Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

21 reviews

fengxin's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

i adore books in an unusual formatting and this one delivered at every turn. the characterization was incredible and with a cast this wide it's a testament to the author's talent that they all managed to feel so real. i felt like i was watching an actual tv show, the way the forums and even spoiler free review articles were included made it even more so. the plot wasn't the greatest but the twists and the way they each were presented kept me absolutely hooked. i couldn't put this book down.
the way the entire team was connected in some way to the story, i was losing my mind every time a new link was revealed. mitchell being a pedophile? god that one hurt i really liked him; and laila with the "did she love you?" pissed me off so bad. she was 15, he was 21, he should be in prison. as for the big reveal, i thought it was one of the sisters but for it to be guy? i was baffled.
overall, a good book.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

monicalaurette's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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

4.5

This story intrigued me from the first time I heard the concept, following along with a true crime show and trying to find the killer first? I love it. I also love mix media books so it was a fun little read.

Following along with the case and all its turns almost gave me whiplash and I can safely say I was not able to find out the killer before the experts did.
..but then again they learned at the same time as me so they didn't really win either


I was so sure it was one of the sisters...never suspected it wasn't them once it was all coming to a close but it made so much sense

REBECCA NO lmao
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

infjkiki's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

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
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wishyouweresober's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hematthews's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mikaiten's review

Go to review page

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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

thebiblioboo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

monarcadelibros's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

At first, I thought I'd really like this book and fly through it. While the story is fun, the formatting really distracted me and the arguments going in circles really prevented me from finding any motivation to finish. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings