I have enjoyed Cara Hunter’s DCI Adam Fawley Oxford series and so was keen to read this standalone. ‘Murder in the Family’ focuses on a twenty-year-old unsolved murder, re-examined by a team of experts on an (almost) real time true crime show. Most unusual of all is that the film-maker, Guy Howard, is the victim’s stepson. After all this time, will it be possible to uncover the truth?
The story is presented wholly as tv script, dialogue, text messages, newspaper cuttings and social media posts. Hunter is skilled in driving the narrative forward through the reveals and different perspectives that this style affords the reader. However, any reader looking for in-depth characterisation will be disappointed. It’s a shame that this is missing because the author usually does this very well.
It seems a little harsh to suggest that, overall, the story feels more like a creative writing challenge than a truly engaging narrative. An interesting experiment with form but, ultimately, not as enjoyable as her usual style. And if you are using a Kindle, your enjoyment will be hampered still further. Even enlarged, the ‘extracts’ are not easy to read.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Reviewed through Netgalley for an honest review. Publication date 25th May 2023.

The book was different to the usual lay out, scripted, interviews, newspaper cuttings etc. A whodunit, to look at solving a murder which took place 20 years previously.

Once I got past the layout I did enjoy getting in to the book and it was rather a page turner and at the first few twists I was thinking 'wow however I have given the book 4 stars as the ending started getting a bit repetitive a bit kind of 'oh wait, there's more' and I found myself just wanting to get to the end to finish the book.

I would recommend as this was a good read, I just wasn't massively blown away with the ending.

I absolutely love the author's Adam Fawley series so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read her first standalone thriller.
Murder in the Family has an original format that includes transcripts, interviews and news articles and initially I found this hard to get into. However I soon became completely immersed in this compelling novel and felt that the varying formats added to the compelling nature of the plot and I could not put it down.
Guy Howard's stepfather Luke Ryder is found dead in the family garden and the murderer is never found. Years later Guy is now a film maker and involved in the making of a Netflix true crime documentary to discover who really killed Luke.
I loved the investigations into Luke's past which showed the author's strength in police procedurals but this is also a family drama and I loved the characterisation and the relationships between Guy's family.
A hugely original thriller with so many twists and turns I felt breathless at times. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Well I have just finished reading this and gone straight onto NetGalley to give my opinions.

Guy Howard is working with a film company to make a Netflix series regarding the unsolved murder of his stepfather, Luke Ryder, 20 years earlier in a leafy upmarket London suburb. An investigating team is assembled with the story set out around their conversations on screen in each episode, alongside texts and voice notes and other pieces of information thrown in for the reader.

Thai book kept me guessing every single step of the way. I can’t tell you how many times my mouth fell open after a startling revelation. A little hard to read on kindle I personally found, but this didn’t distract at all from my enjoyment.

Cara’s books are gripping reads and this, her first stand alone, may just be my favourite yet. Fantastic read!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

I could not wait to read the new standalone book
Read all of Caras Adam Fawley series
So was intrigued with the format of this book and how it was going to.flow
All I can say is before you start reading this you need to make a flask and grab some biscuits because once you turn that electronic page - you will be hooked

This is a totally mind blowing who dunnit
Which is being filmed for a Netflix documentary
The way Cara as written this book is a breath of fresh air and energisng

If you love plenty of twists and turns, read this you won't be disappointed
Read a few new 2023 books, this one is exceptional

Thank you netgalley, Cara Hunter & Harper Collins UK

The question of Who Killed Luke Ryder resurfaces when a true crime documentary series, Infamous, start to reinvestigate the cold case. Initially there are no clues. No one saw or heard anything that rainy evening. But as the team dig into the details of the case, they begin to unearth some hidden gems that unearth secrets from twenty years ago.

This one was in a mixed format of transcripts, interviews and news clippings. It did take me some time to get into it, just due to the format, but once I did, it was so enjoyable. The team piece together new details gathered from the family and friends Luke had back then and this kept the suspense high. There were plenty of twists in this novel riddled with unlikeable characters and it was another enjoyable novel by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this gifted review copy.

Well this is a strange review … I’m going to be honest I started reading this and hated it! The layout was strange, clippings, script, texts and emails etc and I thought what on earth?! Where is just the text like a normal book!

Bear with me here … as I was a few pages in I rapidly changed my mind and I want to apologise to Cara! I loved it! It was so different from the way a normal book was written that I was totally unsure at first but it was cleverly done and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it and see how it panned out!

The story itself had lots of ‘oh my gosh’ moments and I never saw the ending coming! Readers are definitely in for a treat with this book!

Out in May 2023

Firstly I want to thank Netgalley, the Author Cara Hunter and the publisher for this Arc!!


Oh. My. Frikken. Gosh!!!

My jaw is on the flaw😭😭 😭😭😭

Also please excuse my language but I absolutely cannot help it 😭

this book was a rollercoaster of fucking plot twists😭😭😭 it was just plot twist after plot twist after plot twist 😭😭 I can't tell you how many times I audibly gasped, and I thought I had it figured out but no!!! Not a frikken chance😭 I know it's early to say this but this is the best book I've read this year 😭 fucking hell!!
This is the second book I've read by my girl Cara Hunter. The first one was 'Close To Home' and that one I really enjoyed, which is why when I saw this on netgalley? I immediately requested it, I just had to read it 😭😭 I don't want to give anything away because the book is only coming out in May if I'm not mistaken. I cannot wait for this book to come out and for people to read it!! It's fucking amazing guys ! Also I am now a Cara Hunter Stan! oh Cara had me gagged the entire time I was reading this😭

I'm so shook guys omg😭😭 I genuinely cannot believe what I just read. *Insert shook Pikachu gif here*

FROM THE COVER📚

*THE FIRST EVER STAND-ALONE FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER CARA HUNTER*

WHO KILLED LUKE RYDER?
When Guy Howard’s stepfather is found dead in the garden of their family home, the police are baffled. No-one saw anything. No-one heard anything.
Someone knows the truth.
Years later, a true-crime show re-examines the evidence – with shocking results. Do the experts know more than they’ve been letting on? Or does the truth lie closer to home?
One by one, the secrets begin to emerge.


REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full disclosure I am huge fan of all Cara Hunters previous novels, The Adam Fawley Series, so was interested more than most to see what her first stand alone novel would offer. I wasn’t disappointed this novel whist presented differently has the same inventive and fresh plot idea, interesting characters and clever twists that all the Fawley books have.

This book is presented in what is becoming a ever popular format, the use of emails, transcripts, press cuttings etc to tell the story or add to the prose, in this we are presented with a press release about a upcoming real life crime cold case review tv show which has a full cast list bio on each of the experts taking part in the show( I liked this but didn’t like the photographs of the people this stopped me forming my own visuals of them) and background on the crime then follows roll call sheets, emails ,transcripts of the show, twitter feeds, text message exchanges and press cuttings. I really liked how Cara used this format to tell the full story, the transcripts tell the main body and it works really well although there are times it drags on slightly which would make me think as a audiobook this would not work, but as a tv adapt it would be amazing.

Throughout there is a peppering of real life cases, references to the previous books and well known authors I really liked this it was a nice touch and gave the press cuttings a real to life feel. Within the transcripts there a real Agatha Christie feel to how the evidence is discussed , how the characters are presented with hidden secrets and of course the big reveal I loved this so clever to use a modern concept to create this all time classic way of telling a mystery. BRILLIANT

What I have always enjoyed about Cara’s work is the that it is like Line Of Duty meets a soap opera with amazing police procedurals sections, background stories with on going development of the characters and above all truly unique plots that are never even remotely the same or far fetched, her writing is flawless. What a mind. This book is no different not only is the plot engaging and interesting the characters are well developed which given how the book is presented this couldn’t have been easy, I felt I knew the characters in the same way I did with the characters from the Fawley books. And as always there is a sting in the tail with a twist you don’t see coming.

A lot of author are trying this concept out, some with better than success than others Cara has managed to capture her undoubtedly unreal writing ability perfectly in this format

I highly recommend this book. Fans of Cara Hunter, Janice Hallett and Agatha Christie will devour this in one setting

I can’t wait to see what is next from Hunter


Thank you for the ARC, only January I have a contender for my top 10 books of 2023

Summary: In 'Murder in the Family', Cara Hunter takes the popular true crime document concept and turns it completely on its head, to create a compelling and twisty murder mystery.
Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the popularity in topic of true crime - from documentaries to podcasts, the genre has become a mainstream of networks such as Netflix. And in her latest novel, Cara Hunter focuses on this popularity with the creation of a true crime, reality TV show called 'Infamous'.
After several successful series, the show is now investigating the unsolved murder of Luke Ryder. Twenty years previously, Luke was found murdered by his teenage stepdaughter at their home in Campden Hill, London. And now, the youngest child, Guy, has approached the TV crew to request their assistance in reviewing and resolving the crime.
The story is published in a documentary script style which I quite enjoyed as I found the approach to be unusual. As per her (excellent) DI Frawley series, Hunter has included newspaper articles, text messages, emails, forum posts etc. And these add a deeper element to the story as the reader can learn how the community and 'outside world' also view the unfolding case - much like the way in which we discuss TV shows, news reports etc in contemporary life.
This is a compelling and twisty read and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

A total different read to what I’m used to but very enjoyable and it was good to see the insights of what goes behind the scenes step by step of a major crime, I look forward to reading more of Cara’s books in the future

This book rocked my socks off. The format of it being a Netflix type reality documentary and using different forms of media to make it into a book was intriguing and held my attention. As we follow down the route with Guy to find out who killed his stepfather Luke 20 years ago, all the twists and turns and jaw dropping moments will have you spinning. The character depth and feeling as if you are investigating with them makes this a remarkable book. Do not miss out on this!

Very good. I have read a couple of “different format” mysteries such as The Twyford Code. I have found them to be a bit too much form over substance. Murder in the Family, however, proved to me that the form can enhance the substance.

