This is the 7th book in the DCI Adam Fawley series. The first book in the series Close to Home, follows the case of a missing child Daisy Mason who is presumed dead. Making a Killing is set eight years later and a hair has been found on a recently murdered woman that belongs to Daisy Mason. Where is Daisy? Is she alive? Where has she been all these years?

I loved that the story of Daisy was being continued. I read the first Daisy book, really enjoyed it then never picked up another Cara Hunter book until Murder In The Family which was phenomenal! I thought I need to get back into the Adam Fawley series but I put it off until I got the opportunity to read this book. Starting in October I have read books 2-7 and I have become an absolute Cara Hunter Stan! Everyone I know who reads I am like you need to read these books, they are so blooming good. I am now sad that I am up to date and have to wait around for the next book hmph!!

Massive thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Harper fiction and Hemlock Press for the opportunity to read this fab book.

It was a delight to return to the City of Oxford with DCI Adam Fawley and the team. After the ending in 2018, it was great to find the team having done so well for themselves either in their career or their personal lives in 2024. It starts with a belief - is Daisy Mason still alive after discovering some forensic evidence that brings the 2016 case back to the team and now they must re-investigate the whole case again. The plot uses multiple multi media sources as a part of the way to tell the story of Daisy and her family. It was a well written plot with plenty of brilliant characters that I raced through the book to a climatic and dramatic conclusion. More please!!

This is the 7th book in the DI Adam Fawley series but it links back to the first, Close to Home, and the disappearance of 8 year old Daisy Mason. As always, the book has the added addition of media cuttings but it also included some photos which brought the story more to life. This book also brings the police characters up to present day, as the previous book was set in 2018, so it was really interesting to see where they all were now in their careers and personal life. The story is fast paced and kept me turning the pages. You could read this as a stand-alone but you’d get much more enjoyment out of it by starting the series from the beginning. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, Hemlock Press for letting me read and review this book.

4.5 stars
A woman's body is found in a shallow grave in the woods. When DNA from the crime scene shows a seemingly impossible connection to an old case, Fawley and members of his original team are called in to investigate. I started this series in the middle and have caught up on most of the prior books. Most work well as standalones, but this book is a follow-up to Close to Home, so I'm glad I read that one first. Although Making a Killing includes the important parts of the backstory, it helped me to better appreciate the developments in the book having read about the original case in the first book.

I enjoyed the intriguing plot and likable characters in this book. The story is told in an engaging way and includes some multimedia elements such as emails and newspaper articles that help bring the story to life. I enjoy spending time with these characters, and the ending of the book is fantastic. This author has become a favorite of mine and I highly recommend the book and the series.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from the publisher for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

I always enjoy Cara Hunters writing, especially this series. This book surprised me, I couldn’t get interested in it at first. After putting it to one side for a while I have finished it. It’s good, definitely not my favourite but worth a read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a well written, gripping and disturbing story. I hadn’t read the first book so didn’t know Daisy’s backstory but I’m not sure that mattered too much. Cleverly plotted with complex characters who were believably written, there were plenty of twists and turns along the way.

This book was very difficult to read on kindle due to the formatting with sections overlapping and having to try and figure out where the next part of the story was. The media clippings were impossible to read on Kindle but no doubt they will be great in paperback. Due to not being able to properly read the story because of the formatting of the ARC, I'm not able to give a proper review. I will however be buying the official book when it releases next month as what I read so far was gripping.

Different and entertaining police procedural - well worth a look.

Adam Fawley gets involved in the investigation of a murder in Oxfordshire which may have connections to a past case (I haven't read Close to Home so this was new to me). Two police forces are involved for both the old and new case. There are a lot of different characters, well-described and the plot moves along at a good steady pace. I'm pleased with myself that I worked some of it out but it makes for a fine detective tale - well-told and engaging. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have loved all the previous Adam Fawley novels but I’m not so impressed with this one. I missed a good bit of the story through formatting on my kindle. It was an interesting premise which failed to fully deliver its full potential. I found the ending a confusing cliffhanger. I will definitely read the next instalment as all previous novels were great 5 star reads. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

🤍Book review 🤍

Making a Killing
by Cara Hunter

Making a Killing by Cara Hunter is a gripping and fast-paced police procedural that keeps you hooked from start to finish. DCI Adam Fawley is forced to reopen an old case when forensic evidence suggests that Daisy Mason, a girl presumed murdered a decade ago, may still be alive. With twists and surprises at every turn, the investigation uncovers shocking truths.
Hunter’s storytelling is immersive, blending police work with media reports that make you feel part of the case. The characters are well-developed, and the tension builds perfectly. Fans of the series will love this installment, and new readers can still enjoy it. A must-read for crime thriller lovers!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

When DNA is found on a body in Gloucestershire that is a match for a 8 year old, DCI Fawley's team are pulled back together to work with West Mercia Police. Together they follow the clues to a very strange case. Once again the truth is in the detail.
A very interesting read.

Not all murder victims stay dead.

A mother is in prison for killing her daughter, except the child’s body was never found. Could the conviction have been wrong? Is it possible the daughter is still alive…and back to cause trouble?

