Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved Cara Hunters previous books and can't believe I missed this on my book list.

Twenty years ago Luke Ryder was found murdered in the family garden. The family garden of the palatial home belonging to his wealthy, older widow and her three children. Although there were suspects, Luke's murder has never been solved.

Now, twenty years later, a group of experts try to find new evidence and solve the case on a true crime programme in real time. Aided by the youngest child of Luke's widow the experts get closer to the truth. But just what is the truth as they all have secrets to hide and Luke doesn't appear to be who he says he is.

This was a brilliant book. The format of which it's set is a really good idea and well done to Cara for pulling it off. The storyline had me guessing till the end.

Fantastic five stars.

Unfortunately I gave up reading this one as it was just too uncomfortable due to the way the story was written. I usually enjoy reading books by the author but sadly this one didn’t gel with me.

My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book and share my thoughts.

I chose to read a free eARC of Murder in the Family but that has in no way influenced my review.

Twenty years ago Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of his West London home. To this day no one has been charged with Luke's murder. Which is why his stepson, Guy Howard, has given permission for true crime series 'Infamous' to invite six experts to re-evaluate the evidence. Revealing long-held secrets and astonishing new evidence live on air. The information the team dig up make Guy and his family question everything that happened around that time in their lives. But the Howards aren't the only ones with secrets. Will 'Infamous' finally reveal who killed Luke Ryder all those years ago...?

Murder in the Family is the first standalone novel from author Cara Hunter and also the first of Hunter's books that I've read. I'm doubly ashamed of this because I grew up in Oxford and don't live all that far away now. Being a local, I am very keen to make a start on the Oxford-based DI Adam Fawley series. Even more so after reading this highly intriguing tale (which is actually set in London). Murder in the Family and Guy's hunt for the truth is told through mixed media. This includes CVs, text messages, news articles, internet forums, tv reviews (think Radio Times!), voicemail transcripts and emails. I've read several books which have used mixed media to tell the story but this was the first I've read on my Kindle. It was a very different experience reading this style of book digitally. To the point where I would strongly advise you to purchase a physical copy rather than take the digital option (I would also be very interested in listening to the full-cast audiobook version). However, saying that, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and was able to overlook the formatting issues that the Kindle copy presented to some degree. Normally I wouldn't harp on about something like this in one of my reviews but I feel I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention the above observations.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Murder in the Family deserves the high praise it has received because it's an excellent story told in such a clever, intriguing way. Clearly a lot of work has gone into this book and it absolutely shows. You get a good feel for the characters and the way they think despite only getting to know them through transcripts - that takes some skill. The mystery aspect is strong and I was desperate to work out whodunnit before the industry experts (which I did!). I thoroughly enjoyed how the tables were turned on the experts at points, and discovering the connections was really quite thrilling. There are plenty of lovely red herrings along the way which make you question what you thought you believed. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would pick up another by the author in a heartbeat. A very intriguing mystery with lots of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Beautifully intricate with plenty of tension, lots of suspense and with a really intriguing mystery at its core. A cleverly told, complex crime thriller that I recommend to all fans of the genre. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Murder in the Family. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The book was ok
Not one of my favourites
New format was confusing
But won’t put me off reading more from this author
Thanks NetGalley

This has been asking to be read since I bought it. I do like this authors stories. I had high expectations going into this book. This book was amazing! If life and kids wouldn't get in my way, I could have easily devoured this in one sitting. The layout of this story makes it such an easy, fast-paced, and gripping story. Told through a TV script it's easy to follow the storyline and feel part of the team yourself. I did not see that ending coming either. Never. I really enjoyed it all. Kept me guessing till the last page, and I would highly recommend it. A well-deserved five stars from me.

A cracking read, this. I love an epistolary novel for the digital age (see also Janice Hallett) and this fun whodunnit doesn't disappoint. The tale unwinds through the premise of a documentary about a historical unsolved murder, and is told through scripts, text messages, message boards and newspaper clippings. There are regular twists and turns - of which perhaps a few are predictable if you like to guess ahead (I don't: I like the surprise)- and I found parts of it a bit far-fetched, but it's a pacy, fun read that I'd definitely recommend. Will be looking out for more from Cara Hunter. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Another intriguing and original whodunnit by the super talented Cara Hunter. Reminiscent of a Netflix true crime documentary but with nuances and a gripping intrigue , i have indeed binge read this book and loved every minute of it.

Murder in the Family is one of the most unique mystery thrillers I've read in a while. I loved that it was told entirely in multi-media and it had a few twists I didn't see coming!

The only thing I didn't love was the ending. It left me feeling very confused. I couldn't work out if there was a deeper meaning (in which case I thought it was incredibly clever) or whether we as the reader are meant to take it at face value.

