I am a huge fan of Cara Hunter’s novels. Her DI Adam Fawley series is one of my favourite and I am always looking forward to the next novel. I was really excited about Murder in the Family, which is a stand-alone, and I wasn’t disappointed.

On the 20th anniversary of the murder of Luke Ryder, a true crime series, Infamous, wants to reopen the case to solve his murder once and for all. Twenty years ago, the lifeless body of 26-year-old Luke had been found in the garden of the family home by his stepdaughter. The police never found the killer and, now, six experts have been called to study the case. There is a retired Met police officer, a freelance journalist, a forensic psychologist, a lawyer, a former NYPD officer, and a forensic pathologist. The team also includes Guy Howard, stepson of the victim and ten years old at the time of the murder. Guy wants to find out the truth to bring closure to his family, no matter the cost and what uncomfortable truths about his family may come out during the investigation.

The story is written in script format and, as the author’s previous novels, is accompanied by news clippings, maps, text messages, email exchanges, and comments on forums. Luke’s murder had been sensational at the time as he had recently married a wealthy widow older than him. At the time of the murder, only ten year old Guy was in the house sleeping, but could his wife have come back from the party and killed him? Or maybe her stepson Rupert, who had introduced them a few years earlier? Or maybe someone from his past? As you read you realize that everyone on the show was chosen for a reason as secrets are revealed and twists just keep coming. I don’t usually watch true crime documentaries, but I think I would watch Infamous, if only for the cliffhangers at the end of each episode that made it almost impossible to put the book down.

Masterfully executed, addictive, and thrilling, Murder in the Family kept me up late at night reading until the one final shocking revelation that you can always expect from Cara Hunter’s novel and that makes you gasp in surprise. Highly recommended!

The synopsis of Murder in the Family says the truth will blow your mind - they weren’t exaggerating!

This book is written in the most original way and I loved the use of multimedia which allows you to follow each episode of the TV programme.

I thought I had cracked the case, but I was very wrong! This was written so cleverly as it is full of red-herrings and script that manipulates the reader.

My Top 5 things from this book:

•Mixed Multimedia
•Stand-alone Read
•Red Herrings
•Unique style of Book
•Investigation

I think this is probably the easiest 5 stars I have given for a while, I absolutely LOVED this book and would recommend it to everyone and anyone! Yes there aren’t any chapters and the whole book is written in a mixture of speech, newspaper articles, emails, images and text messages as we follow the live tv podcast with the team trying to solve this 20 year old cold case but for me that’s what added to making it so good.

It was such a unique style and personally I find that the lack of chapters mean that you can absolutely fly through the book, it ups the pace and makes you just want to keep on reading. I buddy read this with Vicky so had to keep stopping myself from flying forward, it was good to bounce our theories and thoughts off each other though - I’m still chuffed that I figured it out pretty early on, even if not exactly how it had gone down.

Normally this would take a bit of the enjoyment out of a thriller for me but this wasn’t the case with this - although I’d had the thought I wasn’t 100% and there’s that many twists and reveals that you get to the point where you feel like absolutely anyone could be the killer. Hunter even manages to leave you with an extra couple of questions at the end which has made me want another book like yesterday!

If you’ve read her other books you’ll notice a few little Easter eggs from her previous books if you pay close attention which I really liked to, it just gave it a more personal feel when you were like oh… I remember that story!

I’m going to shh now as I could just keep rambling on but do yourself a favour and go and read this book now!

Absolutely loved it. Had me hooked from the start. I’ve read Cara Hunter before so knew I’d be in for a treat and she didn’t disappoint. Fast paced and well written, you couldn’t ask for more. I definitely recommend!! Thank you #netgalley.

I started this book and wondered if I had made a mistake. I persevered and discovered a 5 Star read.

What an interesting concept for a book, a reality show! Truly very interesting as it had me hooked and I finished it in just 2 days.

No spoilers from me as I hate them but I will say there can be lots of plausible solutions to any "who dunnit" and this tale also shows that things can so easily turn out not to be so simple or so cut and dried however compelling the evidence might be.

Definitely worth adding to your "must read this Summer" list.

It was in December 2003 that fifteen-year-old Maura Howard came home and found the body of her stepfather, Luke Ryder, in the garden of their West London home. He had an injury on the back of his head which could have happened if he'd slipped down the steps but the vicious beating his face had taken was obviously deliberate. Twenty years later, no one has been charged with his murder and it's now the subject of Infamous, a true-crime show. A group of experts has been brought together to review the evidence and to take the investigation further. More to the point, they're going to do this live on camera, episode by episode. There's no dump of the whole box set - and no shortage of cliffhangers. It's compelling viewing.

I'm often underwhelmed by true crime programmes - either in real life or as fictional themes - but this is Cara Hunter and I am a big fan of her D I Adam Fawley series and I was more than happy to give this standalone a few hours of my time. So, how did it stack up?

At the start, I was absolutely riveted. We've got an ex-Met DI, Alan Canning, for the inside view on how the investigation progressed. Mitchell 'Mitch' Clark is a journalist who has always lived in Ladbroke Grove, not far from the murder scene. Hugo Fraser KC is a skilled interviewer and Dr Leila Furness is a forensic psychologist. JJ Norton is a forensic investigator and William 'Bill' R. Sepaphini, lately of NYPD is an expert crime scene investigator. The producer of the show is Guy Howard - the youngest of Luke Ryder's three stepchildren and just ten years old at the time of the murder. His plan is to stay behind the camera but will appear on screen if there's something he can add to the investigation.

What does become clear very quickly is that at least some of the panel have more involvement with what happened than they're prepared to divulge. Mitch Clark is open about the fact that he actually came onto the premises when the police arrived but what about the others? The tension ramps up very quickly and the tempers of the panellists are not always under control.

The concept was well-developed and it was a very good read. I treated myself to an audio download (narrators: Lisa Armitage, Olivia Dowd, Rupert Fairley, James Goode and Colin Mace) and although this was entertaining reading I think I might have been better sticking with the physical book. The cast created the story well but I suspect that I might have got more from reading newspaper clippings, emails, etc than listening to them being read. That's me being very picky though.

I’d like to thank Insta Book Tours for having me on the tour. This was my first Cara Hunter book and I couldn’t wait to get started!

✍🏻The format of this book is so different but in a great way. There are interviews, newspaper clippings, and emails and the rest is told as an episode, with multiple narrators. If you’re a fan of Janice Hallett then you will love this layout! I can imagine it would make a great audiobook too.

🤫Every ‘episode’ ended with a reveal or a twist that would knock my original theory out of the water. I could not see where this was heading and kept convincing myself that I was following the carefully laid red herrings.

👨🏻This was binge-worthy reading at its best! I kept trying to find hidden clues in the multimedia messages and almost felt like I was part of the investigating team.

⭐Would I read another book by Cara Hunter? Absolutely! This was addictive, twisty and completely enthralling from start to finish.

The write up sounds intriguing and I was excited to read this as I like Cara Hunter's books, however I just couldn't get on with the style of writing and did not finish reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I have loved all of Cara Hunters previous books so I had high hopes for this book. I definitely wasn’t disappointed, it was brilliant. Such a unique and refreshing style of writing that I found utterly captivating. It honestly felt like I was watching the show, I could picture it all as though I was literally watching Netflix. I have to admit that I did guess early on who the killer was but that didn’t take anything away from the enjoyment of the book. I felt as though I had a seat at the table and I was part of the investigation. Genius writing concept from Cara Hunter. Highly recommended. 5 stars from me.

As a lover of Cara Hunter books I was drawn to this instantly as it is the first stand alone book Cara Hunter has written! This is a different style of book as it is written as a script for a Netflix true crime series which intrigued me. With out saying too much this story has many twists and turns and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat through out. The way it is written may not be for everyone but I loved it and I think it would be a perfect Audio book. As usual I am waiting to see what Cara Hunter will write next!
Huge thanks to Netgalley & Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you to the author, publishers Harper Collins and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Told through scripts and screen directions for the true crime documentary at the heart of this story, a team of experts have been brought together to try and crack a 20-year-old unsolved murder. The show’s director is the stepson of the murder victim and is determined to find out the truth, whatever the cost.

First off if you can opt for a physical copy of the book rather than a digital one. The unusual presentation of this story, through scripts and document clippings, is pretty hard to follow in digital format. To the extent that I was ready to give up just a few chapters in.

However, I’m really glad I stuck with it as once the format settles down the story is a corker. The twists and turns, following an episodic cliffhanger format, are good and where they do feel forced that’s explained within the format. As an aside, the show’s producer is a despicable character, but it’s fine you’re not supposed to like him.

