This is the first book I have read by Cara Hunter having seen her DI Adam Fawley series, but hadn't got round to reading them yet, so when I saw this stand alone title, I was keen to give it a try as the blurb sounded really interesting, and as she is quite a local author.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but the transcript type format was not for me. It read as a script and I just could not get into nor enjoy this book as it was too jerky and didn't flow for me.

I thought trying the audio version might improve matters but it just made it stand out more that I didn't enjoy the style. The narrators were great but I just couldn't get into it. However if your a fan of true crime, this might be up your street, but I'd recommend the book rather than a kindle or audio format so you can more easily read/look back at the texts, newspaper articles much more easily.

Please note these are my own opinions and I'd still be really keen to read her books as long as they are in a normal format.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the review copy,

I loved this book!
This is the author's first standalone book and the format is very different as it is told with mixed media. This format really worked for me as I felt I was reading/watching the script/ documentary. Each episode ends on a cliff hanger so you want to read more and find out what happens.
This book is definitely one I would recommend.

Set in the form of a Netflix cold case investigation into a murder that was never solved 20 years ago, Guy Howard - a member of the family of the murdered Luke Ryder - is keen to break into a TV project and solve the murder of his step-father. Various professionals have been called in to be participants in the programme which is a new format for a series of 'Infamous' programmes.
A little confusing at first there are live discussions about the event; research into the characters involved; twitter discussions about the programme; text messages between the two step-daughters of Luke Ryder and updates on the programmes by a television critic.
As Cara Hunter's first stand-alone novel this is a novel and fascinating approach to a mystery. The 'audience' is involved in trying to solve this 20 year old crime. A real page turner.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Cara Hunter/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This review will be published on www.instagram..com/kayleyisreading on 3rd August as part of a blog tour!

Things I loved about this one...

✅ mixed medium storytelling in the style of Netflix documentary
✅ twists and turns which kept me guessing right until the very end
✅ mentions some of my fave books/authors
✅ format makes it easy to fly through the book
✅ a cast of characters that are at times unlikeable

This one is a goodun! It's Cara's first standalone after the DI Fawley series and I'm so glad she took that step! I LOVED the format of a Netflix documentary with additional articles and texts, it was unique and made for a quick read. It was like having the documentary script in front of you! It had me like a detective, trying to work out who did what...

The cast of characters here is mixed and some of them are more likeable than others, there was no add on characters here. They all had a role to play and added to the story. I liked this because it meant I didn't have to remember loads of useless characters 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

I did get a little confused during some of the episodes (the book is broken down into the Netflix episodes) and that's the only reason it's not a 5 star read for me.

I'd recommend this one to fans of murder mysteries and Netflix true crime documentaries 📺

R A T I N G

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outstanding! This was a clever and original read. So many twists and turns, and misdirections aplenty. One I will be recommending to fellow mystery lovers.

I really enjoy Cara Hunter's Adam Fawley series so was eager to read this, a standalone thriller but, unfortunately, whilst I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters (although not many were likeable!) and I really enjoyed the mystery of who did the deed, I wasn't overly keen on the writing format which I found quickly became tedious due to the scene setting rather than focusing on the actual story.

Despite my misgivings on the style, I did like the twists and turns and, like I said, overall I enjoyed it and I thank HarperCollins UK, Harperfiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Murder in the Family.

My first observation of this book is that the author has taken a break from writing her Adam Fawley series, which I was in a way pleased about - my TBR pile stands taller than mount Everest, and the possibility of novels in a series coming out in quick succession bothers me (I use the MJ Arlidge series purely as reference. I was thoroughly enjoying the early instalments however they were being released so frequently that I totally lost track and have therefore abandoned the series as a lost cause).
The "main character" in this book, if you can call him that being as he's been dead for 20 years, is a young man named Luke Ryder. Killed in the garden of the home he shared with his older wife and family, the crime was never solved. Now 20 years later his step-son Guy Howard, a filmmaker, wants to make a mini-series re-opening the case to look into the evidence and maybe even find out who was responsible. The program makers have brought together a team of "experts" to analyse the official documents and interview relevant witnesses.
The chapters are similar in style to Cara Hunter's previous books: short, sharp, information-heavy, laden with distracting red herrings - or are they? It's the reader's challenge to work out what is relevant and what is speculation and guesswork. The interspersed sections of social media posts relating public reaction to the episodes of the mini-series as they are released feed in between the main chapters are typical of Hunter's style but if you've not read her books before they can take a bit of getting used to.
There's plenty of finger pointing between the experts on the show - everyone has a pretty strong opinion, and this raises tempers and some interesting questions which were never raised in the first police investigation.
Apart from Guy, nobody is quite who they first appear to be, and this keeps the tension going right to the end.
Anther resounding success from Cara Hunter in my opinion - I don't know how she plots and twists her storylines as intricately as she does.

