Joan's Picks: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and The Snakehead

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett. This is ingeniously done with enough clues and twists and turns to really keep the reader on their toes. The Alperton Angels were a cult-like group who were convinced that one of their member’s babies was the anti Christ and they had a divine mission to do away with it – until the baby’s mother came to her senses and called the police, whereupon the Angels committed suicide and the baby disappeared into the care system. Nearly 20 years later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed - if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail. As they’re forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined. I really enjoyed it. 

The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe.  Subtitled An epic tale of the Chinatown underworld and the American dream. 

In 1993 a rust bucket of a ship called Golden Venture ran aground off the coast of New York City with 300 illegal Chinese migrants on board. The story of their journey to the US is riveting, along with that of the snakeheads who paved their way – snakeheads being human smugglers who charge desperate people tens of thousands of dollars to get to a new life, and in the 1990s Sister Ping was one of the biggest and most active. This is a story of international intrigue, ruthless and opportunistic criminals operating across many borders, and the authorities who tried to bring them to justice. 

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