I was very excited to get an ARC of this after binge reading the first six in the series in the last week, and it did not disappoint. I’ve really enjoyed the Fawley series so far, with its city of twists and turns. The return of the Daisy mystery was interesting, as was catching up on where the characters had got up to in the last few years. Highly recommend the series.

4.5 Stars

Close to Home was the first in this excellent series and, after being a huge fan since, I was excited to revisit the Daisy Mason case in Making a Killing!

Catching up with the team 6 years on, quite a bit has changed, but the handy recap for each character before the story starts really helps to refresh your memory. Then, using the usual methods of mixed media, the story unfolded well and although it felt a little bit more slow-burn than usual, it was a great read.

It probably could be read as a standalone, but I recommend the entire series if you like police procedurals!

Wow! *What* a book! This is the first Cara Hunter book I've read - unorthodox considering it's the 7th in the Fawley series - but it's safe to say I'm hooked and will be reading more ASAP. It was @bethreadscrime's excellent review that put this on my radar - I'd actually bought the first book in the series to start there, but when my request was approved on Netgalley, obviously I had to jump in here straight away.

Honestly, I loved it- it may only be January but it's definitely one of my favourites of 2025, and it will be hard to beat. Despite it being so late in a series it's a good starting point: it's picking back up with DCI Fawley and his team some years after the last book, so nothing felt hard to follow. The case they're working on is a blast from the past: it seems a young girl thought to have been murdered eight years ago is actually alive, and the course of the book follows the case as it unfolds.

What's particularly neat here is how Hunter presents the story. It isn't told from a single viewpoint and it's not purely prose: there are emails, newspaper cuttings, interview transcripts and more, making it feel real and immersive. Not enough books do this in my opinion!

Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this one, and if you enjoy police procedurals, detective mysteries and even true crime, I think you'll love it.

This is an ‘it’s not all as it seems’ type thriller. I wasn’t sure I fully believed all the characters but it was still a tense and enjoyable read. Left you hanging at the end so there must be more to come!

Another fabulous read in this series. A fantastic twisty story line which had me gripped throughout. I look forward to reading more

I love Cara’s books; so cleverly plotted with great characters and innovative style.This was no exception: a sequel to the first DCI Fawley novel written six years ago. Daisy Mason’s body was never discovered but there was enough evidence to convict her mother who is in prison.
However Daisy’s DNA is found on another dead body and she is obviously still alive. This is a great story as a huge effort is needed to get a result, all aided by newspaper articles and other media inserts as well as normal police work. Fascinating and very enjoyable. A welcome addition to the DCI Fawley books.

great police procedural book including mixed media of newspaper reports, pictures and emails to really bring the case to life!

This was a really gripping read, and the further I got into the book the more I enjoyed it!! Full of unexpected twists!

Despite this being part of a series, I still understood the characters thanks to the helpful character personality summaries at the start of the book.

There were a lot of police characters to follow, however each chapter being headlined with a location definitely made this easier to figure out what was going on
8 year old Daisy vanished from her family home, and the disappearance made national news.

Her mother arrested for her murder, despite a body never being found but strong forensic evidence.

Several years later, a strand of Daisy's hair is found at a crime scene, reopening the investigation into what happened to Daisy all those years ago... Could she still be alive?

Tropes include:
Dark past
Deception
Disappearance
Family trauma
Missing person
Murder
Plot twist
Police investigation
Police procedural
Revenge
Secrets
Suspense
Small town secrets
Tension
Therapy
Trauma
Whodunnit

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Cold cases
- Witchcraft
- DCI Fawley series
- Missing people storylines
- Sequels

With thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Hemlock Press and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. I initially tried to read this on my Kindle, but some of the print was far too small to read comfortably and other graphics were only partially reproduced. I assume this will be fixed before publication.

