A review by theinfamousj
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

adventurous mysterious 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? No

4.5

This is the second novel I have read by Cara Hunter, so you can say that I am a fan of her twists and turns. I notice that consistently, she has a nanny character who ends up in a relationship with the father who employed said nanny, with the mother who employed said nanny being dead. As a professional nanny, I am not a fan of this trope. If anything, a nanny who sees the inside of the home and sees what kind of a husband the dad employer makes is absolutely LESS likely to abscond with said man, than a woman who can imagine him to be more consistent about picking up his dirty socks and putting down the video game controller.

That said, I am glad that my guess of some of the worst of human behavior and family dynamics weren't at play in this book. If anything, it ended up being a relief to learn why the deceased was unalived.

For those who did not realize, as I did not realize, the book is written as a series of television scripts for episodes of a reality television show which apparently has a panel of homicide experts solving cold case murders. This particular season that we are reading in this novel is season three or later. And, luckily, there is a lot of exposition for the non-British audience who might be watching/reading.

The cast of characters in the television show have the appearance of diversity of race, gender, nationality, and even sexual orientation, however I found myself unable to distinguish between them were not their names listed with their dialogue. It seems that Cara Hunter only wrote one character, but gave that character many names if you follow my meaning. For this, minus half a star.
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