A mystery unfolds through email, letters, essays, and online correspondenceSix students begin a one-year master's degree program in multimedia art at a British university that has recently been forced to cut many of its fine art programs and redesign the degree with an eye toward art's business relevancy. They come together as strangers, representing an eclectic mix of ages and backgrounds. Some are artists, while others have more tangential connections to the art world. But over the course of the year, strange things happen. Someone appears to go missing, or maybe is even dead. Something is stolen. Almost everyone has secrets, including the leader of the program. The novel actually begins at the end, when an external examiner brought in to assign grades instead gets drawn into anomalies in the documented online conversations and some additional emails and materials that have been made available to him. He prepares to confront the students as they unveil their final project, an installation designed for RD8 Systems Ltd., a tech and communication business. Novels structured like a series of message-board postings almost inevitably feel gimmicky and all too clever. This one surprisingly breaks that mold. Though we spend nearly 500 pages primarily in the online company of only a few characters, Hallett skillfully introduces twists as much as halfway along. The secret to the success lies in the realistic, somber tone that only grows darker as truths are revealed. Played for comedy, the whole thing would have seemed superficial, but as a commentary on art's current role in academia and business, as well as the darker side of human ambition and gullibility, Hallett's unconventional novel proves both creative and astute.Dare we say it? A tour de force.

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. (Sept.)