Member Reviews

Blimey what a ride this one was! There’s so much going on, with multiple character viewpoints and it had me hooked. The characterisation is spot on and as the facts of the case slowly unfolds, the tension really builds. I also found the premise so unique and utterly compelling - I was guessing all the way with this one!

Whilst this is book 5 in the series, I’ve only read book 4 previously. Hunter’s storytelling pulls you straight in, and like with book 4, you don’t need to have read the other books in the series. But given how much I loved this one and book 4, I really need to read the others.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Penguin Books and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

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OMFG!!!!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!! WOW. Quite possibly THE best book of the DI Fawley series (haven't read book 6 yet). And now because DI Fawley is my fictional copper crush (a crown he stole from DI Ridpath and Logan McRae 😂) Also, LOVE the little catch up on each character at the beginning of the book.

This book has 2 plot, they don't intertwine with each other, they are very separate, apart from being investigated by the same team. One plot follows a sexual assault case reported by an Oxford college student against his lecturer, who is a woman (amazing plot). The other plot involves DI Fawley, which upset me very much!! 😔

Anyway - if you haven't read any of this series yet - lucky you- but honestly read them. They are fantastic. Although, I read this book on Kindle but I would have preferred the actual book as the clever inserts of text messages, writing and podcasts the author puts in is difficult to read on Kindle.

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Huge thanks to the publisher (Penguin) and Net Galley for sending me an ARC of this book, and the biggest thank you to the author or writing another fantastic thriller, Cara Hunter.

I've followed the DI Adam Fawley series avidly and eagerly await every new release. This book did not disappoint and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from the very first to the last page.

By far one of the best crime thriller series with an authentic police team with well-developed characters. The plot follows a male rugby player who accuses a standout professor of sexual assault. Meanwhile a case from DI Adam Fawley's early days comes back to haunt him and his wife.

I would highly recommend the book, but I would suggest reading the books in order to understand the characters and their relationships with other (as they evolve as the series progresses).

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The Whole Truth is an entertaining and thought provoking crime mystery/thriller with some procedural elements thrown in. It has two narratives running through it that take up equal page time; the first that of the blurb, a sexual abuse claim from a male student about his female professor and the second being a current murder case that have more to do with a far older case of the lead detective.

I found both narratives interesting, but the murder mystery was fairly predictable. Even not having read the previous novels in this series, I could see right from the beginning where it was going and there were very few twists and turns. I did like the additional character development that came from it and truth and lies unravel. The podcast detailing the old case was well done as well, giving a different perspective view into what was going on.

The real meat of the novel was in the sexual assault/abuse case though and I liked how well Hunter distorted and flipped the narratives depending on who you were speaking to. It made it very difficult to figure out who was actually telling the truth until the very final pages. In comparison to the murder narrative, it was full of unexpected twists and turns, with every side being full of unreliable narrators.

All in all, an interesting and well written thriller. There is a level of tension and threat throughout the pages, even with the murder mystery which I was fairly confident from the word go as to how it would resolve. I haven't read any of the previous novels in the series, but may have to go back and correct that in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this title.

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I really enjoyed this explosive crime fiction page turner, the fifth in the DI Adam Fawley series. I haven’t read the first 4 books but I managed to read this as a stand-alone thanks to the synopsis at the start. This book interlaces two intriguing cases; a female professor accused of sexual assault on a rugby playing young male student and an old case involving DI Fawleys heavily pregnant wife Alex who was one of the victims of Gavin Parrie aka the roadside rapist. Gavin Parrie was convicted by DI Fawley based on a lie so he wants revenge. I loved the inclusion of various media, including a series of podcasts “the whole truth” which aims to overturn miscarriages of justice” and that Alex was enthralled with. There was also a good bit of humour which was a welcome relief from all the suspense and drama.

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Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

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A fantastic book by Cara Hunter, however I haven’t read the other books in this series so I feel like I couldn’t appreciate it as much as those who have read the series. Will definitely be reading more from Cara Hunter and will be reading the rest of this series.

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Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced crime thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

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Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. This is my first time reading a book of Cara Hunter’s (and in the series) and it won’t be the last. I loved the twists and turns and I really couldn’t put it down. Really enjoyed the two stories running side by side. I like the authors style of writing, it kept me hooked. Even though this is part of a series (which I haven’t read but will be doing!) I don’t think you need to read the others to enjoy this one. A really great read!

