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bea_reads_books's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Originally I expected to give this book three stars, because it seems to be trying to make a point about the way true crime media often re-traumatizes victims and crosses boundaries in the pursuit of sensationalism. However it did not do this well, and that aspect fell flat. I bumped off another half star about half way through because of the casual sprinklings of racism/copaganda and zionism throughout, but it was the last 15% of the book that really pissed me off and caused me to put it at 2 stars. The end of this book is so disgustingly ableist, makes absolutely no fucking sense, and heavily leans into the demonization of mental heath conditions/trauma. It reinforces the idea that trauma makes people violent to the point of senseless murder. I am so angry right now, the book had a really great ending all mapped out, a road it could’ve taken, and instead it did exactly the same nasty shit that true crime tv so often does (which is ironic considering the author seemed to be *trying* to make a point about that).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Blood, Dementia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Car accident
kristenreads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Infidelity
Minor: Blood and Dementia
infjkiki's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Car accident and Classism
savvyrosereads's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
Told in a multi-media format styled after a true crime documentary, MURDER IN THE FAMILY follows six experts trying to solve the cold case murder of Luke Ryder, who was killed in the garden of his expensive estate twenty years prior.
This was the May pick for my book club, and for some reason I was really hesitant to pick it up—probably because it wasn’t a book that was on my radar before it was chosen. Fortunately, once I finally read it I was pleasantly surprised! I found this one super enjoyable and entertaining the whole way through, LOVED the format (though heads up that I feel like this one would be VERY difficult to follow on audio and I’m glad I went with the ebook), and overall got relatively invested in the story.
I did feel like parts of the plot were very predictable and I saw all of the twists coming. I also thought the ending was a bit too “easy”—and honestly I wrote an entire alternate whodunit in my head that I like more.
Still, if you want a fun quick mystery, I would recommend this one, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with book club!
CW: Death/death of parent/murder; statutory rape; mentions of hate crimes, racism, and homophobia
Told in a multi-media format styled after a true crime documentary, MURDER IN THE FAMILY follows six experts trying to solve the cold case murder of Luke Ryder, who was killed in the garden of his expensive estate twenty years prior.
This was the May pick for my book club, and for some reason I was really hesitant to pick it up—probably because it wasn’t a book that was on my radar before it was chosen. Fortunately, once I finally read it I was pleasantly surprised! I found this one super enjoyable and entertaining the whole way through, LOVED the format (though heads up that I feel like this one would be VERY difficult to follow on audio and I’m glad I went with the ebook), and overall got relatively invested in the story.
I did feel like parts of the plot were very predictable and I saw all of the twists coming. I also thought the ending was a bit too “easy”—and honestly I wrote an entire alternate whodunit in my head that I like more.
Still, if you want a fun quick mystery, I would recommend this one, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with book club!
CW: Death/death of parent/murder; statutory rape; mentions of hate crimes, racism, and homophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Hate crime and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
beccaand's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Dementia, and Car accident
starglitters's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The actual murderer is not that surprising, especially if you apply Book Logic to it. However, for a book that markets itself with “can you solve it before they do?”, the revelation doesn’t really hinge on the actual evidences collected throughout the book.
Still pretty enjoyable.
Still pretty enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Infidelity
Minor: Racism
vikart's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
"Murder in the family" is an uniquely written book that presents a case from the past within a show script with a handful of other formats, as well.
Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot. However, I can't say it's a perfect read (for me). This is possibly due to my lack of attention, but I found myself getting lost between who is who whenever speech is delivered at a later date as it does unravel rather quickly. On the other hand, the plot involves a lot of twists and you are allowed, along with the characters within the book, to get lost in the thread before recollecting and finding a proper string to tug on.
Now, if the question is "should I pick up this book?", then I'd answer you this.
Pick it up. It's an unique experience compared to other books, but beware. This is not everyone's go to due to the writing and presentation. You may like it or you may not. That is up to personal preference.
Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot. However, I can't say it's a perfect read (for me). This is possibly due to my lack of attention, but I found myself getting lost between who is who whenever speech is delivered at a later date as it does unravel rather quickly. On the other hand, the plot involves a lot of twists and you are allowed, along with the characters within the book, to get lost in the thread before recollecting and finding a proper string to tug on.
Now, if the question is "should I pick up this book?", then I'd answer you this.
Pick it up. It's an unique experience compared to other books, but beware. This is not everyone's go to due to the writing and presentation. You may like it or you may not. That is up to personal preference.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism
minimicropup's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The Energy: Accusatory, dogmatic, sensationalized
The Scene: 🇬🇧 Campden Hill neighbourhood and filming studio in London, UK
The POVs: The investigators cast by the true crime streaming docuseries, the producers and staff on the show, and the family and interviewees of people connected to the featured cold case.