An enjoyable who dunit with lots of twists and turns.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC

I’m a massive Cara Hunter fan and thought this was part of the detective series she writes. But actually it’s stand alone. It’s written in a different way which I was sceptical about but she’s such a good writer I forgot that after a bit and just got into it. Brilliant. Another knockout work by this author. Write another !

I really wanted to love this because I’m a big fan of the Fawley series but it didn’t hit the spot. I understand why the format of this book was the way it was (essentially a documentary script) but I think it would’ve been so much better written in Cara Hunter’s normal style. That said, the basis of the plot/the storyline of the crime was a good choice and it’s just a shame it didn’t gel with me.

I’m a big fan of the Adam Fawley series by Cara Hunter, so I was delighted to be approved for an advance copy of her first stand-alone novel, out in May 2023. Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for my copy.

The format of the story is a bit different, it follows the filming of a Netflix documentary, so instead of the usual narrative, it’s a transcript of the documentary. There are also text messages, emails, forum posts etc. The inclusion of texts etc. is familiar to me from the Fawley series. I liked this format and found I was still drawn into the story. It might not be for everyone, though.

Guy Howard’s stepfather was murdered twenty years before and the killer has never been caught. He pushes for the creation of a documentary in an attempt to solve the case. A panel of experts are brought in and the reader follows the documentary as it unfolds. There’s some additional insight for the reader with the text messages and other information. As the investigation continues, there are some big revelations and it transpires that the experts weren’t so randomly selected after all.

I found that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and they lacked depth. There are a lot of characters and maybe due to the format you don’t get to know them very well. However, I didn’t find it hard to keep track of who was who as the characters are distinct enough.

On my Kindle, I couldn’t read any of the forum posts as the text didn’t show up at all, even when zoomed in. I was able to read them on my Kindle app on my iPad. Hopefully this will be sorted out for release.

I got into the story straight away and found it very readable. The last quarter or so of the book is full of twists and turns and will definitely keep you reading! I did think the ending was a little predictable after such a build up, but it’s by no means bad.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and as the first stand-alone novel from this author, I thought it was very good. I would recommend it and highly recommend the Adam Fawley series too.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I loved the DI Fawsley series by this author so was intrigued to read this. Although it was ok I didn't really like the style it was written in. I so wanted to love it as it has so many good reviews but sadly I didnt. Bring back the Fawsley series!

Who killed Luke Ryder in 2003 in leafy, expensive, elite, London, W8?? Luke is found at the bottom of the flight of steps for his teenage stepdaughter‘s. His stepson Guy Howard, then 10 and now a well-known filmmaker is determined to get to the truth of the unsolved case, no matter the personal cost. Dry Rise Films Ltd presents a number of episodes as part of the ‘Infamous’ series produced by Nick Vincent and directed by Guy. They’ve hired various experts to examine the evidence, interview witnesses and the programmes will begin airing on Tuesday 3rd October, the twentieth anniversary of Luke’s death. Who has motive, means and opportunity? One thing that all the professionals involved agree upon on is that the murder feels personal.

Wow, Cara Hunter has knocked it out of the park yet again! I especially love the way this is written principally via episodic transcripts, but also involves texts, voicemails, news, clippings, and so on, which are blended so seamlessly that facts emerge naturally and organically. You know that feeling when you’re watching gripping television such as Line of Duty?? That’s what I feel the author has created here, you feel as if you are watching a drama with plenty of he said/he said/she said conundrums with cliffhangers at the end of each episode just as on television. It is gripping, compulsive, super glued to the pages reading, made more fascinating by the Howard family dynamics and dysfunction and by the interaction and behaviour of the experts on the programme. In fact, I think the latter is especially clever as it gives definite shades of Agatha Christie through the film revelations but it feels like a fresh, modern, vibrant homage.

Naturally, as this Cara Hunter, there are jaw droppers, in fact, it aches from the times it thunders to the floor and there are multiple clever twists as the plot thickens that my neck aches from the double takes! The pace is brisk throughout, there are unlikeable characters, there are lies and coverups by the truckload and so it keeps you literally guessing to the end. I’m pretty sure this will make my 2023 top ten which is a bold statement as it’s the beginning of January!

Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A whodunnit with a difference.
I’m a big fan of Cara Hunters DI Adam Fawley series so when Netgalley approved me to read her first stand alone novel, I was so excited and it did not disappoint, I was hooked from the first page! The format was one I hadn’t seen before with most of the novel written as True-crime reality tv series transcripts. It worked really well and felt like ‘watching’ a Netflix documentary. There were quite a few characters but the biographies at the beginning of the novel helped me keep track of who’s who. With some killer twists and a superb ending, I highly recommend adding to your TBR lists.

Thank you Netgalley and thank you Cara Hunter for another gripping read!

This is a brilliant book. I loved the way in which it was written and how each chapter ends with a bombshell, which makes it impossible to put down. I loved trying to figure out who killed Luke and can imagine watching it on Netflix. One not to be missed.