Oh what a clever concept this was! I am a big fan of Cara Hunter’s police procedural series so it was a no brainer that I would read this, the authors first stand alone novel. And what a brilliant book it is. The format takes a little to get used to but I loved that it was told as though we were watching the documentary, as well as newspaper articles and text messages. It was a really unique experience and one that completely worked for the story.

Twenty years ago, Luke Ryder was murdered in Is home in London. The killer was never found. Now his step son, Guy Howard, is producing a true crime documentary called Infamous to try to solve the case. He has assembled a panel of experts in various fields to help go through the evidence, and hopefully find new clues. In 20 years there have been so many technological advances so surely they can do something with those.

What they don’t expect is this case to be as twisty and surprising as it is. It is not a straightforward task of who had a grudge against the victim. I didn’t have time to comprehend one twist before something else came along and I loved it.

An easy 5 star read for me. Published in July, get your hands on this one any way that you can. Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.

Known for her DI Fawley series, this is Cara Hunter's first standalone book. It was quite different, especially the format and I very much enjoyed the concept.

The book is largely presented as a transcript from a documentary TV series and it was cleverly done. Interspersed with newspaper clippings, social media posts, text messages and emails, the variety was immersive and certainly kept the book pacey and exciting.

I enjoyed the revelations throughout. It's as if the reader is a viewer of the TV series, but with an extra insight to behind the scenes conversations and secrets. This felt like quite a unique premise and it was an intersting way to get to know the main characters and the case itself.

The mystery element was multilayered and had plenty of red herrings along the way. There were some complex discoveries which were cleverly done, but I found some of the twists a bit predictable which took away the intended thriller aspect at times.

I'm not sure the ending was fully rounded off with some bits seeming to be left unaddressed. Overall though, a fun and unique take on a classic murder mystery.

I'm going to be the dissenting voice and say that the format of this book was not one I liked. I found the characters to be difficult to follow and the disjointed nature of the presentation meant I kept forgetting who was who (!) - although I do think this would have been much easier if I hadn't been reading an ebook. I found the plot was a bit contrived, so many red herrings, I wasn't sure if I was reading a book or browsing the fish counter at Tesco. The big 'reveal' was a bit disappointing (a bit like the 'and it was all a dream' twist in Dallas).. Sorry, this one just wasn't for me.

I have read Cara Hunter’s previous work, So I was looking forward to reading the author’s latest offering Murder in the family.
Luke Ryder, stepfather to now film director Guy Howard was murdered in 2003 in the upmarket suburb of W8. The murderer was never found. Present day a team of specialists are brought in to look over the case and see if they can find the murderer, which will be filmed in real time for a tv documentary on Netflix.
The story is told in transcripts, old newspaper clippings and text and email messages and the specialists that have been brought in to discover the truth has some links to the case/family of the deceased, which when revealed some of them will not only shock but will surprise you as they get closer to the truth.
At first, it took me a while to get into the story because of the format it was in. There is a lot of twists and turns in this story which kept me guessing and guessing as more secrets are revealed. But as I delved further into the story, I found this to be a great unique read. You will really enjoy this if you are a big fan crime documentaries or podcasts. 4 stars from me

This book proves that Cara is not just series specialist but can delivery a standalone just as brilliantly. The story was super, I loved the modern style and was riveted by the whole experience. Splendid.

Really liked this. It's a clever set up, telling it like a documentary. It's tapping into the crime documentary show trend in book format. I had a few ideas about who the killer was but it was quite the twist when I found out.....well worth a read!!!

