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.

I’m a huge fan of Cara Hunter, have been since the first book I read of hers in about 2017.
This book is no exception, it’s well written with a returning cast of characters.
Although this could be a standalone read, I feel you’d get far more from it by having read her previous books. (Which is something else I’d highly recommend),
Another fab read from this author!

More than two years since the last episode in this series, so a reminder of the characters and a little about their background at the front of the book is very useful. This plot hales back to Book 1 in the series, so although this can be read as a stand-alone far more would be gained by reading the first book in the series. There are twists and turns galore in this book and the ending has yet another twist. A very satisfying read, if somewhat complicated.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Cara Hunter/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was really looking forward to Making a Killing by Cara Hunter, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t get through it due to the formatting of the ARC. The inclusion of news articles is a great concept, but in the version I received, they were tiny and spread awkwardly over multiple pages, making them practically unreadable. I could have struggled through it, but I knew it would take away from my enjoyment of the story, and I didn’t want that to affect my overall experience or my review.
That said, I absolutely WILL be buying a copy when it’s officially released next month, as I was really eager to read it. I’ll update my review once I’ve had the chance to properly immerse myself in the story as it was meant to be read. I hate not finishing ARCs, but in this case, I just couldn’t give the book the attention it deserved in the format I had. Looking forward to trying again soon!

Love love loved this. It is the 2nd in a series but I didn’t feel I needed to have read the 1st as the picture was well described. Does someone come back from the dead, where have they been, who knows, who’s involved, who is the murderer. All questions that the police need to answer.

When a body is found by a dog walker DNA evidence links to a case from 8 years earlier, the murder of Daisy Mason. Currently her mother is incarcerated for the crime but now may be able to be released as it seems Daisy is still alive.
Now a DCI Fawley and his team link up with the force local to the burial site to try and solve both cases.

I loved the reappearance of Daisy Mason and characters from the first book in the series ‘Close to home’ and how the two cases were intertwined. As well as the POV of the Police officers there were also excerpts from a diary giving us an insight into the character at the centre of the story. There is also a mix of media in the form of newspaper articles, emails, interview transcripts and reports which cleverly convey information.

There was a large cast of characters which I found quite difficult to keep up with at the start of the book but as I read on it became easier.

An intricate plot which keeps you reading, part of a fantastic series of Police procedurals but can be read as a standalone (would recommend reading at least book 1 first).

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved this book, though the formatting issues in the ARC made it really difficult.

You can read this as a standalone but it’s much more enjoyable if you know the backstory.

Not my favourite Cara Hunter book by a very long way, in fact I disliked it, which is sad as I have mostly enjoyed the three other Fawley books that I have read. The book dropped further in my estimation by the fact that the author felt that 130+ uses of an extreme expletive was necessary, up from the "early days" of just three dozen.

Very likely to be the last of Cara Hunter's books that I read.

Truly sad that authors feel the need to be "modern" by adding totally gratuitous expletives. Reviewers would be rightly censored and censured if they used those same words in their reviews.

Stunning piece of work. A set of charecters that are always a delight to explore more especially with returning charecters from the first in this series.
Great plot, great twists and turns. Always undeniably amazing.

When a body is found in the woods, it triggers an old case to be reopened.
Daisy Mason, eight years old and killed, but no body has ever been found. Eight years later and a hair found near the body belongs to Daisy. Where has she been? And who helped to spirit her away?
Fawley is back, and with his team and others from Manchester, they have to go through all the files again.
We hear from Daisy through her shadow journal, which was quite creepy.
I didn't love this one as much as the other Fawley series. Maybe because there were a lot of characters to get your head around. Also, some of the team members have been promoted or moved on, and I found that a tad confusing to follow.
However, I loved the ending. No spoilers.
I look forward to reading another Fawley but in his own setting.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I always enjoy Cara Hunter's books and particularly liked being reunited with Adam Fawley and his team. Great to have the updated biographies at the beginning as well.
I must admit to having forgotten all about Daisy Mason, but her story soon came back to me and I became happily involved in the trademark twists and turns of a Ms Hunter tale.
My only quibble, no fault of the author, was that it was really hard to see the newspaper articles and photos on my kindle which was really disappointing as they are such a vital and enjoyable part of the plot.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

I have not read any books in this series, but I have read Murder in the Family by this author and I really enjoyed the mixed media format. I know that some readers do not like this format, but I enjoy it a lot. I had to change over to my Kindle Fire to see the graphics as my basic Kindle reader struggled a little with it.

The story is very twisted, dark and absolutely devious from the beginning to the end. The synopsis does a great job of highlighting the key facts; the death of an 8-year-old from several years ago, the discovery of a body, forensic evidence suggests it is from the dead 8-year-old!

This is the 7th book in this series, the case of the dead girl is one in which DI Adam Fawley was part of the original investigation in which the girl's mother was arrested and imprisoned for the murder of her daughter.

The story had me hooked from the beginning and I really liked the way the author gave a cast list and their roles. I didn't bother with this as I am new to the series. But, when I have read books in the past that have a cast list I find it incredibly helpful.

Fawley is joining the case with the recently discovered body as well as looking into the old case, this could cause upset as he is effectively running an investigation on someone else's turf. While this is mentioned, the professional attitude of those involved is brought to the front, but it was nice to see some expected anticipation.

Working with a mix of new and old staff, Fawley is soon in the midst of things. Several characters are introduced and the reason why the story of the 8-year-old has become to the forefront of a true crime show. There is also a character in this story that is an anonymous one, this one gives you chills as their account of things is told within a diary. The mixed media in this involves images, diary entries, and emails and as I mentioned at the start I do like this.

There are many things I want to mention about his story and I have rewritten a couple of these paragraphs but then deleted them as I think it will give things away. There is a lot of subterfuge, second guessing and twists. When you think you have your head around things, the author knocks the wind out of your sails and then you off on a different tangent.

I really enjoyed this, and while it is an advantage to have read previous books in the series, especially as the first book deals with the death and investigation of the dead 8-year-old!

This is one for fans of crime, thriller, police procedural and psychological thrillers. I enjoyed the twisted nature and the suspense that built up as well as the story line itself. It is one I would definitely recommend.