This book has the promise to be brilliant but sadly as I hadn’t read the first I felt like I’d missed out on a lot. Totally my fault as I didn’t realise it was part of a series, I loved the part at the beginning where a recap of all the characters is given (authors take note…this is genius) also the different media forms such as emails and newspaper clippings will be great in the book, the formatting on the download I had meant these were unreadable for me sadly. I have to give an honest review on my experience BUT I have no doubt this book will be a huge hit. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this and good luck to the author on its release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date - 13/02/2025

#MakingAKilling
#CaraHunter

Making a Killing Cara Hunter

5 stars

I have read 4 of the Adam Fawley books and loved them all. Unfortunately Close to Home was not one of them and this book is a follow-up to this book, however I must say this did not detract from my enjoyment of this book at all.

One of the things I really love about this author is that she gives a list of the main characters in and around DCI Adam Fawley at the beginning of the book which is so helpful as, for mr, it sets the scene. It was also lovely to see how the original team has progressed and to meet new members.

Daisy Mason had been 8 years old, ten years ago and had been murdered by her mother, Sharon who is now serving life in prison courtesy of DCI Fawley and his team who had solved the case. However as this book begins another body of a young woman has been found and to the team's dismay a hair is dicovered on the body whose DNA belongs to Daisy. She is not dead and her mother has been wrongly imprisoned all these years. DCI Fawley realises that something has been overlooked or missed in the original enquiry and the case has to be re-opened.

The plot is fast paced as more is discovered about how Daisy has disappeared and where she is now. I really enjoy the way the author puts various media items into the book, it is as if we are part of the team trying to find out what happened. Not only was the plot excellent but there was also an amazing twist at the end. I really hope Adam Fawley comes back again in the not too distant future, I will certainly read any book that he appears in.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley

Making A Killing is book 7 in this series and it’s so good to be back with DI Fawley!!
This book is based around a case from book one, although I can vaguely remember it, it was really good to have a catch up bit at the beginning of the book that reintroduced you to the characters and who and why they are and this was a great idea. The book starts with the discovery of a body in a shallow grave in some woods, the first mystery is who is the body? Second mystery is that a strand of hair is found that doesn’t belong to the body but belongs to someone presumed dead year ago, if the DNA procedure is correct then this person must be alive and the person in prison for the murder is innocent.
This book is hard to review without giving anything away as I really don’t want to spoil it for the long fans and the ones that have jumped straight into this one. All I can say is it’s a really good read that I read as fast as possible. I think you can read it as a standalone but you will miss some of the depth Ed’s to the characters through previous events. A really good addition to this series that I enjoyed from start to finish.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book! It has an amazing plot which had me reeling and the writing hooked me in from the first page. It refers back to a previous case and I love that some of the information presented as a real life docu series. Just brilliant!

Having read the original Daisy Mason novel, I was thrilled to have the chance to read this unexpected follow-up. After a conviction concerning the murder of young Daisy, forensic evidence at a new murder scene shows that she might not actually have been a victim. The ever brilliant DCI Adam Fawley leads a team to discover what did happen all those years ago. A gripping read.

In 2016, eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanished from her Oxford home.
Her disappearance made the national press and the final culprit shocked everyone. DCI Adam Fawley remembers the case well, he arrested Daisy’s mother for murder himself.
But her body was never found.

I was initially put off by the number of characters in this. It was a bit overwhelming and I had to keep backtracking to recall who was who. I have enjoyed previous books by this author but I did struggle with this to start with. I didn’t like the illustrations, thought they were unnecessary, particularly the news cuttings, as they bogged the story down. But as the book progressed the writers true style comes through. This is a great police procedural tale with strong characters who drive the story forward.

Another fabulous read from Cara Hunter and the DI Adam Fawley series.
This book takes us back to a previous case of Adam Farley’s - where a mother had been convicted of murdering her 8 year old child Daisy, however Daisy’s DNA has just been identified on the body of a woman who has been murdered in the last few weeks, how is that possible? Did DI Fawley and his team get it wrong and if so how could an eight year old child deceive the police and her family? Someone must have been helping her, the question is who and why?
This is a twisty plot for Adam Fawley and an entertaining read which will keep you guessing, Not my favourite book in this series, there were a lot of characters, with a lot happening which at times in the middle of the book was confusing, I did enjoy the Shadow Self concept, and the newspaper articles, very cleverly done.and the book does finish on a cliffhanger , so hopefully there will be another case for Adam Fawley and his team.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I’m a huge Cara Hunter fan so was super excited when I saw she had a new book out, and especially when it was the DI Fawley series! As with all her books, this grabs you from the get go and you certainly don’t want to put it down. I loved that it was revisiting the Daisy Mason case (the one which got me hooked in the first place!) and it was great to see it unfold as the book went on.

The ending is brilliant and I love that it has been left open for us!! Who did send Fawley those daisies?!

Cara Hunter is an author who has fans. Her Adam Fawley series has not had a new entry for a few years, so many will probably purchase this one on its release date.

As soon as I started reading this title, I was glad that it was on a day where I had a good amount of free time. I just wanted to keep reading. It wasn’t that I thought that I would solve things but I was certainly enjoying watching the story unfold.

The plot has to do with both a past event involving a young child and more recent events. Readers will surely wonder about connections.

Hunter has created a good cast of series regulars. I also like how she includes various media throughout the book as, for example, newspaper cuttings.

This book can be read as a standalone. Hunter helpfully includes mini bios as the start of the book to bring new readers up to speed. I imagine that many who read this will be heading for the backlist though.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.