushka Chakravarti, Brendan Dempsey, Jonathan Andrew Hume, Rachel Handshaw, Sarah Durham, and Dawn Murphy perform the narration's multiple perspectives--students, administrators, and investigators--in a conversational back-and-forth format. Chakravarti shines as the entitled Veruca Salt-esque Jem, who carries much of the narrative as the ambitious adversary. The audience never experiences events in the moment, only via communication after the fact, creating a cryptic, unreliable atmosphere. Pinging messages and crackly radio broadcasts enhance the audio experience, and an accompanying PDF contains a course calendar that may help listeners follow the timeline. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a stylistically complex crime novel about creativity, conspiracy, and competition. Recommended for fans of Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, and Claire Douglas.--Lauren Hackert

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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