Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Murder in the Family

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

58 reviews

ni_nah's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The book was very well writen and original. In most of the parts the psychology facts alined with real life except for the last part. This trew me off a bit.

Overal really liked it

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brandonssmead's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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priscillarobock's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was excited to pick up this book after I had seen some reviews about it on TikTok.
"Murder in the Family" is a fictious true crime book that follows the famous murder of Luke Ryder. In 2003, Luke Ryder was found murdered in his backyard. He was Guy Howard's, a famous filmmaker, stepfather. Now, on the twenty-year anniversary of the crime, Guy wants to create a new show in which he assembles the world's best team to finally solve the case.
One aspect that really appealed to me about this book, and something I really enjoyed, was that the story was told in a mixed media format. The majority of the book is interview style, that follows the experts as they sit at a round table to discuss the case. There are also emails, voicemails, and other different forms of communication that help to make this story come to life.
I think the premise and idea for this mystery is interesting, and the ultimate reveal of the killer was intriguing, but for the pieces that led to the reveal, I felt like it was easy to predict. I knew from very early on that one person was involved, so when it was revealed that they were indeed a part of this murder, I was slightly disappointed. The actual killer was not surprising, but it was not my first suspect either. I did enjoy playing along and trying to solve the case before the experts did.
I kind of wish this was a true crime show, because it would make for a very captivating show. The way it is written and the way things are cut and revealed in each "episode" was genius.
I think this is a very fun, differently written book that will captivate any true crime fan.

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bootrat's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Crime novels aren't usually my type of thing, but I really enjoyed this one! I thought the format was really unique and gripping, it really felt like I was watching a TV show.

I liked the way we were presented with the evidence at the same time as the investigators, and could have a go at being detectives too. The mixed media element of the novel really added to my enjoyment of it too.

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

I was hoping I'd like this as much as The Appeal by Janice Hallett because of its mixed media format. I didn't enjoy it quite as much but it was still very entertaining. It's a very clever concept and I was gripped throughout. It was overly dramatic but that made sense considering its reality TV show premise. I didn't solve the case before the characters though, I think I figured it out about two pages before it was explained.

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