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I have had this book on my 'to-be-read' pile for ages only realising (because my pile is so big!) when book 6 came along. I am so disappointed with myself that I didn't read it earlier because this is yet another cracker from Cara Hunter and a great addition to the series. I don't think you have to read the others in the series to enjoy this as it works pretty well as a standalone.

Once again, we are treated to an up to date story line of alleged abuse by a female in a powerful position against a male student and an old case that is coming back to haunt DI Fawley, his team and his wife. Ms Hunter uses different types of media, including podcasts and transcripts from interviews, to enhance the story and make it feel current and relevant and definitely enhances the reading experience.

The Whole Truth, and in fact the whole series so far, is full of excellent characters that are well developed but what I particularly like is that at the very beginning, there is a brief summary of the main characters in the series which gets you up to speed and jogs your memory which, for people who read a lot of books/series or for those, like me, who have memory lapses from time to time, is really useful. I would certainly recommend this to other authors who write series.

I have one small quibble in what is a really good book and that is the reproduction of Alex's written notes and some of the excepts from text conversations and social media didn't reproduce very well on the Kindle in that they were too small even when the font was set to maximum; I realise in a physical book this is likely not to be an issue but it might be worth thinking about this for future books.

Like I said, this is a cracker and one I would recommend to those of you who enjoy a really good police procedural with some great twists, turns and suspense.

Many thanks to Penguin Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my views of The Whole Truth.

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Another great saga from Cara Hunter, The latest in a regular series.

I particularly like these books because of the relationship between all the main characters, they are all totally believable! If you haven’t read them do try them!

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The Whole Truth, by Cara Hunter
Published: NOW.
Rating: 4/5
Cara Hunter has perfected the art of crime-writing. Her characters are robust and brilliant, and her storylines keep you on the edge of your seat. It is impossible to predict what is going to happen next, and so I could not put it down. I loved the clever interplay between the female professor and Fawley’s team. I also loved how Hunter challenges the stereotype of the victim and perpetrator of sexual assault, and how she interlaces common misconceptions throughout. She cleverly inserts podcast transcripts and articles into the text, which adds a lovely unique twist. I really enjoyed this wonderful book.

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Another extremely clever book from Cara Hunter. Both the main plot and the sub-plot are absolutely devastating and the tension by the end was almost unbearable! Can’t wait for the next one.

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I love how Cara Hunter includes a summary at the start of the book so that we can get reacquainted with Adam Fawley and his team.

This book neatly wraps up the earlier story of Adam and his wife, Alex. We find out more about how they met and what went before. I must admit my heart was broken time and again with what Alex suffered through.

It was lovely to catch up with Fawley’s team as they investigate a case of sexual abuse. I do not want to say anymore about the story so as not to give anything away. But what I will say is that it is definitely worth 5 stars.

I eagerly await the next instalment of Adam Fawley!

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Unfortunately this book was not for me. This was the first book of the series I’ve read, so it could be why I didn’t feel as connected or interested in Adam Fawley and the other detectives’ sub-plots. But overall, there were a lot of characters and perspectives. Especially in the beginning, when you’re just starting to get interested in what’s going on, all of a sudden, there’s a different narrative with a different character and it just feels I needed to get into it all over again, and again (which didn’t happen). Even though the synopsis is focused on the Professor’s story, it seems the book is more centered around the second case and Adam’s involvement in it. I just really didn’t feel invested in any of the characters and I was also disappointed about the ending. It could also be about me not being a fan of this detective-driven multiple POV.

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I read this over a weekend and enjoyed being immersed!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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A great thriller, keeps you turning the pages from the start. It explores its subject sensitively and keeps you guessing throughout

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One of my favourite authors and she didn’t disappoint! I already can’t wait for the next instalment. I love DI Fawley and the whole gang, I love how their personal lives are interlinked with each new case and each new case also gets more and more interesting. Can’t recommend this series highly enough!

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Why have I not read Cara Hunter before ?!
I didn’t realise this was part of a series and you honestly can’t tell as it works so well as a stand alone .
From the onset I was gripped , a proper page turner without it being silly and unrealistic, I loved the who’s who at the beginning and I also loved the inclusion of texts / emails / diagrams . I can see this working so well on screen . I’m now going to have to back track and read the previous . Great read

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Absolutely brilliant, as usual! I love this book series and I'm super excited to find out the TV rights have now been sold. Amazing job as usual Cara!

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