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A review by what_heather_loves
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Twenty years ago Luke Ryder's body was found, with horrific head injuries, in his back garden in Campden Hill, North London. Wealthy new and older widow was suspected and her children find his body, but his murderer was never found. Present day and one of those, now adult, children, Guy Howard, commissions a reality TV/true crime documentary (available one episode a week, not streamable) to do what the Metropolitan Police failed to do and find his stepfather's killer.
In a combination of formats (AKA mixed media), including context-providing media articles, emails, documentary crime specialists' CVs and the bulk of the narrative primarily in programme transcripts, this is a quirky and engaging prospect with no narrator or protagonist. It didn't take long for me to be invested in both the journey and the outcome. The pace is fast, with fascinating characters and many show transcripts ending on a cliffhanger, engineered by the manipulative and ratings-hungry, director. It's addictive reading as it all unravels, with plenty of surprises (only a couple I guessed) along with way. Ultimately its a great whodunit about a dysfunctional family and invested TV experts, but its unusual format makes it an outstanding and intense read that had me so hooked, I read it in two days.
The first standalone crime fiction novel from the author of the Oxford-based, DI Adam Fawley series did not disappoint. My only criticism is that I wasn't able to read the ebook on my Kindle Paperwhite (because it wouldn't zoom into the smaller text in some of the different formats), but was saved by the NetGalley Shelf app, so read it on my tablet. For fans of Janice Hallett, this is an unusual, addictive and contemporary true crime fest, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
In a combination of formats (AKA mixed media), including context-providing media articles, emails, documentary crime specialists' CVs and the bulk of the narrative primarily in programme transcripts, this is a quirky and engaging prospect with no narrator or protagonist. It didn't take long for me to be invested in both the journey and the outcome. The pace is fast, with fascinating characters and many show transcripts ending on a cliffhanger, engineered by the manipulative and ratings-hungry, director. It's addictive reading as it all unravels, with plenty of surprises (only a couple I guessed) along with way. Ultimately its a great whodunit about a dysfunctional family and invested TV experts, but its unusual format makes it an outstanding and intense read that had me so hooked, I read it in two days.
The first standalone crime fiction novel from the author of the Oxford-based, DI Adam Fawley series did not disappoint. My only criticism is that I wasn't able to read the ebook on my Kindle Paperwhite (because it wouldn't zoom into the smaller text in some of the different formats), but was saved by the NetGalley Shelf app, so read it on my tablet. For fans of Janice Hallett, this is an unusual, addictive and contemporary true crime fest, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Dementia, and Pregnancy