I love books that have podcast elements so Murder in the Family was perfect for me! This novel is told in a podcast transcript format and each chapter is an episode of the show with extra interviews, texts and investigations interspersed throughout. The podcast has been set in motion by Guy, who is the stepson of a man that was murdered in their home twenty years earlier. There are a cast of characters involved in the investigation and we get to meet the relevant family members too. The end of every episode seems to have a massive cliffhanger, which makes this book so hard to put down and also means that just about everyone you meet in this book could be a suspect. This is a book that kept me on the edge of my seat and I begrudged real life interfering in my reading time! I did guess whodunnit but I was never sure that I was right so I was still hooked waiting to find out if I was right but also wanting to know why! I definitely recommend this one!

A well written book full of suspense and twists. I love anything 'true crime' whether its podcast, documentaries or books so this plot really worked for me. The format of this book is really unique with interviews, texts, emails etc which makes you feel like you're living in the story. There is a lot to take in with this read as a 20 year old cold case is unraveled but it works really well.
A very engrossing page turner that I struggled to put down.

This is a brilliant book and I raced through it with not being able to put it down. A cold case has been picked up for a documentary and the book is in a unique format consisting of scripts, interviews, text messages and emails to create the effect of live episodes. There are cliffhangers, twists and lots of information packed into a story in which experts in the field of crime and journalism come together to try and solve a murder which has seemed uncrackable for 20 years. This is a modern take on the thriller genre and I loved it from start to finish as it had a fast pace and lots of surprises.

Wow. What a 👏🏽 book. I LOVED this! I was super grateful to get granted an early copy, I then found it on bookbeat and THEN I couldn’t resist buying the paperback copy when I realised the incredible format!

If you liked Hallett’s THE APPEAL, you’ll adore this. Almost any book that’s written in this epistolary style will normally be five stars for me. It’s such a completely immersive way to read a thriller/murder mystery, as you’re literally working things out as the characters do. This book is written purely in media, inc emails, interviews, dialogue, text messages + reports, which allows you to absolutely fly through the pages.

I’m definitely glad I bought this in paperback— the audiobook was fun, but I ended up getting pretty lost with the large amount of characters and the verbal media, and you just don’t get the same effect on the digital version, so I pretty quickly returned to the physical copy.

Addictive, engrossing, captivating and totally unputdownable, this was a complete page turner that I read in just the one sitting.. if you love binging a true crime Netflix documentary, I highly recommend reading this! A strong cast of characters, PLENTY of twists + red herrings, plus a double twist/reveal (an absolute fave!!) combined to make a unique, brilliantly-plotted, authentic whodunnit mystery with a true crime feel and a jaw dropping ending!

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🦇

Reading this book took some getting used to I found the format a bit busy but I did get used to it. For me it was an OK read.

Well written, gripping and full of suspense and mystery. A really enjoyable read that has made me want to read more by the author

I loved this, it was so engaging. I was unsure about the format it was written in at first and how well that would convey the story but I ended up thinking it was the perfect way to solve this murder mystery. Thank you NetGalley for my copy of the book in return for a review.

I am a great fan of Cara Ramsey' s DI Fawley series which was why I was keen to read this book. However the layout did not lend itself to being read on a Kindle. There were lots of bits that were too small to be read & as it was written in the format of a True Crime podcast, I found it impossible to become involved with the characters. Life's too short to struggle reading something you do not enjoy but thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try & review this book.

I really enjoyed this one! I haven't yet read the DI Fawley series by the same author, but I have a feeling I will enjoy it after reading this standalone.

I absolutely LOVED the format of a Netflix documentary, and having watched a lot, I really felt like this book was one. With articles, text messages and the book being broken into the documentary episodes, the format was unique and I feel this also encouraged a fast pace, making this a quick read. For those armchair detectives, like me, I think you will enjoy reading what ultimately felt like the documentary script.

The characters were a mixed cast of the family affected, documentary crew and professionals in their own forensic or detective capacities. Some were more likeable than others, and all played their part in uncovering the truth of the murder.

Definitely one for fans of true crime documentaries, murder mysteries!

I usually like Cara's books but, this one just didn't hit the spot. I just couldn't settle into it. I didn't like the characters uch and I found the story quite slow and boring. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I have read several Cara Hunter books and loved everyone of them but I really struggled with this one. I liked the storyline but hated the format it was written in. I came close to giving up on it more than once and it was only down to sheer stubbornness and refusal to quit that I didn’t. I read it on my Kindle and several times I couldn’t read the articles , etc, because the print was so small and I had no way of enlarging it.
I enjoyed the storyline and twist at the end and it kept me guessing all the way through but had I realised it’s format I wouldn’t have chosen to read it. Sorry. I know lots of people loved how it was written but it wasn’t for me.

A great twisty thriller that is set out in a quite an unique way that I really enjoyed. There are some plot holes and odd jumps but it is a really good read

Twenty years ago Luke Ryder was killed in the garden of the house he lived in. The crime is still unsolved. Now a production company is getting together a panel of experts to try to find the answers in a true crime tv series. However everyone has secrets and the answers might not please everyone.
Hunter has deployed the tactic of using social media posts in her Fawley novels and they do work well but here the entire novel is created in terms of a tv script, emails and social media and it works brilliantly. The whole true crime genre is used as a foil for what is really a very straightforward and traditional plot concept but it is the delivery that is so great. The story is hugely twisty and, whilst there are massive plot holes, it is ultimately a great read that keeps the reader hooked.

A really great and intriguing read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

The interview and television show format of this book was very interesting especially as I initially listened to it so did have the visuals that would come in the print version but I think it was done very well. My expectations were subverted so many times through out and I loved how we were uncovering the truth along with everyone else. I think this book definitely highlights how manipulative tv can be in the quest to make an interesting show.

Well I am impressed with this Standalone from Cara Hunter.
I will confess I was expecting Adam but was not disappointed with the reading of this book

This book is told in the form of a Netflix release, broken down into episode (this is the 2nd of this style I have recently read, not sure if this is a coincidence or a new style of writing)

Each chapter was a new episode of the program screened o Netflix over the course of a series. The series follows a group of experts as they try to solve a previously unsolved crime. The murder of Luke Ryder.

Each episode reveals a new twist in the tale and more suspense.
I enjoyed reading this and whilst I felt sure I had sussed out what had happened and couldn’t understand how the police had not come to the same conclusion. I was still thrown at times by the reveals that were uncovered. The end wasn’t a huge surprise as I had in the main be right with my suspicions. I did enjoy the twist and turns the story took me on along the way.

One thing I found very frustrating was the layout of this book. Reading on an old style kindle, the way the book was laid out with newspaper articles, photos and the screen play jottings did not work and at times I was unable to read them unfortunately. This is a shame as I’m sure I’m not the only one still reading on this type of kindle

I love the way Cars Hunter presents her books it's so different and makes each of them intriguing. This is no exception. Packed with twists and turns this is definitely worth reading.

“January 9, 2023 New Season of ‘Infamous’ sees British Film-maker Revisiting His Stepfather’s Murder, Unsolved for 20 Years”

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Murder in the Family’ by Cara Hunter, a standalone crime thriller that focuses on a 20-year-old cold case that is being investigated by a true crime television series.

In December 2003 the nation was gripped by the murder of Luke Ryder. He was found dead in the garden of the family home in London. He left behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything. No one was ever charged.

In 2023 Guy Howard, an acclaimed film maker who was only ten when his stepfather was murdered, has gathered together a group of experts to re-examine the evidence week-by-week for the seventh season of ‘Infamous’, a true-crime television series.

In this novel Hunter adopts an unusual style in that the story is told primarily through the transcripts of the episodes, supplemented by newspaper articles, maps, call sheets, and press releases.

Given this format I was glad that I had chosen to complement my reading with the unabridged audiobook edition, which is performed by a full cast. The interaction between narrators gave the audiobook very much the feel of the true crime series.

Overall, I found ‘Murder in the Family’ an engaging murder mystery that embraced an unconventional format and provided lots of surprises along the way.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I received an ARC from NetGalley but just got around to reading it now and wow. I read this book in one day as I could not put it down. The concept and layout was so intriguing, and it played like a tv show in my head. The many characters within the original murder twenty years prior and within the present-day true-crime tv show aspect kept the plot moving forward at a fast and gripping pace and kept me hooked with the constant revelations.

I did initially guess the killer correctly, but with no real reasoning. However, with every secret connection and evidence I changed my mind and by the end I honestly suspected everyone so had no real idea who it was. Right until the very last page, Cara Hunter kept me guessing with the somewhat open-ended and vague newspaper clippings that even suggests that the conclusion is not all that it seems. This is a perfectly gripping murder mystery that is executed with such a fresh concept. I gave it four stars instead of five because I doubt the sheer logistics it would take to connect all of those characters in reality and the question of ‘Luke’s’ identity is still somewhat unresolved. Also, I would have loved to have had a slight resolution for the individual ‘coincidental’ connections, for example Laila and her brother, and Alan and his sister.

Cara Hunters first standalone novel and whilst, on balance, I prefer the series, this was a twisty delight.

A "true crime" plot, a twist at every turn, some engagingly readable characters and a final outcome that really should have been obvious from the start but isn't- due to some clever plotting and excellent writing.

Hugely entertaining.