By far the best book that I've read so far this year. Clever, innovative concept. I was absolutely hooked and read this over two days.

I could not follow the format at all and though I normally love Cara Hunter, I could not finish this book.

I’m sorry to say I was unable to enjoy this novel,even though I was looking forward to reading it. I found the format- written in script form very hard to follow, although I realise other readers will probably enjoy it and appreciate its difference.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. In a refreshing departure from traditional narratives, the author skillfully presents the story in the style of a true crime TV show and newspaper articles, creating an immersive experience that feels like piecing together a puzzling case alongside the detectives.
What makes this book truly captivating is its unique format, which heavily relies on back-and-forth dialogue between the characters. This approach breathes life into the investigation, allowing readers to become active participants in unravelling the unfolding of mysterious events. I found myself engrossed in the compelling exchanges between the detectives, witnesses, and suspects, feeling as though I were eavesdropping on the very conversations that could hold the key to solving the crime.
Hunter's writing is undeniably clever, and she masterfully weaves a web of intrigue throughout the narrative. The pacing is excellent, with each new episode unveiling new discoveries and unexpected twists that kept me guessing. The author's ability to maintain tension and suspense is commendable, ensuring that the pages practically turn themselves.
However, I encountered a bit of disappointment in the resolution of the whodunnit. After the rollercoaster of shocking revelations and the anticipation built up along the way, the ultimate reveal felt somewhat lacklustre and, dare I say, a touch vanilla. Given the scandalous nature of the preceding events, I had hoped for a genuinely jaw-dropping finale that would leave me reeling. Instead, the resolution left me with a sense of "meh," especially compared to the captivating journey that preceded it.
That being said, Murder in the Family remains an engaging and gripping read overall. Cara Hunter's clever writing and intricate plot make for an enthralling experience that keeps readers intrigued until the last page. While the final reveal may not have met my lofty expectations, I still highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery filled with twists, turns, and compelling dialogue.

One murder, six suspects, can you solve the case before they do?

20 years ago Luke’s body was found in their family garden by his stepson but exactly what happened has never been uncovered, until now. Who killed Luke and why? A team of investigators scrutinise this cold case and soon discover nothing is as it seems.

What a clever concept and one I really enjoyed. I did get slightly confused with all the characters even though I made a note of them all and the storyline didn’t quite have the excitement I would have liked. Really enjoyed the format though and it made it an interesting and refreshing read. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read and good luck to the author on its release.

Publication Date - 20/07/2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#MurderInTheFamily
#CaraHunter

What a unique book! I've never read a book sculpted in this format Initially, I found it a little difficult to get into because of the way it was written but as I continued reading, I found myself clutching the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting what comes next.

This was my first book by Cara Hunter and I will surely be picking up more of her books. The twists and turns were all exhilarating and unexpected. If you want to read a thriller from an entirely new perspective, give this book a try!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I was chosen via netgalley to read this book.
I found it really hard to read due to been written as a script, I've read lots of books but never in this stile I found myself skipping parts of the story.
Not for me unfortunately

I’m a huge Cara Hunter fan so was super excited to read this one! A stand alone book, it was refreshing to encounter new characters and I absolutely loved the way the book had been written as transcripts from a Netflix true crime series. This worked so well and I felt like I zoomed through the book as it made the story so easy to access (it really would work so well on tv!!).

So cleverly written, with many twists and turns as the transcripts of the episodes are released. I loved how so many things interconnected throughout the book and it was so satisfying when certain ends were tied up!!

Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter
I give this book 4.25 stars

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION
LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED
Now a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?
Or does the truth lie closer to home?
Can you solve the case before they do?
The truth will blow your mind.

Revisiting a cold case production manager Guy investigates the murder of his stepfather Luke. Each chapter is told as an episode in documentary form using interviews and snippets from emails,text and voicemails,newspapers and social media.
It really made this an innovative way to read a book and I loved the clever and realistic format it added to the overall enjoyment.There are plenty of well drawn characters some unlikeable and the whodunnit slowly unravels exposing the secrets and lies making the twists and turn’s engaging and suspenseful.Reading this on my kindle took a bit of getting used to, its one I would prefer to read as an actual book or listen as an audiobook
With thanks to Netgalley,Cara Hunter and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my chance to read and review this book

I really enjoyed this book. In 2003 Luke Ryder was murdered in his back garden, leaving an older widow and 3 step children. The case remained unsolved. Now, years later it is the subject of a true crime TV series. Can the group of experts uncover the truth? The book is written much like a screen play and includes people commenting on social media after each episode. I liked the originality of this very much. It was refreshing to read something with such a different way of writing. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I love Cara Hunter’s Adam Fawley police procedural series so was really looking forward to reading this standalone novel, however after 10% through I had to give up as I was finding it difficult to follow the characters and storyline. It was presented as snippets of newspaper articles and TV documentary which is an interesting concept, I just couldn’t follow easily, which may have been because I was reading on my Kindle.

Cara Hunter is the queen of the twisty thriller and this one kept me turning the pages feverishly. I'd actually spotted the murder weapon and thus had a guess at the murderer pretty early which left me feeling a bit smug. The end gets a little over the top with the 'it's X!', 'no it's Y!', NO, it's Z!' series of revelations but this is a hugely fun read with a true crime TV series format that works well. Hunter is especially adept at channelling Agatha Christie-style elements but transforming them invisibly into something modern and contemporary.
Ludicrously gripping!

Guy Howard's stepdad died in suspicious circumstances, now 20 years later he's investigating with his own true crime show. Told through script format and articles.

This book due to its format was a very quick read! Which I think a lot of people with like, the downside is I found it a bit tedious after about 30%, and I think you never fully connect to any of the characters because you never get to know them well enough.

The plot was interesting and the twists were good, I'd call this a good time!

This one conflicted me, I can't decide whether it's 3 or 4 stars! Firstly, the formatting for this was quite difficult, I'm not sure if it was just Netgalley formatting or the ebook itself but lots of the lines didn't have breaks in between and some words had no spaces between them, although this is probably not how the final book will look it just made it a bit harder to get through. This was told in the style of a Netflix TV murder mystery show with interviews and descriptions of pictures and clips interspersed, so kind of like if you were actually watching the show. You never really got to see anything outside of the show's episodes which was a shame, but I did like that they included people's comments on the show. It was very descriptive about the show but not so much about the people on the show, leading to me forgetting what everyone was meant to look like, how old they were, etc.

I didn't really love any of the characters, and sometimes found it hard to remember who they were, what their jobs were, and what they looked liked. Everyone was introduced in the beginning of course, but they went around the table and said their jobs and I ended up not being able to remember at least half of them. I thought Guy was alright, I didn't love him but I didn't hate him. You actually didn't get to see that much of him or the rest of the Howard family. I hated Nick, but the rest of the characters I didn't really care about that much.

But the story... wow! There were so many twists and turns and it all got really crazy. A Netflix investigation led them really far, although towards the end when all the plot twists started coming out I was thinking it was a bit unrealistic. I did love that there were so many suspects, although I did actually guess at the beginning who the murderer was, but I didn't get the motive right. After all of the twists came out though I thought maybe I was wrong but unfortunately I wasn't, because I ended up being a bit disappointed by the ending. It also confused me a bit, I'm not sure if I just didn't get it but the very end had a part about fire hydrants and I was so confused when I read it! Not sure what that had to do with the story (apart from it included the Jonah memorial) but I thought it was a weird place to end the book. I would've preferred a slightly different ending. But when all of the plot twists were coming to light and we were getting close to the end I was loving it, it was like I was right there in the room watching all the drama unfold! I was left with some unanswered questions at the end.

Overall this was a very interesting murder mystery with lots of twists and turns on the way. I would recommend if you don't dislike interview-style formats.

I was drawn to this book , as it it appeared to be quite like another one that I’d really enjoyed by Janet Hallett, “ The Appeal” , where you were given clues to make the book more of an interactive experience
Unfortunately this kindle edition was so glitchy that I was unable to read it.I’m going to get a book version , and then I can hopefully amend my average score for the book

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I would be more than happy to re-read the book with a better file or as a physical book as the book topic and genre are of interest to me.

Murder in the Family is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Cara Hunter is an author to watch for. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Murder in the Family asap.

Twenty years ago Luke Ryder's body was found, with horrific head injuries, in his back garden in Campden Hill, North London. Wealthy new and older widow was suspected and her children find his body, but his murderer was never found. Present day and one of those, now adult, children, Guy Howard, commissions a true crime reality TV/documentary (available one episode a week, not streamable) to do what the Metropolitan Police failed to do and find his stepfather's killer.

In a combination of formats (AKA mixed media), including context-providing media articles, emails, documentary crime specialists' CVs and the bulk of the narrative primarily in programme transcripts, this is a quirky and engaging prospect with no narrator or protagonist. It didn't take long for me to be invested in both the journey and the outcome. The pace is fast, with fascinating characters and many show transcripts ending on a cliffhanger, engineered by the manipulative and ratings-hungry, director. It's addictive reading as it all unravels, with plenty of surprises (only a couple I guessed) along with way. Ultimately its a great whodunit about a dysfunctional family and invested TV experts, but its unusual format makes it an outstanding and intense read that had me so hooked, I read it in two days.

The first standalone crime fiction novel from the author of the Oxford-based, DI Adam Fawley series did not disappoint. My only criticism is that I wasn't able to read the ebook on my Kindle Paperwhite (because it will wouldn't zoom into the smaller text in some of the different formats), but was saved by the NetGalley Shelf app, so read it on my tablet. For fans of Janice Hallett, this is an unusual, addictive and contemporary true crime fest, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

This book was an absolute joy. The format is nothing like anything that I have seen before. The book is written as a transcript of a true crime TV series which is investigating an unsolved murder from 20 years ago. The series which is being directed by the stepson of the murder victim who was a young child at the time of the killing gathers a group of experts, Ex-cops, psychologists, reporters etc at the crime scene to discuss the evidence and we witness the solving of the crime on live TV.
A very novel way to produce what is also a very good whodunit.

I love a true crime podcast and i love a well plotted twisty crime fiction so when the two come together - bam!

'Murder in the Family' follows a podcast investigating a 20year old unsolved murder from its inception, every character who forms part of the investigative team, the discussions on-air and the audience reactions. It feels really modern and current in its multi -media, multi-format approach. This is something that Cara Hunter has used to great effect in her Adam Fawley series as well but now its taken to the next level, with very little in the story that isnt part of an interview, film footage or other real-life sources.

The investigation into the murder twists and turns with plot twists and cliffhangers in every episode of the podcast, as the various investigators use modern day technology to crack clues that were unsolvable 20 years earlier.

I loved it and was completely hooked by the storyline. Its great to see that Cara's standalone novels are every bit as captivating and engrossing as her Fawley books.