🎬 Tale-Telling: No chapters, everything is presented as a screenplay/transcript of the show. It was structured almost like a movie or play, since each time someone spoke, we first got their name and any expressions or body language, as if directing an actor (even when they were filming and it wasn’t the edited episode). I enjoyed the more intimate peeks via email, texts, and articles.
👥 Characters: With this story-telling method I recommend a notebook nearby (not just for the clues). We are introduced to the investogators via their photo and CV/resumes, and that’s all we get to start. And no pictures for the producers, staff, or family, even as they appear on camera. It made those characters feel half-established. I didn’t get a sense for any of the characters because they all read the same, so I needed those headlines to know who was speaking and it affected the pacing for me.
🤓 Reader Role: Audience member Googling during the ad breaks. Since we are privy to non-Googleable insider evidence like text messages and emails, we usually have slightly more information than the cast or viewers.
🗺️ Ambiance: The book mimics a show, which I usually love, but it felt awkward and stilted for me. Title screens and occasional floor plans or autopsy reports (just listing what the investigators already said) were included but it made me more frustrated than if it had been excluded. The characters were discussing things I couldn't wait to see but we never get to!
🔥 Fuel: The mystery of who killed the stepfather drives the plot, introducing twists about suspects with each new clue and new theories. As the story unfolds, the investigator drama takes over.
🚙 Journey: Adjusting to the novel’s format took a moment, but once I got used to it and remembered who was who, it was an interesting story. I gave it my undivided attention, but it ended up feeling like I was watching a TV show with volume off, closed-captions on, on the worst internet connection. It started off feeling like a real Netflix or Discovery+ show, but by the end I felt like this show would have been cancelled if it wasn’t marketed properly.
----
🐺 Growls: The screenplay format should have been a tail wag. But it failed in the visuals. The author teased us by discussing documents and images I really want to see but instead we literally got things like a basic map of Canada. It felt half-assed in terms of the documentation and photos that were prepared for readers.
🐕 Howls: I had one prediction for the killer early on and was correct. The reverse red herring strategy made it obvious, as well as the epistolary ‘hints’, and the melodramatic distraction about people connected to the case that felt contrived (though I didn’t predict that). During the story I was curious, but by the end I felt disappointed.
🐩 Tail Wags: The investigatory pace and finding clues police could miss was an engaging way to build a story without diluting the mystery with unnecessary details.
----
Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Metafiction true crime meets reality TV docuseries melodrama
- Whodunnit cold case puzzle, sleuthing alongside investigators
- Screenplay style writing where we are watching a TV show via novel
- Light themes around secrets, true crime, family dynamics, money can’t buy happiness, ambition, and conceit
Content Heads-Up: Suicide (implied; off page). Murder. Violence (bludgeoning). Adult/minor relationship (recalled; off page). Theft (identity, money). Car accident (hit and run; brief recall, off page). Infidelity (recall, off page).
Rep: Heterosexual relationships. Black and White Brits and Americans. Cisgender.
👀 Format: Kindle
“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Car accident
mikaiten's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and War
brandilovesbooks's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If I was rating Murder in the Family based on the mystery. It would be 4 stars. A reality TV series delving into the 20-year-old case of who killed Luke Ryder. The producer of the show is the murder victim's step‐ son who'd been 10 at the time of the murder. The panel of experts brought in to dig into the case include a reporter, a retired NYPD police officer, a retired Metropolitan Police member, a criminal attorney, a crime scene investigator, and a forensic psychologist. There are tons of plot twists. The ending was unexpected.
The reason I only rated it 3 stars was the unconventional format. Murder in the Family does not read like a normal story. Each "chapter" is a transcription of a broadcast of the show "Infamous- Who Killed Luke Ryder?" There are also e-mails between people involved on the show, voice-mail message transcriptions, screenshots of a reddit group discussing each episode, and text messages.
I read books for all of the stuff that goes on between the dialogue. For the point of view that allows insight into thoughts, feelings, observations, and memories. This book didn't have that. You were forced to read between the lines. Cara Hunter did a great job with this chosen format, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Recommended for people who like true crime and people who don't mind the unconventional format.
My content warnings include - cursing, murder, and graphic detail of the body.
The reason I only rated it 3 stars was the unconventional format. Murder in the Family does not read like a normal story. Each "chapter" is a transcription of a broadcast of the show "Infamous- Who Killed Luke Ryder?" There are also e-mails between people involved on the show, voice-mail message transcriptions, screenshots of a reddit group discussing each episode, and text messages.
I read books for all of the stuff that goes on between the dialogue. For the point of view that allows insight into thoughts, feelings, observations, and memories. This book didn't have that. You were forced to read between the lines. Cara Hunter did a great job with this chosen format, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Recommended for people who like true crime and people who don't mind the unconventional format.
My content warnings include - cursing, murder, and graphic detail of the body.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail