I love the DS Fawley books but I was excited to see what Cara Hunter would do away from them and I was not disappointed. This is as far removed from a DS Fawley book as you could possibly get with the exception of a murder.

20 years on Guy wants to know who killed his mothers new husband Luke. Guy was only a child at the time when his older sisters found Luke dead at their home. Set as a TV series, there are a number of experts who offer their thoughts, theories and opinions as they seek to solve the 20-year mystery.

There are more twists and turns imaginable and just when you thought you had it all worked out - BAM thrown off course.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an honest and unbiased review.

Guy's step father was brutally murdered when he was a child. It hasn't been solved. As a film make Guy wanted to investigate the murder and so helped a program that followed true crime stories. So many twists and turns. Was a very entertaining book though sometimes the style used was a little laborious

Luke Ryder’s murder was never solved and though he left behind a widow and three stepchildren, no clues have been found to what happened. Decades later, a group of experts re-examine the evidence on a true crime show… you’ll be holding your breath, we assure you. Such a clever angle to take in this first standalone from the author.

The way this was written was very hard to follow and I struggled keeping up with the characters. Usually love Cara hunters books but this just wasn’t one for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. There are A LOT of characters in the book and I found it hard to keep up, especially as the main character changed identity a few times. Also, there were newspaper extracts and maybe because I was reading on Kindle format, but it was nigh on impossible to read, very small.
I found myself easily distracted when reading this and it took me a few weeks to finish it. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this book to others to read.

I have enjoyed all Cara's books as there is always that twist at the end that is hard to guess. A cold case of a man's murder is reopened by a host of eminent figures determined to find the truth, no expense spared. It never ceases to amaze me how after several years people can recall events as though they were yesterday. Family members are of course top of the suspect list. Another well plotted story but I wasn't a fan of the way it was written as a tv series and would have enjoyed it as a normal story.

I have read Cara Hunter’s previous DI fawley series which I Loved! This is another great storyline but unfortunately for me I found this one a bit was a bit difficult to follow. It’s written as a documentary and includes newspaper headings, social media comments etc and for some reason it just didn’t work for me. I liked the characters but felt as though I couldn’t connect to them and get into the story in the same way I expected to. I’m sure this writing style will appeal to many though just not for me.

3.5 stars.
It's been 20 years since Luke Ryder was murdered at the family home. There still hasn't been an arrest.
The family wants closure.
A filmmaker decides to go through all the evidence to see if anything was missed with the help of a panel.
It is, in a way, written like a play. Each character named and then what they say.
There are also text messages, newspaper clippings, maps, and group chats.
There are plenty of jaw-dropping moments as the revelations just keep coming.
I can't say I was particularly enthralled with this. I read most of it in one sitting as it's not in chapters but episodes.
Some of the text is hard to read on the Kindle. For example, at the beginning, we get a synopsis of each character. Unfortunately, Lailla's was on a black background, and I couldn't read it at all.
Cara's a great writer, but I prefer her Fawley series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

WHAT. A. BOOK. OMG! Possibly even better than the DI Adam Fawley series (which is amazing!).

“In December 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.”

Told in the format of a Netflix series true crime drama, we go through episode by episode the investigation into this 20 year old murder. There’s experts involved in this reality-type set up, with ex-police from the UK and US, a barrister, forensics expert, and journalist, all working together to try to solve the case.

Genuinely I did not at all see what happened coming. I don’t want to give any spoilers away all I can say is READ THIS BOOK! And that ending?!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Dos many twists throughout the book. It was a unique way of writing and at the start I had my doubts that i would enjoy this type of presentation. I can only say that it did to take long before I was hooked and just wanted to resolve the mystery of who killer Luke all this. Years ago.It was a real Agatha Christie novel which kept the reader getting new information at the right pace.. I found the characters very easy to relate to and understand what was happening until each time I was shown new information that told me that I was on the wrong track again.
I have read other books by Car Hunter and will keep on looking for more.

As a rule I don't often read crime novels and especially not true crime books but this one's unique form of story telling drew me in and I found the book utterly impossible to put down.
The script format didn't put me off as I do read plays on a regular basis and with the added email, call sheets and newspaper extracts I really found this to be a page turner and has opened my mind to a new genre.

I love this format of book using different types of media to tell a story. It grips you and helps you connect with the characters because it’s like you’re in the thick of the investigation too. It kept me guessing although there are plenty of clues along the way - I wouldn’t make a good investigator!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this arc.

I have read a couple of Cara Hunter’s previous novels and I felt this one was trying too hard and it was difficult to follow. I felt as though I couldn’t connect to the story and the characters.

Everything about this felt w bit messy and not fully done. I can also see why some people would love it through the style of writing such as the documentary. I usually love this type of stuff but I didn’t this time.

A very different style of story, which was intriguing, gripping, and exciting. The format was actually very readable after the initial surprise at its unusualness, I won’t spoil it by explaining. The storyline and varied characters reminded me a bit of the film Clue. There were certainly lots of twists in the story although not complete surprises in the end, the clues were there, still an enjoyable read. Only issue I had was trying to remember all of the characters roles. Overall definitely a huge step away from Cara’s normal format of writing, yet still with the ability to pull you in to the story.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this very enjoyable book. Not able to review on Amazon as yet, but will do so once release date allows.

Wooah! What another superb book I have read by this author. It took me a few pages to get into as it is told through a neflix series which also has text messages, old pieces of newspaper with relevant info on, emails and social media thoughts.

Read within a day, I soon loved the way it was written and also the way in which all the characters had something to hide. I thought I had it worked out and then a twist came along. I would just start to get my head around that when BAM another twist was thrown in! I liked the way everything was tied up nearly at the end too. I had to sit and ponder for a while. A very easy 5 stars from me.

Honestly, this is a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The premise sounded great and I've read a few transcript style books before and enjoy the short chapters and the action this style brings. But for me this didn't hit the spot. It might have been because it was set out as a TV Show I kept thinking - I should just watch the TV Show it would be so much easier. As I was reading from an e-reader the formatting was a little out of sync and I found it repetitive. The characters for me were cartoonish rather than feeling like real people, Tropes of what a forensic specialist, or Police Detective should be. And the scene setting parts pulled me out of the story rather than helping my imagination picture the scene. Sorry! I've seen the reviews and others love it, so I guess it's just not for me.

Thanks to netgalley and publishers for arc
I love Cara Hunter I adore all her books but this is her first stand alone book and it wasn’t for me I found the way the information was presented to much and there was so many characters in it I was lost with the transcripts
I am sorry not my sort of book I am sure others will love it

I really enjoyed this first stand alone by @CaraHunter. I was gripped right from the start, I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the style of writing where the story of who killed Luke Ryder was told through transcripts of a true crime documentary, also newspaper clippings and interviews. It’s so clever and really well done.
There’s plenty of twists throughout to keep you reading and I loved all the characters.
A brilliantly written, gripping read. Definitely recommend.
Thanks to #NetGallery, @HarperCollinsUk, @HarperFiction for an arc of #MurderInTheFamily in exchange for an honest review.
Book publishes 6th July 2023.

I am a big fan of Cara Hunter's work with it's twists, turns and fascinating formating. This differs in the sense that it is a standalone with a new host of characters but the author did not falter with her explosive story lines. A great read, thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing read! It had so many twists and turns that I was constantly updating what I expected the final reveal to be! I did have it right briefly but was seduced by further revelations into believing that the truth might lay elsewhere!
The story is told to us through transcripts of the true-crime show as well as newspaper clippings, emails, conversations online and text messages. There was a lot of information but it was shared in a way that was easy to understand and to follow who everyone was and what had and was happening. The characters were pretty likeable even those who were not being quite as honest as they should have been at first!
Having just finished this story, my first book by the author, which is a stand-alone tale and feeling like I've been on the thriller book equivalent of a roller-coaster, I'm very happy to know there is a whole series of books by Cara Hunter for me to look forward to reading soon!