I have read each of the instalments in this series, so I was familiar with the plot of the first book where the disappearance of eight-year old Daisy is investigated and her murderer prosecuted. Here it is discovered (eight years later) that she isn't dead at all and (bizarrely) Fawley and the original team are asked to reinvestigate. Daisy's DNA is discovered while a separate force are looking for a missing teenager and so there are in total far too many police officers to keep straight.

This wasn't quite such a page turner as the other books in this series; the sections from Daisy's shadow journal really slowed things down for me. I found Daisy to have been an unbelievably precocious eight year old, and I'm not a fan of ambiguous endings, but on the other hand I enjoyed some of the characterization, especially Quinn, who just never changes.

‘Making a Killing’ is the latest in the DCI Adam Fawley series and, intriguingly, takes us back to Cara Hunter’s first novel when eight year old Daisy Mason goes missing from affluent north Oxford and is never found. Her mother is convicted of her murder. The End!

However, Hunter has made the decision to develop this narrative further and, eight years later, it appears that Daisy has not died. Extraordinarily, her DNA is found on another woman’s corpse in a shallow grave. Is Daisy really still alive and, if so, how has she survived unnoticed well into her teens?

You don’t have to have read the original novel, ‘Murder in the Family’ to become invested in this story but I am sure that those who haven’t are likely to search it out after reading this sequel. Hunter has successful dealt with an obvious narrative problem – how does the reader hear Daisy’s voice throughout the story without the revelation of where she is and with whom? The answer is the inclusion of a Jungian ‘shadow diary’ in which Daisy appears to be experimenting with a self-help form of psychoanalysis.

Whilst this story has Daisy at its centre, there is the issue of why someone has been buried wearing a makeshift scold’s bridle and where another woman connected to Daisy has disappeared to. Fawley and his team combine with police in Gloucestershire to try to put together the pieces of widely scattered puzzle.

Hunter regularly uses mixed media in her narratives which adds credibility to aspects of the story. However, beware if reading as an e-book; it can be very frustrating. Another satisfying read and the final pages suggest that Adam may be looking over his shoulder for some time to come!

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperFiction, Hemlock Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Making a Killing is the seventh instalment in the Adam Fawley series, and it’s safe to say that this series just keeps getting better and better! I have loved getting sucked into the Adam Fawley universe with the last seven books, and I’m gutted that this is the last one (for now at least!) I literally love every single character in these books, and I’ve loved getting to know them more with each book.

One thing I really liked about this book was that it was sort of a follow up to the first book in the series, Close to Home. I loved revisiting Daisy and her complicated, intriguing character, as well as all the other characters from the first book! I won’t give too much away, but this book was filled with twists and turns just like all the others in the series, and I could not put it down! I hope this isn’t the last book in this amazing series, because I am obsessed!!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Close to Home was a thriller that I always thought deserved a sequel, especially because of the way it ended. I was pleased that Cara Hunter chose to revisit this title, especially as we've gotten to know Adam Hunter more. At times I did find Daisy a little over the top, especially given how young she's supposed to be and how young she was in Close to Home.

Thank you netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for a review. This is the first book I got by Cara Hunter and I got to say it was not what I expected. I was unable to get through the book due to how it is set up. Don't take me wrong it's unique and I can see the appeal off it. For those who are not familiar with her books just like me it includes emails, newspaper clippings, medical reports, regular writing, etc. I wanted to give this book an honest chance but I just couldn't get into the story. I actually think the story line could be interesting. The occasional addition of medical report or letter could be interesting as well but in case of this book almost every page has something like that. Personally I prefer more of a story that I can get engaged in and will always want to read just few sentences more.
This is not the case. Maybe a heads up on on the front page would be beneficial so readers know what to expect

I read this book as an e-arc on my kindle and the formatting for kindle was very awkward. The newspaper articles were split across several pages making them difficult to read, as were the photos. This detracted from the experience a little.

However, the storyline lived up to the hype. I'm a Cara Hunter fan and have read a number of her books, this one didn't disappoint.

A continuation to the Fawley series, that furthers the story of Daisy Mason, a child presumed dead. It was twisty, thrilling and very hard to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was great to have an Adam Fawley story back again after such a long time and to find it was the continuation of a previous story. Always welcome in my world. I loved the Character List at the beginning of the book by the way. Very helpful. The narrative was great. Very complex with lots of twists and turns. My only complaint is, I read the story on a Kindle and unfortunately the various formats used by Cara don't translate very well, the photos, newspaper cuttings etc. although this doesn't affect the story too much, it is a bit off-putting for kindle readers. In fact I'm not absolutely sure what happened at the end as Cara finishes with a newspaper cutting! A good reason to buy a paper copy of the book I suppose.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Making a Killing, the seventh installment in Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series, picks up six years after the events of Hope to Die. At first, I mistakenly thought Crime in the Family was part of this series, as the book includes a few nods to its case. However, rest assured—you can dive into this novel without prior knowledge of that story.

The book begins with a chilling discovery deep in the woods of Hescombe: a woman walking her dog stumbles across a shallow grave containing the body of another woman. The estimated time of death? Just a few weeks ago. But the plot thickens when a single hair found on the duct tape binding the body is identified as belonging to Daisy Mason.

For those unfamiliar with Daisy’s case, it was closed eight years ago. At the time, DI Adam Fawley was the senior investigating officer. While Daisy’s body was never recovered, a conviction was secured based on strong forensic evidence, and the accused is now serving a life sentence. But this new discovery raises disturbing questions: Did the team get it wrong? If so, how could an eight-year-old evade the police for so long? Was she abducted? And who might be responsible?

While the premise is undeniably gripping, the novel unfolds as a slow burn. The pacing struggled to hook me, and I found myself disengaged from the investigation at times. It took a while for the story to find its rhythm, and even then, the momentum never truly picked up. Adding to my frustration was the fact that the mystery could have been resolved much sooner if just one of three key characters had mentioned a crucial detail—but they didn’t. I was particularly frustrated with Daisy’s brother.

Another issue for me was the overwhelming number of characters. It became difficult to keep track of everyone and everything happening. At some point, I decided to focus on three characters I liked and followed their arcs closely, while the rest became a blur.

That said, the book does have its strengths. I thoroughly enjoyed the psychological depth Cara Hunter brought into the narrative with the concept of the “Shadow Self” and Shadow Work Journaling. This element offered a glimpse into the mind of the criminal mastermind, adding a fresh layer of intrigue. That said, the mastermind’s age—much younger than mine—was both impressive and terrifying!

While I admire Cara Hunter’s work and will continue reading her books, Making a Killing wasn’t my favorite book in the series, but I’m still eager to see what DI Adam Fawley’s next case will bring.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - instead, I will recommend that you read this for yourself!

Having read the earlier novel that this book is linked with, I was delighted to be invited to read this one. Although the previous book left us in no doubt about Daisy's actual fate, this one fills in the gaps of what has happened in the period since she disappeared.

Once again, D I Fawley investigates - this time with some new team members, and the return of some familiar faces too. I always enjoy the way that Cara Hunter injects social media and newspaper reports into her novels - makes them even more realistic in my opinion.

Twists and turns aplenty - and the book ends on a cliffhanger! I cannot wait to read the next one in this series - please hurry up Cara!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I found it useful to reread the first book in this series Close to Home to refresh on the characters etc.
A great read full of suspense and storyline which kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I love Cara Hunter books, I am always riveted and never disappointed! It’s wonderful to follow the couple as well as all the other characters in the police. Thanks so much for access.

I enjoy reading Cara Hunter's books and was excited to read her latest DCI Fawley novel. The bringing back of Daisy, a previous character was interesting. The storyline was imaginative, however with the strange formatting of my kindle edition and the large number of characters in the book, I struggled to keep up with the 'action'. Enjoyable but not her best.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy of this book.