The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, and emotional abuse.

The “alignment” is how Gabriel referred to the great conjunction, a rare astronomical phenomenon in which Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn appear to grow closer together in the sky. Gabriel incorporated the alignment into the fabricated narrative he told Holly and Jonah, asserting that it was the optimal time to destroy the antichrist.

The alignment becomes an ongoing motif in the novel, representing the moment when coincidence or fate causes separate forces to collide. For example, the events that occurred at the Alperton warehouse involved “an alignment of cover-ups” (418), as the undercover operation to assassinate the Alperton Angels and retrieve Connor Makepeace coincided with the cover-up of how Christopher Shenk died.

Hallett also demonstrates circumstances colliding with Oliver’s personal life. The novel shows how the death of Oliver’s father, the failing health of his mother, his traumatic experience working with the “mad squaddie,” and silent phone calls all occur simultaneously. While these stress factors are unrelated to one another, their combined impact leaves Oliver at his most psychologically vulnerable. Already at a breaking point, Oliver’s meeting with Gabriel and the effects of Amanda’s revenge plan push him over the edge, prompting him to lose his grip on reality.