One negative; reading it digitally made it difficult to keep track of the characters profiles, but I trust that wouldn't be an issue with a physical copy as you could flick to the beginning when you needed a reminder.
But the rest, of course, is positive. Loved the idea of it being a Netflix show, with online forum posts too, but also still having the interviews that Hunter writes so well. The revelations came thick and fast, to the point where I got to the end, and felt a bit let down by the final twist. But that wasn't the final twist, and it unravelled until the very last page.
I don't think I'll ever get bored of Cara Hunter's writing

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc

A clever and twisting crime story, this novel centres on a cold case of murder being reviewed twenty years later as part of a true crime TV documentary series. The director, Guy Howard, wants to discover who brutally murdered his stepfather in the family garden when he was just ten years old, and a panel of experts in policing, forensics, psychology and journalism will seek out new evidence, re-examine witnesses and hopefully solve the crime. As new revelations are made with each episode and shocking discoveries are made, the series becomes a sensation- will the truth come out at last? Cara Hunter’s police series featuring DI Fawley has been deservedly very successful, and this standalone is sure to continue this, being equally sharply written and plotted and with the added bonus of featuring the very contemporary trend of murder investigation by the media, as in the podcast “Serial” and similar shows on streaming channels. It does rely quite heavily on coincidences and a large cast of suspects with a motive, but this fits well with the darkly satirical, sometimes even humourous, narrative style. Hunter highlights the prurience of the viewer and the lack of ethics to be found in the media, personified here in the machiavellian producer who endlessly tricks and manipulates to get the story that will capture the public’s attention. The end result is hugely entertaining-and a little unsettling.

In 2003, the new husband of wealthy widow Caroline Howard was found bludgeoned to death in the garden of their palatial London mansion. The only other person in the house was Caroline’s 10 year old son, Guy.

20 years later, and Guy is a TV director and has a commission from Netflix to make a true crime doc about the murder. With a crack team of experts lined up - including an ex-Met officer, a journalist, a criminal barrister and a psychologist - the show aims to uncover the truth about what happened to Luke Ryder. But things are more complicated than they seem….

I loved the premise of this novel but - and this is entirely a personal preference - really disliked the way the story was told entirely via transcripts, documents, emails and tweets. Although there are a handful of exceptions (Janice Hallett springs to mind) I just don’t get on with this kind of storytelling. A modern twist on the long literary history of epistolary narratives it may be, but it wasn’t for me.

Film director Guy Howard is haunted by finding the body of his step father Luke Ryder when he was just a child. Now he has the opportunity to help solve the brutal crime as part of a team of experts making a true crime documentary. Their task is to re-examine the evidence and bring the killer to justice. The format of this crime thriller is unusual and I found it added to the enjoyment. Each chapter reads like the script of another episode of the show. However, as new revelations about the links between the shows participants and the crime itself emerged, I found it began to lack credibility and there were perhaps one or two too many coincidences. That aside, I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it to my friends as a fast paced page turner.

I love the DI Adam Fawley series by author Cara Hunter so I was eagerly anticipating this standalone novel. I enjoy the authors writing and plots but the one issue I did have with this particular novel was the writing format. I did enjoy the story but find this style of formatting a little off putting at times.

The novel covers a fictional true crime Netflix series where the family try to solve a cold case. In December 2003 everyone was talking about the case in which Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard who was ten years old at the time was found dead in the garden of their family home. The murder was never solved and the family, Guy Howard’s mother and two half-sisters who were in the house at the time of the murder swear they never witnessed anything. There was a very high profile police investigation and a barrage of media cover but none of it led to any charges been made.

The new Netflix series ‘Infamous’ is attempting to solve the case and re examine testimony and re interview witnesses in an effort to break the case. All the family will be reunited on the screen and the truth will eventually be told.

I really enjoyed this cleverly written novel and all the ingredients are there for an exciting read. Probably more about my reading choices regarding the format but loved it all the same.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read some crime novels based around cold case podcasts or tv series, but none so immersed as this one, and none as masterfully crafted.

You feel like you are a fly on the wall for the entire investigation of this 20 year old unsolved murder and the entire production of the Netflix series.

Clever inclusion of newspaper articles and social media posts give this a totally contemporary and “real” feel, even with a mix of reality tv creeping into the production.

Some great twists, some dead ends in the investigation, all adding to the authentic feel.

This format of story I found totally addictive, and hated it when things like work, sport and sleep got in the way and I had to put it down.

