Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Six students. One murder. Your time starts now…”

Ooofft. This was exquisite! And mind-boggling. And just really masterfully plotted. A work of art, if I may! Being all about a brand new Multimedia Art course at Royal Hastings University, it only seems right to say so about this book. Shady characters, truly brilliant twists and a completely new reading experience for me thanks to a plot filled with intriguing mixed-media. It’s safe to say my first book by Janice Hallett was a hit! I’m so thrilled to be sharing my review of The Examiner!

About the book

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 in art practice aside from running his family’s gallery. Patrick runs 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.

Finally, there is the examiner, the man hired to grade students’ final works—an art installation for a local cloud-based solutions company that may have an ulterior agenda—and who, in sifting through final essays, texts, and message boards, warns that someone is in danger…or already dead. And nothing about this course has been left up to chance.

The beginning

My first thought when I started reading through all the mixed media was, “How on earth does this work so well?!” It half feels like it shouldn’t work as well as it does! I expected this type of book to hook me in much later, but thankfully, it didn’t take me as long as I thought to really become absorbed in the flow of it all. I loved learning about the academic side of things and I felt I had a decent grasp of these characters very early on; the kinds of people they were, how they act around others. The main characters to take note of at this stage are Gela, the head of a new Multimedia Art course, and her six students; Jem, Jonathan, Patrick, Ludya, Cameron and Alyson. Despite the large cast, it takes absolutely no time at all to get used to each of them. Some are certainly more tolerable than others. Cameron and Ludya were the first ones on my ‘to watch’ list. It’s always the quiet ones, right?! But Alyson also had some suspicious qualities at this stage. Regardless of who we really needed to watch out for, I loved getting acquainted with this group. Everything felt so clever!

“I was excited for our project, but unprepared for how this team would change me. Our heartbeats merged and, in the process, we were all reshaped and twisted.”

The separate group chats created to gossip, the snitching, the reporting of other students, the secret cheating – ALL OF IT. It just felt wonderful. I’m sure we’ve all had group chats like this in some capacity over our educational lives. The author very cleverly helps us to get to know these characters through every word they type. Their numerous assignments surprisingly helped me to get to know these characters even more. However, there are extra characters that I absolutely must mention because they are pretty crucial – the examiners themselves. The main jist of the book is them going through all of the digital documentation (alongside us, the readers) as something on the course is amiss. Someone is in danger… or already dead. At times, it felt as though I was one of the examiners and I felt like pitching my thoughts across to them too! As things progress, it becomes clear that some of these characters already have a history. Some characters know things. Was there an ulterior motive that we don’t yet know about? It seemed nothing about the course was left up to chance… My mind was already racing!

The middle

The author’s writing completely sucked me in and didn’t let me go. Janice has such a unique way with words, the format of the book so different that it was always incredibly difficult to put it down for any amount of time. My opinions on so many characters were already taking shape, sometimes swapping and changing as more information is revealed. I had a feeling by this point that there was much more to head of the course, Gela, than I first thought. The group of students acquire an old radio after a disastrous trip to Somerset as part of their course. But when the radio tunes into a voice signalling for help, things get pretty dark and mysterious. Of course, I was desperate to know who this voice belonged to, but I was also curious how two members of the group seem to have faded into the background. Cameron leaves on ‘medical’ grounds, and had anyone really seen Alyson recently? My mind was constantly whirring with what ifs and sketchy predictions, but I knew I wouldn’t work any of this out until everything was revealed at the end.

“If she hadn’t done that, if I’d stayed home, if they’d gone by themselves, who knows what we’d be doing right now. Chances are we’d all be alive at least.”

There’s a big increase in tension, the pacing felt faster and more urgent as things progressed. The two different moments in time from the examiners’ discussion about the course, and what was actually happening from the students’ documents, messages and emails was closing in, and everything felt so exciting and uncertain. I was desperate by this point to find out the truth! Jem, even though she’d annoyed me from the very start, pretty much redeemed herself here. I had to commend her detective efforts in finding out more about Alyson and Cameron’s absence from the course. And this is when we get a huge reveal. The first piece of this mind-boggling puzzle was in place and it only made me crave more! Learning this piece of crucial information made even more questions appear, even though it also answered a few of them. Who could they hear in that old radio?! After all my theories so far being completely wrong, I couldn’t wait for that one fabulous moment where everything slotted into place.

The end

The twists come thick and fast here, each one blowing my mind more than the last. Everything just worked. So intricately plotted to the very last detail, and oh my WORD was it satisfying! We go back over the same year in the course (albeit, a little faster this time) but this time around, we read messages and emails from behind the scenes. No one is who they seem at first! So much is revealed and seeing a different side to some of these characters felt so engrossing to read. All I will say is that there is something about every main character to discover! The story gets much darker than I expected, but I wasn’t mad about it. Everything was so unexpected, the fast pacing of the ending chapters had me reading so quickly, desperate to see how everything unfolded. There are some grim reveals, extra information about some character backstories which I loved, and everything perfectly paved the way to that showstopping finale. I certainly wasn’t expecting it!

“DON’T LET THE EXAMINER IN HERE.”

The feelings I went through in those ending chapters were all over the place! What on earth was I reading?! There was a LOT to take in all at once which fried my brain a little, but once I got my head around it all, I was beyond impressed. Janice, how have you done it?! It really becomes clear at this point just how wide spanning this whole plot is. Every teeny tiny detail really makes this book the absolute triumph that it is. Amazing, truly amazing! There are so many spoilers I could give, but I’ll end by saying you probably won’t see where this is heading, and because of this, how everything is rounded up is incredibly satisfying. The Examiner is my first Janice Hallett read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I can’t wait to get lost in another mind-bending mystery and play detective once more! If you’re yet to pick up a book by Janice, I hugely recommend this. And if you already love Janice… why aren’t you reading this right now? Go! Buy it!

Overall thoughts

The Examiner truly blew my mind. Told through various types of media, this book is simply more than a book; it’s an experience. I felt so involved, like I was an extra character, another examiner trying to uncover something while searching through emails, messages and essays. None of these characters you meet at the start are the same at the end. Six students on a brand new Multimedia Art course seems innocent enough, but what slowly unravels between them all will keep you up at night. A stunningly written, clever, twisty whodunnit. You need to read this!

A HUGE thanks to the author, Janice Hallett, and the fabulous team at Viper Books for my proof copy and goodies! The Examiner is out NOW! You can grab a copy on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Janice over on Twitter/X and Instagram for more updates!

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