A original and compelling whodunnit in the form of a true crime documentary and written like a script. Easy to read, it has a really good pace and never lets up. The true crime being investigated is a twenty year old murder of a younger second husband of a wealthy widow. Written in an episodic form, each chapter ends in a revealing cliffhanger which not only surprises the reader but often comes as a shock to the team of hand lucked investigators who are uncovering the layers of intrigue surrounding the case. It soon emerges that several of the so called experts have their own agendas in revealing the truth. A very clever and well constructed plot, even if the conclusion itself is unremarkable.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review a copy in advance of publication.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Written as a transcript for a Netflix True Crime series the format worked brilliant as did the cast of experts investigating the cold case.
I have to admit I had to keep my wits about me as the plot became more complicated but this was a compulsive read.

I do like to get my hands on a crime thriller with something different about it, Murder in the Family is just one of those books. It is told in a series of transcripts from a TV series, emails, video feeds and re-examining old accounts, videos, footage and anything else that is seen to be relevant. A group of experts have been gathered to give their insights and to help to solve a 20-year-old case.

The case is that of Luke Ryder, found murdered in his garden. At the time he was living with his wife and stepchildren. He had not been married long and the case has remained a mystery. The premise of the story is to try to uncover the truth and solve the case, one of the filmmakers was 10 at the time and he was Luke's stepson.

This did not take me long to get into, I did have to change from my older Kindle to my kindle fire to be able to see some of the graphics that were included in this book.

The story is one that has many twists and also, being as it is set as a true crime investigation, it has some cliffhangers. There are points in the story when things happen that do step on the toes of what is seen as moral. Giving out information that is unknown to the family and not giving them advance notice adds a shock value to the story.

Having a group of experts is a good way of giving different points of view and also perspectives. There is one who becomes a natural leader. These people have experience in police investigations, profiling and law and all bring their own ideas and ways of working to the table.

I really liked how the author wove her story and given that this is told in a different style it kept up the momentum and also the suspicion. There were a couple of times when I thought I had this sussed, but I was way off the mark as another "cliffhanger" scuppered my idea.

This is a story that is twisted and does hop continents. It is a lot deeper than I originally thought it would be and this worked well. Keeping my attention and up to speed was never in doubt with this book and if you are a fan of crime with something a little different then you really should give this book a go. Brilliant story and one I would definitely recommend.

I've read books by cara before and throughly enjoyed them, however this one I just could not get into easily and struggled with it.

Loved the format. Figured out all the twists, but it was fun getting there. Also got myself the audio version, that added to the experience.

Having been a fan of Cara Hunter's series featuring Adam Foley, I eagerly anticipated her first standalone book. Thankfully, I can say that I was not disappointed. Murder in The Family is a compelling contemporary and original story, which kept me engaged with its unexpected and explosive twists and turns. The book's unusual format was a breath of fresh air, cleverly presented through interviews, messages, emails and newspaper reports. Despite this unconventional approach, the author's skillful writing brought forth well-drawn characters and made the story truly immersive. Now, I am eagerly awaiting Cara Hunter's next creation, curious to see what captivating tale she'll weave next.

When I heard that Cara Hunter was releasing her first standalone, I jumped at the chance to read it early!

I've only read one book in Hunter's Adam Fawley series so far, and I was massively impressed with the time taken to introduce each character and the detail given to ensure that the reader had a full understanding of who was who. And Murder In The Family begins in a similar way, with the CV of each person behind this new - fictional - Netflix series.

Straight away, this interactive element grabs your attention. And with the use of mixed media throughout - including newspaper reviews, text messages, forum discussions, and transcriptions - the constant change in format keeps you hooked and your eyes scrutinizing every single word for clues.

I love the idea of having a cast of characters pulling apart a cold case to find out the truth, as it allows the reader to play along. However, I did find that there were times when the reader couldn't have attempted to make some of the connections, so I found some of the middle a little chaotic with twists.

But when the answers finally started to be revealed, I was gripped once again and completely taken aback. There were a few things that I wanted more detail on, but overall, the way this story is executed is just phenomenal.

A unique and binge-worthy read, this is definitely a 2023 release that you'll want to get your hands on! I also had a short listen to the audiobook and I think that it will be a fantastic way to experience this one!

(I'm on the blog tour for this on the 9th Aug so my reviews will be live then!)

I’m a huge true crime fan and love watching crime documentaries, so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. It’s such a clever idea, a host of experts brought onto a true crime show to review a twenty year old case. It’s so gripping, the characters are incredibly well drawn and my mind boggles at the plotting involved in it - the twists and turns, the way everything fitted together. It’s so satisfying too - I loved the way it all played out and had basically seen absolutely none of it coming. Such a clever book.

I sadly had to dnf this book a quarter of the way as I just couldn’t connect with the story or the characters.