I have read and loved this authors Adam Fawley series and can't wait for the next one of that. However I wasn’t so keen on this one and really struggled with it. The newspaper clippings, blog entries and format of the book were just too difficult to read. Also far too many characters were introduced at the beginning which was just confusing. I did like the idea of the book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I’m currently writing this review, having not long finished it. I’m in total shock over how bloody good this is, I just couldn’t wait to rave all about it! It had me on tender hooks from start to finish, and is a definite must read for any thriller fan!

I loved that this was told through the format of multi-media, and we got to experience the case in ‘real-time’ with each episode. That just added to the intensity and fast pace of the whole story. I also did not see ANY of the twists coming. Just when I thought I knew who was responsible, along comes another gut-punching twist. Just incredible.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s the first book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend

Murder In The Family is a book like no book I’ve read before.
I am a huge fan of the Adam Fawley series so I was really hoping this was going to be as good. The premise is a group of people, all with different experience in different fields trying to work out who the real murderer was for an unsolved crime. The layout was each show being recorded live and their real feelings and thoughts flowing between them all and telling what research had been done and what evidence they had found.
This was a very different format for a book and I enjoyed it, the only thing I would criticise is on the ARC (advanced reading copy) on my kindle I couldn’t read the newspaper clippings or character profiles as it was either too dark a background or too small but other than that I did enjoy it and didn’t get who the real murderer was so bonus points there.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Cara Hunter does it again, delivering a novel that is so tense and well written! I really enjoyed reading this, and the format was also very interesting

This is a very different book from Cara Hunter’s Adam Fawley’s series which I am a huge fan of.
I still enjoyed this book and the surprise ending, which I had guessed towards the end.
The format was really different too and I also enjoyed that, although in the arc most of the articles where impossible of really hard to read as they either had a black background and therefore you couldn’t see the writing, or the writing was so small I was unable to read all of it. Specifically, all the characters introductions were impossible to read.
Thank you NetGalley and the HarperCollins for letting me review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter in return for my honest review.
I usually really enjoy books by this author but found this one difficult to read on my kindle due to the format of the book, the newspaper clippings and Blogs were very faint and difficult to read. I did however purchase the book and tried again, overall a good read but not my favourite by this author.

In 2003 Luke Ryder's body was found in the garden if the house he shared with his wife Caroline and her three children from her first marriage. Twenty years later nobody has been charged for his murder and no clear suspects have been identified. Now Guy Howard, Caroline's youngest child, has joined forces with a TV production team to investigate the case with the help of several expert witnesses.

The book is in ths form of a true crime TV programme with the story being told through the interviews undertaken for the programme, text messages and social media posts.

Loved this book - had to slow my reading down as I didn't want to finish it too quickly,

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Cara Hunter for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

4 STARS

I've been on a bit of a thriller/mystery/suspense/cozy mystery binge recently so this sounded intriguingly up my street - and it was! Tightly plotted with lots of twists and turns: it will definitely keep you guessing until the end. I'll look forward to more titles by the author.

I have read and loved books by this author before but unfortunately I wasn’t so keen on this one. I read it on a kindle and some of the newspaper clippings and blog entries were too faint to read. It took me a few pages to realise that the format of the book was going to be the same all the way through but once I adjusted I found reading it quite easy. However, I couldn’t gel with any of the characters and by the time the end was near I wasn’t really bothered who had killed Luke and just wanted to finish the book so I could start another one. I look forward to reading the next Adam Farley book.

After reading previous titles by this author and enjoying them I was very keen to read her latest title.

In ‘Murder In The Family’ it is twenty years since a murder that gripped the nation was committed and it still remains unsolved. Now a panel of cleverly assembled experts will try to solve the case, live on TV, re-examining evidence and discovering things that have been hidden for years. Can they solve the truth after so long & just who is hiding more than you could ever expect?

The unique format of this book really makes it stand out and for me it was a big draw as I am a huge fan of Janice Hallett and her very clever books told through the medium of emails, text messages etc. Using this method through the medium of a live TV script is very clever and, although some may find the format takes a while to get used to, I found it flows well. There are a lot of suspenseful moments and the twists and turns amongst all of the characters mean you will think you have solved the crime numerous times throughout the book before that final climax is revealed.

A great read and a novel writing style which I hope becomes more popular as, when done right like this, is a captivating read.

I didn’t like this at all I found the way it was laid out was awful and I just couldn’t enjoy it or get into it at all. Is a sham as I do like the Adam Fawley series but this wasn’t for me. @Murderinthefamily@Netgalley

Cara Hunter’s “Murder in the Family” stands as a testament to her prowess as a thriller author, earning its well-deserved five-star rating. This gripping novel is a testament to Hunter’s skill in weaving intricate plots, creating authentic characters, and crafting an atmosphere of unrelenting suspense.

In “Murder in the Family,” Hunter once again proves herself a master of tension and mystery. Hunter’s writing style is immersive, pulling readers into the heart of the investigation and making them feel like active participants in solving the crime.

The strength of the novel lies in Hunter’s ability to meticulously construct a plot that keeps readers guessing until the very end. The carefully placed twists and revelations are delivered with precision, resulting in a narrative that is as unpredictable as it is engrossing. Hunter’s intricate storytelling skills ensure that even seasoned thriller enthusiasts will find themselves captivated.

“Murder in the Family” is a testament to Hunter’s ability to craft an atmosphere of tension that permeates every page. The book’s pacing is well-calibrated, alternating between moments of heart-pounding urgency and poignant introspection. Hunter’s expert manipulation of pacing contributes to the story’s immersive quality.

In conclusion, “Murder in the Family” by Cara Hunter is a gripping and expertly crafted thriller that solidifies her position as a top-tier author in the genre. With its intricate plot, compelling characters, and unrelenting suspense, the novel deserves its five-star rating. If you’re a fan of masterful crime fiction that keeps you on the edge of your seat and craving more, Cara Hunter’s “Murder in the Family” is an exceptional choice.

** 4.5 Stars **
Who killed Luke Ryder ? A shocking thriller about family caught in the middle of a true crime series ! Who is the killer, and what secrets do the family have to hide?
I love multi media format in books, which makes reading such a fun experience. This was so cleverly done that I actually felt like part of a real case as it was being solved. The twists just kept coming, and I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and Cara Hunter for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One aspect of Cara Hunter’s Adam Fawley books that I really like is the way that extracts from different types of media are inserted into the narrative to give readers access to pieces of evidence and opinion that the viewpoint characters can’t see at that point in the story. This stand-alone story from the same author goes one step further and dispenses with traditional prose narrative altogether, something I didn’t know when I came to it fresh from reading the blurb. The book opens with a newspaper cutting from The Times reviewing the final episode of a TV series, the day after its first streaming, and then skips back to the original press release from the beginning of the year, announcing the show and introducing the individuals who will feature in it.

‘Infamous’ is an established true crime show that is going one step further in its latest season, by adding a reality element to the investigation. The show’s director was ten when his stepfather was brutally murdered, and twenty years later a panel of experts are being brought to his former home – now owned by his half-brother and watched over by one of his sisters from an annex – to reopen the case, albeit with no official police input. At first glance, the investigative team seems to have a balanced range of skills, consisting of two retired police detectives (one UK and one US), a freelance journalist who reported on the original police investigation, a high-profile lawyer, and two forensics experts from very different fields. As the story progresses, however, it seems that each of them has a direct link to either the victim or to other members of his household.

The story is told through the shooting scripts/transcripts from each episode intercut with newspaper cuttings (including more episode reviews from The Times for each episode), text messages between Guy’s sisters, threads from a true crime message board, and emails between the investigators and other witnesses or suspects. Slowly the characters and readers learn that the victim was not who he had claimed to be and that every individual involved in either the case or the show is hiding secrets of their own. By the very end, I had a pretty good idea who the killer was, but some of the final twists still surprised me.

Oh, and there’s a fun Easter Egg in one of the newspaper cuttings for fans of the Adam Fawley books who’ve been following what’s going to happen with that later in the year.

All in all, a really fun read that I need to study in more depth, once I get my hands on a print copy.

A quick read with twists that keep you guessing until the very end. A super interesting format with mixed media that makes it so quick.

20 years ago Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three step children.

Now, decades later, a group of experts are investigating the evidence on a real crime tv show - does the truth lie closer to home?

Wow! This read like a Netflix series - at first it took a bit of getting used to the format - but once you got past that the mixed media content and script style writing had me hooked.

As each episode ‘aired’ more was revealed and each experts personal lives and what were seen as unrelated coincidences came into play.

This was a cleverly written novel which must’ve had a lot of thought and planning go into that structure, and was one that was highly addictive.

I was not expecting the ending and I don’t think you would either 😱

I usually love books by this author and I’m sure if I could get into this one I would love it too but the format of newspaper clippings and articles made it so very hard on a kindle. Will try again in paperback form as I still have high hopes for it. The writing as always is fantastic

It's been twenty years since Luke Ryder was murdered,no one has been able to solve the mystery of who or why he was killed. Now, a popular true crime series Infamous is investigating. They've gathered a team of experts, and at the helm directing is Guy Howard, the stepson of the victim. He was just a child and is now determined to find answers.

Cara Hunter is one of my favourite writers. One of the things I love about her books is how she uses different media formats to tell her story. But with this novel, it felt a step too far in that direction. I received this from Netgalley but struggled to engage. Not one to be deterred (I do not do DNF), I decided to get the audiobook. And it was a good move. This book comes alive in audio format. It's a great story. It's like listening to a particularly compelling podcast. It only lost a star for the fact it's not easy to read....perhaps it might be better as a physical book.

"Murder in the Family" by Cara Hunter offers a unique and captivating reading experience that resembles watching a crime documentary on TV. This was my first encounter with this format, and I must say, it truly caters to those who value a focused narrative without unnecessary distractions. If you're a fan of delving straight into the heart of the matter, this book is tailor-made for you.
From the beginning, I found myself drawn into the story's intricate web of events. While I managed to piece together the "who" quite early on, it was the "why" and the "how" that caught me off guard. The author skillfully weaves together a tapestry of surprises, including twists that blindsided me entirely. This unpredictability added an extra layer of excitement to the reading experience, keeping me engaged and invested throughout.
Cara Hunter's writing style effortlessly translates the suspense and intensity of a crime documentary onto the pages of a book. The narrative's structure is tight and well-paced, ensuring that the story's momentum never wanes. The characters are well-developed, each with their own distinct personalities and motives, which contributed to the depth of the plot.
While the "whodunit" aspect might have been slightly transparent, the author compensates with a compelling exploration of the "why" and "how," along with unexpected twists that enhance the overall enjoyment. "Murder in the Family" successfully delivers on its promise of an immersive crime documentary experience, making it a winning concept for readers who crave a focused and engaging read.