This book is well worth the read.

It is written in a very different format than I am used to, it is interesting but did take a little getting used to.

The plot was interesting and the characters were believable.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A cold case being reworked via TV in a bid to solve the crime. Very well done, didn’t see the twists or who the murderer was

The format of this book is unusual, written as a TV show transcript with media exchanges. After a few chapters, I started to get annoyed but at about 20%, I realised I was enjoying it. The story is a whodunit with twists and turns along the way and it is really cleverly written. I look forward to more from Cara Hunter.

I've always enjoyed Cara Hunter's writing and it was interesting to read this one in a very different style to her usual one. At times it read like a theatre script and I did enjoy the use of so many types of media, although as other reviewers have mentioned, I think it may work better as a physical book than an e-reader as I found the press cuttings in particular quite difficult to read.
I enjoyed the cliff hangers and slow reveal of secrets, although it did feel there were a lot of characters none of whom we got to know particularly well, but that would be the same in a true crime documentary I suppose. Not to give spoilers but I was slightly underwhelmed when I discovered whodunit and their motivation.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
Luke Ryder was brutally murdered in 2003 and now in 2023 a well-known film maker decides to investigate this cold case. The story is written from the point of view of this film making process. We are introduced to all of the experts who have been called in to help solve this 20 year mystery. Each chapter is an episode of the television programme and there are transcripts of each programme. In addition there are witness interviews, texts, news clippings and voicemails. At the end of each programme we are often left on a cliffhanger as a big reveal is made. It is a gripping novel and there are clever twists throughout. You keep thinking you have solved the mystery when more information is revealed. An interesting book which I wil be recommending to my various groups. Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I loved the style and set out of the book. How it was done in the style of a cold case crime documentary. I loved the inclusion of the profile photos of the 6 experts that were looking back into an unsolved murder.

We begin by meeting a team of experts bought together by a TV production company to try and solve the mystery of who killed Luke Ryder at a family home many years ago. We go back in time with them as they try and work out who each family member is and how they may be involved.

The story was twisty and pacey and I raced through so I could find out what actually happened. As it was told in the style of a murder doc new evidence would appear to us at the same time as the experts which gives a real good insight of what could of happened, but also takes you one way and then the next along with the characters,

I will be recommending this book to others. Rounded up to 4.5 stars

Such an interesting twist on a “whodunit”! We meet TV director Guy Howard as he embarks on a new Netflix series to uncover who murdered his stepfather, Luke Ryder, twenty years ago.

As a team of investigators is assembled to reinvestigate the unsolved crime, we follow episode by episode as hidden truths are revealed – about both the murdered man, and the back stories of the experts gathered to investigate his death.

The story unfolds via scripts of the documentary episodes, and occasional emails or texts between episodes. This works really successfully, and means the plot licks along at a good pace. The conclusion is satisfying, and I will certainly read more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

An interesting exploration of an historic crime told through the lens of a true crime documentary.

As layers are peeled back, it seems like more of the experts involved in the documentary have more skin in the game than first revealed.

Wow! I needed to sit down in a darkened room after this novel. It is gripping and full of twists - so many that you have hardly taken a breath after one revelation before you are hit with another. As for the narrative, it uses script, maps, timelines, text messages, fan forums, reviews, emails and voicemails. It might sound confusing but I found it very easy to navigate. Guy Howard, a 30 year old filmmaker is collaborating with Nick Vincent, the producer of the 'Infamous' TV series - a series that examines old crimes. For the seventh series they are investigating what was known as the cougar murder case as it is now 20 years since the murder. Guy has got involved because Luke Ryder, the 26 year old who was found bludgeoned to death, was his step-father and he wants to bring closure to the family. His older sisters were traumatized by the murder and his mother is now suffering from early onset Alzheimers. Nick has gathered together a team of experts and the format of the programme is that each episode is a coming together, sharing what they have discovered, finding new leads to track down and eventually uncover the truth. However, as revelation follow revelation, you realise that Nick has chosen these experts for a very specific reason, all is not what it seems. And as for the ending. I loved the format of this novel and I also loved dynamics between the 'team'. It was like watching a slow motion car crash.