I had a great time reading this and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Well I wasn’t expecting that! I was aware it wasn’t another in the Adam Fawley series but this was completely new and different.
I do think reading as an e-book made it harder to read than if it had been a paper copy. The layout just didn’t flow well and I was constantly turning the pages. Plus I couldn’t make out any of the Social media comments or see clearly any of the newspaper comments.
However the plot was good and I’m very glad I did persevere as its novelty was well worth the effort.
I can only give 4 stars though for the reason I’’ve given plus it wasn’t as good as the Adam Fawley books by this author which are excellent.

3

This was a good read, however, not as good as this authors previous series of books. The book was well written and I really enjoyed the use of media in the book. I did enjoy the second part of the book more than the first, however all in all it was a good read.

A crime with all the twisty turns you should expect. A deliciously mystery of whodunnit!
I didn't know what to believe.

I enjoyed the way this was set out - as a TV documentary which brought a different feel to a murder mystery. A good story for any true crime or murder mystery fans. The cover would have made me pick this up in a shop and I was wondering who the murderer was right until the end. A great story.

On paper, Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter seems right up my street, but for some reason, I just found it lacking. To be completely transparent though, the formatting on the ARC edition wasn’t perfect, which did make it a little more complicated to follow, however, overall I don’t think it would have made much of a difference.

Murder in the Family is about a fictional Netflix series about a cold case murder that happened in December 2003. For the filmmaker Guy Howard, the source material couldn’t be more personal as the victim of the murder was his stepfather Luke Ryder. Written as a mixed media novel, the story is told through Netflix ‘scripts,’ text messages, emails, reports and newspaper articles etc.

Although I know they can be marmite, I normally enjoy a mixed media novel as I like the creativity and originality of how the story is told, however, personally, I didn’t gel with this one. I found the plot a bit laborious and quite predictable, guessing the big twist long before it came in sight. It just became fragmented and repetitive and I struggled to engage because I was just being told things rather than letting me become immersed.

I found the characters dull and uninspiring, and I kept losing track of who was who, which isn’t something I normally struggle with. I think it’s because it was all surface level and we didn’t really get to know anyone in great detail.

I’m afraid it was very lacklustre, although I’ve certainly read worse, but I’m not sure that is much of a glowing endorsement.

I really enjoyed navigating through this very differently structured book. I loved this pacy read with its twisty plot and its cast of characters that read almost like a screenplay! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this. The way the story was plotted, as a TV documentary, was done really well, allowing the characters to develop as each episode is revealed. The story is smart and gripping, I loved all the 'reveals' and the tension these generated both within the story and as a reader. It had a convincing resolution, and I also really liked the final twist. Overall this was a well paced novel that felt a bit different from other crime novels I have read recently.

20 year old cold case is brought back by true crime documentary. Luke was murdered in his back garden. Can his stepson who is directing the documentary solve the case?
I would recommend this book. Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A unique take on the classic 'Whodunit'.
Many years ago, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the house he shared with his older wife Caroline, and her children from her previous marriage. The case was never solved.
Twenty years on, Caroline's youngest offspring Guy, who was only a young child at the time of the murder is making a program about the case, in the hope that it would be solved once and for all.
There are many twists and turns in this story, and you are left wondering who the guilty party was until the very end.
A great read.

Twenty years ago, Luke Ryder was killed in the garden of the house he shared with his wife Caroline and her three children from her first marriage. Till date the crime is still unsolved and there are no suspects. Now a production company is getting together a panel of experts along with Guy Howard, the youngest of the three children, to try to find the answers in a true crime tv series.

I love the DI Adam Fawley series by Cara Hunter and was extremely excited for her first standalone thriller, and honestly, this is one of her best.

The format was completely new and it made the entire reading experience even more new and amazing. It was like reading a movie script and in my mind, I could even imagine it being converted into a Netflix series!

Each chapter is presented as an episode, where new findings are discovered through interviews, social media posts which in turn leads to a lot of new suspects and raises a lot of questions. Slowly the characters learn that the victim was not who he had claimed to be which is the main highlight of the book. The plot then moves on to establish the victim’s real identity and the motive for his killing. It is filled with twists and turns, that make you suspect every character and keep guessing right till the end.

Overall, the most unique and captivating book I have read this year!

Full of secrets twists and turns. This fast paced story kept me gripped. There were a lot of characters to keep up and lots of red herrings written in a different format.

Murder in the Family
I feel quite sad that I’ve given this book only two stars as I’ve read (and loved) most of Cara Hunter’s books.
One of the reasons why I’ve loved her other books is the way that she incorporates the use of comments from social media and articles/letters/emails and other external sources into the book, which gives a greater perspective and therefore a more rounded read.
But unfortunately, in ‘Murder in the Family’, using this technique as the sole method was just a bit too much overkill. I found it far too choppy and couldn’t really feel too invested.
My rating plummeted further as the twists and reveals just kept coming thick and fast.
I felt it was too fantastical and just too ‘extra’.
Sorry, but this one wasn’t my cup of tea.