It appears to be my time for reading different/original forms of mystery. And I’m loving it.

I have to admit that I haven’t watched any shows that investigate unsolved true crimes and I’ve only listened to one or two podcasts on the subject. So, I can’t vouch for how accurate the reconstruction described in this book is. What I can say is that the combination of crime, characters, set-up, and surprises made for a fascinating and all but unputdownable read.

As stated in the blurb, what we have here is a team of experts brought together to reinvestigate a murder that happened twenty years ago. The whole investigation will be broadcast over several episodes. The director of the show, and this is the first shocking revelation of many, is Guy Howard who was ten years old when his stepdad, Luke Ryder was killed in the garden of the house where they lived with Guy’s mother and two older sisters. The rest of the team consists of experts in a variety of fields such as former police officers, a forensics expert, and a psychologist.

As I said at the start of this review, this is a(nother) book not written in a traditional format. Apart from detailed descriptions of the episodes (in a screenplay/play-board sorta way) and verbatim excerpts from a chat group discussing the programme and the case, we’re also privy to private conversations (via text messages and emails) by those who play a role in the case and/or the investigation. And wouldn’t you know it? Those exchanges all manage to make those communicating look suspicious in one way or another. What we don’t get is any idea of what anybody is thinking while the story progresses. If it isn’t said or (possibly) betrayed by reactions or facial expressions, the reader isn’t aware of it. Almost as if we really are watching a show on a screen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It hooked me from the start and the only reason I took a break from reading when I was halfway through is that I do need sleep occasionally. Having said that, there were one or two moments when I wondered how something could possibly be known by the person in question, or when I felt that maybe coincidence was pushed just a little too far and too hard. Obviously, I can’t say anything more about that since much of this story’s strength lies in the well-spaced reveals of new information at opportune times and I wouldn’t want to spoil those moments for others.

Overall, Murder in the Family is a well-written and original story taking the reader from plot twist to plot twist without ever stopping to come up for air. Just when you think you’ve figured out what has been happening, a new spanner is thrown in the works, and the eventual solution will almost certainly take your breath away.

A very different read the narrative is set out in scripts and conversations of a Netflix series called Infamous looking in to a murder cold case.
Luke Ryder was murdered in 2003 and the case is still unsolved , his step son Guy decides to make a series to try and find the truth behind Luke’s death.
The story that follows is a rollercoaster of a read and everyone really is a suspect.
The way the story is written is different and it did take a bit of getting used to.
Once I had overcome the different writing style I really enjoyed this book and didn’t see the twist coming at the end .
Throughout the story there are plenty of twists and turns and it it kept my interest .
I recommend that you persevere if you have problems early in the story because it is well worth it .
A different and enjoyable read.
Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

The murder of Luke Ryder has been a mystery the police could never solve. Now his step-son along with a film crew sets out to learn the truth of that fateful night. They call in experts to help and could the truth be about to be revealed but its never as simple as we think.

Wow what a read this was. There are so many twists along the way though in the back of my mind, I did have an idea who the killer was. This is told through various medias like texts, emails and the main chapters are the actual episodes of the show which is an interesting concept and I really liked it. I've seen this in her other books and it works well. The plot builds with each episode until the explosive ending. Ah the ending this was really well done. Did I want it to end like that no but did it fit the story and the character absolutely. The characters all have their own flaws and secrets but it all ties in together. A brilliant read from a go-to author of mine.

I kept me reading till 3 am as the story kept surprising me and making me discover new motive and possibile culprits.
The mix of media, dialogue and different type of communication made me think of the book by Janice Hallet.
The narrative technique may remind of Ms Hallet but the pace and the storytelling are pure Cara Hunter and this a fast paced and gripping mystery with elements of domestic and psychological thriller.
I loved it and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Written in the form of a TV script, it was one that I just couldn’t get into as I didn’t like the way it was set out. I’ve loved Cara Hunter’s other books but this one is not for me. Thank you for the advanced copy.

WOW Cara Hunter, you had my eyes glued to the page!

Luke Ryder was murdered in 2003, but no one has ever been brought to justice.

20 years on a panel of experts are taking part in a true-crime TV show to try and solve the murder.
Just like in a series, each chapter always ends on a cliffhanger which meant I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know what secret might be uncovered next and always the twists just kept stacking up!

This book is a revelation. Set out as though reading a TV script, it really makes you feel you are actually watching a program, not reading a book. Cara, what a truly inspirational way of writing. You certainly had me hooked from start to finish.

Awesome!

Murder in the Family was an interesting read with many, many twists and turns. The murder of Luke is a puzzle which has never been solved….can the team, brought together for a crime show, do what the police couldn’t?

I was quite excited to read this one and rightly so. It sets out to revisit a cold case from 20 years ago where a man is murdered in his home with no culprits identified. A team of experts come together to find answers.

The narrative style made this different from other crime thrillers. It is written in the format of a show, interviews, messages, emails, etc to give it a documentary feel. There are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings that keep you invested. Recommended for all thriller readers!

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 20/07/2023
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I’m always one of the first to download Cara Hunter’s books after being gripped by the DI Adam Fawley series. This is the first of her standalone books so I was excited to receive early access to it.
The concept is unusual with the majority of the novel told through transcripts as a police cold case becomes a Netflix thriller, digging up the past and reanalysing the evidence. Reading this on the Kindle made it tricky as I really wished I could flick back and forwards to check things. Once you get over the unusual formatting and get used to the way the story is told, you are in for a treat.
The storyline is great, with a series of experts unpicking the original investigation in the hope of building the picture to solve the crime. But each character is not quite as they seem.
Cleverly written, unique but truly Cara Hunter style. I was pleasantly impressed.
Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Hunter and Harper Collins for this ARC in return for an honest review.
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#books #booknerd #bookworm #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstack #bookchallenge #booklover #reader #read #2023Reads #readersofinstagram #reading #bookswithcookandacuppa #netgalley #MurderInTheFamily #CaraHunter

As an avid reader of the Adam Fawley series, I'm always up for a new Cara Hunter novel!

Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of his home in 2003; married to a wealthy older woman and with three step-children, his murder was unsolved. Now, however, experts re-examine the case, live on camera. Will they find out whodunnit?

Oh, this one grabbed me from the very beginning - and kept me there until the final word. Excitingly original, I had no idea where it was going. Gripping, enthralling and causing me to read faster than ever before as I couldn't wait to find out what the 'experts' would discover - and my jaw fell open when I did! Thrilling in the extreme, this is a solid 5* read and one I'm very, very happy to recommend.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

At first I couldn't get into the way this story was laid out - sort of as a script. When I got used to it, I started enjoying the story but it seemed to get a bit silly with everyone being involved with everything.

I read this standalone crime fiction last month and raced through it!

Murder in the Family is a clever whodunnit which reads as transcripts of a new TV season of Infamous, a documentary that solves old crimes. This time a collection of well chosen individuals will be trying to solve the old murder of Luke Ryder but this time the director is also related and wants to find out the truth. Who killed his step father all those years ago in the back garden of his million pound home?

This is excellent! I wanted to read on to find out what happened but the structure of the novel was also very clever, keeping the reader on their toes at all times. Transcripts of the series, newspaper articles, text messages, emails, information regarding the investigators and their expertise, all helped to make this feel realistic and kept the pace going.

I have read one of Hunter's DI Fawley series and have many more on my kindle to look forward to but this is her first standalone novel. It is perfect for fans of Janice Hallett with its clever use of media.

An easy five star read 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love this author’s DI Adam Fawley series and hadn’t realised this latest offering was a standalone novel as I never read the blurb of her books as they are never a disappointment.

This book is cleverly written in a form of dialogue, newspaper articles, emails and social media postings. The story follows a group of criminal investigative personnel recruited to delve into a historic unsolved murder of Luke Ryder, much younger husband of a wealthy London socialite by a popular true crime programme called Infamous.

The programme grips viewers and everyone becomes an armchair detective but when the experts’ discoveries start to uncover evidence not released before suspicions are raised and the experts start to turn on each other.

Absolutely loved this book with its twists and turns and an ending I didn’t see coming.