📚📚Review📚📚

Murder in the family by Cara Hunter
⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks to @netgalley @harpercollins for a copy of this for an honest review.

This follows the making of a true crime documentary as they try to uncover a cold case from 20 years ago and the family caught in the middle.

I did not like the format of this book. I liked that it was different from the usual but it didn’t really work for me. It’s written as a script with clips from the paper and text messages etc on it. I found myself skimming some of it. Very slow paced and repetitive as it sets the scene each time the crew meet up and also summarises the last meet up. I really wanted to know what was going on so I stuck with it but the repetition really annoyed me.

I could see some true crime people liking this as it sounds like an interesting concept, but I like a story that isn’t too drawn out and repetitive.

Due for release on 20th July 2023.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
This is my first title by this author and will read more in the future.
Will recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller.
This author has a unique writing style which i really enjoyed.
This book was full of twists and turns that you do not see coming.
Thanks again for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 stars

I liked the overall story but really struggled to engage with the format on my kindle. I think I'd have enjoyed the book a lot more reading a hard copy as some of the content didn't seem to format correctly and it just didn't quite work.

There were some twists and turns that did hold my interest and it was a really good concept of Netflix show/documentary as well which I liked as it was a bit different to the norm.

I have loved other books - the Adam Fawley series - by this author and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another novel but this one just wasn't for me.

My many thanks to Harper Collins UK via NetGalley for this advanced copy, which I have reviewed honestly.

Twenty years previously, Luke was murdered outside his home. The murder was never solved. Guy, his stepson and a producer, assembles an expert team to investigate the cold case as part of a Netflix series. However, the investigation is far from straightforward.

I have read all of Cara Hunter’s previous crime novels and have loved every one. This standalone thriller had the flare, twists, and turns I enjoyed so much from Cara Hunter’s writing. Just when I thought I knew where the story was heading, a sharp turn in another direction kept me hooked and turning those pages.

However, very reluctantly, I have to say I was not so keen on the format of this book. I have read other books with this type of format (media-led) and prefer a more conventional written book. That is just a personal preference and does not take away from the storyline and quality of the writing. Great book and a must-read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for the ARC and, in return, my honest review.

What a unique format. I loved this book. Totally unexpected and engrossed from the first page to the last.
A twenty year old murder that has never been solved and followed the family. The son start's the process of investigating on a true crime reality show. The experts offer their opinions but is it without bias?
Enjoy I definitely did.

Right... I didn't expect this to be happen to be honest. While it's true that I'm late to the whole DI Adam Fawley series and only read the first book earlier this year, I did love Cara Hunter's writing style. Add the fact that the blurb of Murder In The Family sounded absolutely fascinating with its true crime show and cold case angle, and I fully expected to have a fantastic time with this stand-alone. Imagine my surprise when I ended up wondering if I should just DNF more than once instead... Oh yes, Murder In The Family and me sadly didn't get along at all.

Before I continue, I have to say that I still love the premise of this story. In fact, this story sounded so up my alley that I fully expected to find a new 5 star read. I love a true crime and/or cold case angle, and the idea of having things unfold on live TV does sound exciting. My expectations for this story were high, and I have been looking forward to finally dive in ever since a copy appeared on my kindle. Especially since it promises to give you plenty of clues to try and solve the puzzle before the truth is revealed...

My initial excitement died down extremely fast though. Why? Let's just say that it has nothing to do with the content, and everything with the writing style. Boy, did I absolutely despise the way this story was written! Yes, I'm saying that it was the writing style that was mainly to blame for completely ruining this story for me. This basically reads like a literal transcript for a true crime Netflix show, where EVERYTHING is written out including the descriptions, tiniest gasps and facial expressions. I'm not sure why this bothered me to this point, because I've read and loved books with a similar format before (the Six Stories series comes to mind, although that series involves a podcast)... But the fact is that with the way this story was written, it's basically a miracle I didn't end up throwing my kindle against the wall.