Cara Hunter did it again! What a book! I discovered her last year and now I love Fawley.
With Murder in the Family, I'll be honest. At first, I wasn't comfortable with the Netflix script format, I found it difficult to merge me in the whole story. But as I continued reading, I was more and more trap in it. I love all the characters and how the develop, some of them quite surprinsily. This time, I was able to find out who was the murderer and that was a bit bittersweet, usually she writes a plot twist that turns everything upsidedown.

This was a fabulous story but, in my opinion, more visual than written narrative.

Ostensibly a true crime tv series re-opens a cold case from twenty years earlier and plays out their investigation This means we have annotated questioning and interview sections; newspaper cuttings; press reviews; social messaging etc. I was reading on a Kindle and having to constantly change font size and the boldness of the text became irritating and made sections inaccessible to me.

That said, both the plotting and momentum were perfect and kept on churning out surprises.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review

Wow!
What kind of thriller is this.
It's a ready-made script for a movie.
Added to all this is the perfect division into roles.

This book is written in the form of a movie script.
We have plenty of main characters who want to uncover the truth behind a murder from 20 years ago.
The mutilated body of Luke Ryder was found in front of the house.
The perpetrator of this atrocity has never been identified.
I had my suspicions about the murderer.
The author gave me a flick on the nose and showed me that I was very wrong.
When I got to know the ending, I was deeply shocked.
I still don't believe it.
Hooray for the author.
She has created a sensational thriller that is impossible to forget.
The fast-paced action made it never boring.
An exciting investigation kept me awake.
The book as a movie sparked my imagination.

I love Cara Hunter's books.

An additional plus was the perfect characterization of the characters.

If you want a ready-made movie script, be sure to read "Murder in the family".

Guaranteed excitement, twists and shock.

This was a fun book!
Sugar baby himbo found dead, the Met botched it, cold case, family left wanting answers, Time for a true crime documentary! As someone addicted to thrillers, and Netflix documentaries, this was a heady combo! The multimedia narrative added some kick to an already punchy book.
Bravo Ms Hunter!

I have to admit I struggled with the first few chapters of Murder In The Family. Its written in the style of an actual crime documentary which is new to me and I found it hard going initially. However, it's such a good story that I was hooked and raced through it! TV director Guy Howard decides to make a true crime series based on the unsolved murder of his stepfather Luke Ryder. He has a full team of experts on board and their job is to reopen the case and the show will be filmed in real time. Virtually every time they film an episode a new bombshell is revealed leading us closer to the killer. I loved this book, the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is some sections were very very hard to read on a kindle. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy.

A true crime series sets out to investigate a 20 year old unsolved murder dubbed , The Cougar Killing. Can the true crime specialists pull apart the case of who killed Luke Ryder.
I’m a massive fan of Cara Hunter’s Adam Fawley series so I was nervous about not liking this but it was brilliant. Using the mixed media format like Janice Hallett’s The Appeal, which I adored, this was a gripping read. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Who killed Luke Ryder?

Cara Hunter has knocked it out of the park again with her unique approach to storytelling in her latest offering, Murder in the Family.

This intriguing whodunnit, dressed up as a Cold Case Documentary, has the reader eager to learn not only the perpetrator of the 20-year-old murder of a young playboy… but also the real victim.

In her usual way, Hunter refrains from laying out the novel in the traditional prose, this time opting for transcript, forum chats and newspaper reviews. Nevertheless, the urgency and intrigue hits you right between the eyes from the word go.

As ever, if thrillers, mystery and innovative storytelling float your boat, Cara Hunter is not one to miss!

Thank you netgalley for providing me an advanced copy on return for an honest review.

Interesting format which would unfold well on screen, I really enjoyed this original story from Cara Hunter. This differs from her Adam Fawley series (which I love!) in that it is set out as a script for a documentary about a true crime case. It’s also interspersed with pages from online forums and email/text/voicemail exchanges so has a ver6 fresh modern feel to it Plenty of good twists and turns along the way kept me hooked. I had some difficulty with the font size particularly on the online forum pages but assume this will all be ironed out by publication and did not detract from my interest in the story.
I would definitely recommend it to lovers of well written crime thrillers, and would also say that you should try the Adam Fawley books by this author as they are among the best detective ni else written in my opinion.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.