The truth certainly gets a work-out in this terrific new addition to Cara Hunter’s excellent crime series set in Oxford, featuring DI Adam Fawley.

First, there is the male postgrad student at an Oxford college who claims he was sexually assaulted by his academic mentor. He’s a six-foot rugby player so did she really try to force herself on him? She’s a professor and high flyer at her college with a lot to lose if the case goes to court, but is she also a predator who thinks she is powerful enough to get away with it?

Next there is the true crime podcast, ‘The Whole Truth,‘ sponsored by an organisation that campaigns to overturn miscarriages of justice. The current series features Gavin Parrie, aka ‘the Roadside Rapist’, arrested by Adam and jailed for rape of several women in 1998, despite maintaining his innocence. Now paroled after twenty years in jail and monitored with an ankle bracelet, the podcast aims to show that the original investigation was flawed and the real rapist never caught. Adam’s wife Alex was one of Parrie’s last victims and because her evidence helped to convict him, she finds herself addicted to listening to the podcast. After all he did threaten her in court and now she’s home alone and heavily pregnant.

And then there is Adam, caught in a nightmare situation where solid forensic evidence points at him as the perpetrator of a shocking crime. Not even his own team can believe he could be innocent; they all know forensic evidence couldn’t be wrong, could it?

This is a beautifully paced book with the parallel plots all being carefully set up, ready to explode into unexpected directions with twists and revelations later in the book. As with the previous books in this series, snippets of information are sprinkled throughout the text in the form of newspaper cuttings, email, social media, police reports and excerpts from the podcast. As well as giving a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes, this makes for a lively and entertaining reading experience.

One of the strengths of this series is the development of the secondary characters and Adam’s colleagues are not forgotten amongst the drama as they progress with their lives and careers. The sexual abuse case was sensitively handled and raised interesting issues in the gender politics that occur in this type of case. This is the fifth book in the series and, is best read in sequence to really get to know the characters and their backstories. However, the author does give an excellent summary for each character before the start of the novel, making it possible to read it as a stand-alone.

Overall, this was a compelling, gripping read with plenty of suspense and tension as the stakes are raised high before the whole truth emerges.

Wow, this was absolutely amazing! Kept me hanging for the entire time and I literally couldn't put it down!
I haven't read the Fawley books in order, but this was raffle easy to pick up as though I haven't read any before.
Thank you! Will recommend to everyone!

This is the fifth in a series of Police Procedurals set in Oxford but with no other resemblance to ‘Morse’; he, of course, is essentially a lone hunter, whereas DI Adam Fawley is the head of a team who work together, each pulling their weight, each contributing to the eventual outcome. For those who come to this book without reading any of the earlier ones, the author kindly provides a quick summary of the main characters and their background, which is a helpful gesture.
This is a murder mystery, although to begin with it looks like an investigation into a sexual assault case, the only ‘mystery’ being that the presumed assailant is a forty something female professor while the presumed victim is her graduate student, a mid-twenties, rugby playing bloke. There is little evidence beyond some of her DNA on his body. Both admit to being together at the time and to having a glass of bubbly, but disagree about who did what, if anything, to whom. The investigation proceeds in a professional, systematic way even though it feels trivial. There is more excitement, however, when a woman is raped and murdered in a completely separate case. The team takes on this new case, again following approved procedure in a protocol driven investigation, while the other case seems to be a “he said, she said” situation, still taken seriously as the motivations are explored.
Suddenly DI Hawley is compromised, because his pregnant wife knows the murdered woman, so his team are taken off the murder, which is passed to a Major Crimes unit. Fawley’s team continue with the original assault case while working, of the record, on the murder. Although both cases look intractable they are eventually resolved by the Fawley team and both have significant novelties in both the execution of the crimes and the investigations themselves.
The book is interesting in the way it presents some of the evidence as images of email or text extracts, pictures of phone messages, transcripts of podcasts, photocopies of hand written notes – a form of epistolary novel. This technique is quite rare and it does give a certain verisimilitude to the events covered. The writing style itself is light but well controlled; it doesn’t get carried away with excess background nor does it sail over detail. It is balanced and enjoyable, the resolutions are credible and satisfactory. It leaves you wanting more.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Cara Hunter does it again; just when you thought it couldn't get any better. We are reintroduced to DI Adam Fawsley and his team. His wife Alex is now pregnant after the death of their 10 year old son.
There are two threads to the book. One is the release of the Roadside Rapist from prison, someone that Adam with the help of Alex, put away. The other is an alleged incident of sexual assault by a female professor to a male student. It's interesting to see the role reversal aspect of this and makes you wonder who is telling the truth.

The story keeps you on your toes and wondering what is going to happen next and who is guilty and who is innocent. A good story, well written and flows nicely.

I loved this book it was full of so many plot twists that it had me guessing till the end. This is the fifth book in the series of DI Fawley books that I have read. I have enjoyed reading the books in order and getting to know the characters but it can be read as a stand-alone.

I was totally gripped from the start. This Whole Truth was another fantastic piece of writing and as unputdownable as the other books in the series so far. The ending was unexpected and I was definitely not disappointed. A must read for all thriller fans and Cara Hunter fans.

This is the fifth book in the series, I have read them all and thoroughly enjoyed every one. There are some great characters who you feel you get to know and they add so much to the book. The story flowed well even though there were a few different things going on it all tied together perfectly. Loved the ending and can’t wait for the next in the series.

I absolutely loved being back amongst the Oxford detectives once again. I have read all of this authors books and each time they get better and better. Kept me interested the whole way through and what a twist!
I am on the blog tour for this book soon and I cannot wait to share my full review

DI Adam Fawley and lawyer wife Alex are awaiting the imminent arrival of their new baby, but Alex in particular is troubled by the release of a convict to whom they are both linked, especially as a series of podcasts seeks to prove that he was wrongly convicted. In addition, a white van seems to be frequenting the area of their house. Simultaneously investigating a sensitive case of sexual assault at one of the smaller Oxford colleges and the murder of a social worker, the second case becomes complicated by unlikely evidence throwing suspicion on one of the team.
This is a tense and exciting police procedural, with well-drawn characters that fans of the series will have come to know by this, the fifth novel about DI Fawley and his team. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot, the glimpses into the lives of the different members of the team and the fact that each detective’s contribution is important in solving the case. As a reader of crime fiction, albeit mostly in translation from Scandinavia, I am ashamed to say that I was unaware of this series and will certainly be seeking out the earlier books. My library is a primary school library so I am unable to buy it for work, but I will certainly be recommending the book to all my book loving friends and my book groups.

I have followed this series right from the debut book, Close to Home, and I can honestly say each book just gets better and better. The series follows DI Adam Fawley and his close knit team of detectives all of whom look out for one another in their own way - some better than others. Although each book is a separate episode crime-wise I would definitely recommend reading the books in order to get the most from them, especially this last one as it refers back to previous events in quite some detail in parts of the story.

In this book, Fawley and his wife are expecting their baby imminently, and due to the tragic loss of their previous child they can't afford for anything to go wrong so Adam has his lawyer wife under close observation so she doesn't exert herself in any way. Which is why the timing of the case which comes to the fore could not be worse. The head of the university specifically asks to speak to Adam regarding the incident so he can't even pass it to one of his colleagues. An accusation has been made against one of the lecturers by a student - very much a case of his word against hers. But there's far more going on than first appears and Fawley soon finds himself in deeper trouble than he ever imagined.

As usual there are podcasts, online quotes from social media and other such soundbites dropped in between the chapters to keep things interesting - a bit of a trademark of the author's which works so well. These little insights contain valuable nuggets of clues to help the reader solve what's going on but in true Cara style there is sufficient smoke screening to be able to keep the best til last.

But Fawley really is in trouble this time; someone knows he's not squeaky clean and is going all out to make him pay. What is the price being asked though, and is it really Fawley who owes the debt?

I cannot commend this author's writing enough and every time someone asks me for a book to read I will put her name forward. Every book in the series is brilliant in its own right but this one stands way above the others. I'm delighted to hear that book 6 is due next spring so you have plenty of time to catch up with the story so far!

First book I have read in this series but I will definitely read more. Enjoyable thriller. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

This is the fifth DI Fawley book in the series and definitely my favourite so far. I liked the character recap at the beginning as it was a good refresher. Fast paced story, intriguing storylines. I also enjoyed the mixed media aspect - emails, texts and the podcast. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

This book started off really well but I really failed to get to grips with the format. The flow of the book was broken by the emails, podcasts and news articles and I found it quite irritating. It was a bit confusing and jumping all over the place and I failed to like the characters. Not one for me but others may enjoy it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Brilliant! I loved this book. Cara Hunters style of writing makes it so easy to be drawn straight into the story and become invested into the characters lives.
Some characters I like and some I really don’t and I hope they get what they deserve!
This is another book in which DI Fawley stars but it can be read as a stand alone without a problem.
As always there were a few different strands of story going on, but the main police investigation is captivating.
The book progresses at a really good pace, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on edge and turning the pages.
Cara Hunter is one of those authors now where, if I see her name, I grab the book - you just know it’s going to be good! This book certainly did not disappoint and I loved it.
I would highly recommend this to crime and thriller readers and I rated it 5 stars.

First book I have read on DI Fawley series and was hooked from the start. Although this is the latest book in the series will definitely be reading more!

The Whole Truth- Cara Hunter-Crime/police procedural 4* netgalley MINE 18th March @PenguinUKBooks
A research student is accusing a Professor at Oxford of sexual assault. The twist is that the student is male - a rugby player type and the Professor female. DI Fawley and his team soon work out that this isn't any ordinary investigation. Fawley has his own issues as someone he convicted and his wife was a victim has just been let out of prison. His wife is now heavily pregnant and is watching every person and car just in case. Two interwoven storylines cleverly told. The one involving Fawleys wife Alex is partly told through excerpts of podcasts which catch us up nicely on a case that happened almost twenty years ago.
This is part of a series- book 5- however it stands alone- I hadn’t read the others. There is a useful and simple who’s who and what's what guide at the beginning to give a little background to the police team.
A brilliantly written very engaging story and despite the potential complexity is very easy to follow- evidence to me of thoughtful, planned, adept writing.
(rest of links on publication)

Unusually I had not read anything by Cara Hunter - I think I was deterred by the missing child theme in the first book in this series. This is book 5 in the DI Adam Fawley series. It might have been tricky starting in at book 5 but Hunter gives a quick intro to all the main members of the team, and their backstories. Plus, most of the book focusses on the main story - an powerful female professor may have sexually assaulted a young male postgrad student.
The book twists and turns in a compelling way, and I read straight through to the end to find the resolution. Cara Hunter does a great job of drawing out the complexity of this sort of case, and the reader is swayed one way and then the other alongside Fawley and his team as they search for the truth. Truth, however, is elusive. Hunter herself only exposes some of the story, and by the epilogue the reader is left with two certainties. Firstly, the police have not got to the bottom of what truly happened, even though a certain justice has been done. And secondly, the reader may not themselves know The Whole Truth: it just depends whose story you believe.
I've now started to read more of Hunter's books and see that she is master of the twist in the tail, of endings that aren't endings. I'd recommend the Whole Truth - but I'd also recommend starting at the beginning and learning about Fawley's slowly developing back story too.

The Whole Truth is the fifth book in the Fawley series, but the author gives a brief round up of the main characters at the beginning so it can be read as a stand alone.

This was a detective thriller with so many moments of intrigue, little tidbits dropped regularly to keep the reader wanting to discover the truth amongst the interweaving stories.

A college professor, Fisher is accused of sexually assaulting a male student. At the same time, a young woman goes missing and is discovered dead by a railway bridge. Is she the latest victim of the Roadside Rapist, recently released from prison? And in a shocking twist, someone is arrested for the murder who nobody could have predicted.

There are so many twists and turns and it's hard to know what the truth is, but the epilogue takes us back in time to reveal just who is lying.

A brilliant read, fast paced and gripping from the beginning.

Revisiting DI Fawley and his wife Alex as they await the birth of their child

This book continues the story of DI Fawley and his team as they begin to investigate the apparent harassment of a student by his University tutor. As always the story begins to become very twisted and it soon becomes unclear who has abused who.
Whilst this is going on the original murderer from Fawleys first case is allowed out with a tag.
And, it seems, Fawley is in the frame for the murder.
Nice to see his wife Alex taking a major part in problem solving and each of the team stays true to type and are likeable or offensive depending how you like them.
A slight annoyance in the plotting for me that felt extremely unlikely, but a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
Highly readable.

The storyline ended up being disappointing and not living up to the blurb. The writing is okay but it just wasn't for me. The change in format is interesting but not enough to save it for me.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

omg what have i just read...a real page turner, there are two stories ongoing in this book, but once you have sorted out the characters and who is investigating who, it gets easier

fawley and his team are called out to with a suspected assault/rape between a student and tutor, but things are not what they seem..

a convicted prisoner is released on parole, but this man swore he would get even with the police that he maintains framed him, he has fawley in his sights

oh my word words cant express how this book had me gripped right to the end..what a page turner and never in my wildest dreams could i ever imagine what happens between the covers of this book...dna, csi..blown right out of the water in this one...brilliant just brilliant..

cant wait for the next book by this author