To make things worse, Murder In The Family also throws a mountain of other formats at you (including e-mails, texts, newspaper articles, Tweets, maps etc.). This might work better in physical format, but on my kindle this was mainly just a visual overload and it slowed down the pace even more. Some texts were hard to read, and as a whole it not only distracted from what was going on, but it made the story feel less cohesive instead of dynamic. In fact, I started skimreading long before the halfway mark, not bothering with any of the inner background workings of the show nor the other formats at all. Instead I ended up reading just the transcript of the dialogues, and even then I struggled considerably to even make it to the final page. Yikes.

As for the plot: I still feel it has a lot of potential, but as a whole I wasn't completely convinced either. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I guessed the identity of the person behind Luke's death almost immediately. I'm not sure if it's because I read to many crime thrillers or if it's really this easy to see, but I literally said I bet it's that person... Only to be extremely disappointed to find out I was actually right (basically, the only reason I kept reading was to see if I was wrong). There is also an overload of characters, and with the way the story is written, it's extremely hard to keep them apart or get to know them better. I didn't feel invested at all in learning more about any of them as a result either.

Whoops, this review is turning out be quite a rant... I'll just leave it at this and say that despite showing all the signs of the opposite, Murder In The Family most definitely wasn't for me. I sure wish I had just DNFed it instead... I know that I'm in the minority though, because most people do seem to love this story. But just in case there is someone out there with similar thoughts: you are not alone.

Interesting style of writing, almost like a play, but not quite.
Guy Howard decides to investigate the death of his step father 20 years ago, when he was 10 years old. It’s done through a crime documentary serious on the television. A random group of experts discuss the evidence and interview old and new family friends.
Many twists and turns, blind alleys and coincidences. No one is what they seem!
Not sure I really engaged with any of the characters, I certainly wasn’t sympathetic to anyone. But I did want to find out who did it.
Slow to start but then couldn’t put it down. It really drew me in.

I love Cara Hunter's books and this one was written in a really creative way! I read it quite quickly because the author really knows how to keep her readers hooked. I wasn't really surprised by the end but a really great thriller all in all!

The cold case murder of Luke Ryder 20 years ago is being re-examined by a team of experts for a new docu-series. Directed by Guy Howard, the step son of Luke, the programme aims to discover, with gathered evidence and new technology what happened that fateful night.
I loved this book, I loved the concept of the writing style, ie in the manner of meetings, text messages, newspaper reports and conversations around a table from the investigating team. Although on the kindle version I did find some of the text small to read, There are no obvious chapters but I didn't find it off putting, in fact it served the purpose of wanting to read just one more segment, especially with all the cliffhangers. All in all I'm sure Cara Hunter will have another bestseller. I was gifted this advanced copy by Netgalley and Harper Collins but am under no obligation to leave my review

Wow, I have loved this author's Adam Fawley series and this standalone thriller has cemented my opinion of her as one of the best crime writers of the time.

In Murder in the Family a team has been assembled to investigate a cold case for Netflix. The format is that there is an episode which generally has some surprises for those investigating 'live' followed by some commentary on-line from all the amateur sleuths.

The crime being investigated is the murder of the stepfather of one of the producers, Luke Ryder who was found dead outside his home in 2003. Needless to say Guy Howard's mother was been fully investigated at the time but rumours and speculation persist. Guy was just 10 at the time of the murder and his older sisters were out at the cinema so will we see modern techniques coming up with the answers the family needs?

Cara Hunter doesn't just rely on the unique format of the book to keep the reader hooked, there is some great characterisation as well as some killer plot-lines which made for an exhilarating read.

I have never read a book that doesn’t have chapters before, it was very strange!
Very compelling story, but I had guessed who the murderer was from the beginning: