Member Reviews

I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it but found this one #3 slightly confusing as I haven’t yet read #2 and the storyline does continue through the series.
I also find the abbreviations unnecessary as I couldn’t always decipher their meaning straight away. Eg/ PM = postmortem
** I received this book from netgalley in exchange for n honest review.**

Was this review helpful?

WOW! Another fantastic book by Cara Hunter. This is the second DI Fawley book I have read and they just get better every time. This was such a page turner and the more the story unfolded the more gripped I was. The plot was fantastic with very realistic characters. This book is not to be missed and one i will be recommending to everyone.

Was this review helpful?

Well written, one of those books in the category of 'I'll just read another chapter' and then it's 2.00 am!!! You will be guessing to the end.
Realistic setting and characters; sadly believable crime, lots of plot twists and turns. Highly recommended.
This is the first Cara Hunter I've read, but it won't be the last.

Was this review helpful?

Heart breaking and heart stopping! Cara Hunter has done it again! Kept me hanging right until the end for the final twist! Well paced, character driven and thrilling. What more could you want?

Was this review helpful?

Excellent twists and turns, really enjoyed thus book. Hadn’t read first two in series though, will be reading npw

Was this review helpful?

This is a crime novel set in Oxford and begins dramatically with police and fire officers attending a suspected arson attack on a family home that quickly becomes a murder investigation. The book is descriptive of procedures and of team members’ camaraderie as well as of those who are not team players. The reader is lead to believe that the perpetrator is the obvious suspect but as the storyline pans from future to the past other possibilities open up. When I read No Way Out, I did not realise that it was the 3rd book in a series featuring the same police team, however this did not spoil my reading enjoyment and I will definitely be reading the first 2 in the future.

Was this review helpful?

This is the third book in the 'DI Adam Fawley' series and my first. I think there would have been some benefit in reading at least one of the other books first, however, this was still a most enjoyable thriller.

"No Way Out" was a compulsive read with plenty of twists and turns, most of which were a complete surprise. The format of shifting timelines and points of view was so well done it kept me reading, hooked as I was, on all of them. The narrative of DI Adam Fawley was written in the first person and everything else was in the third, giving a wider perspective on the investigation. I found Cara Hunter's writing style very natural, realistic and absorbing. The plot itself was so cleverly done. When I thought I had a good idea of what happened, I started to doubt my latest scenario and I couldn't help but try to rethink another with the new information, making for fascinating reading.

Cara Hunter's characterisation was also fabulous and certainly not neglected. I loved this team of characters and cannot wait to read more in the series.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Penguin Books (UK) via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, the 3rd in the series and No Way Out is yet another fantastic read. From page one I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!

You think it’s a straight forward house fire where unfortunately young children are involved, then you learn it was started deliberately and there in the book begins.

I can’t wait for the next one in the series as each book seemed to get better and better and this one didn’t disappoint; in fact I think it’s the best one yet...a must read!!!

Was this review helpful?

The 3rd book in the gripping DI Fawley series based in Oxford. During the festive holiday, we follow him and his team investigate a horrific house fire that tragically kills a toddler and leaves his 10 year old brother fighting for his life. I particularly like the way Cara Hunter uses social media commentary, news articles and fire reports to tell the story from different perspectives to provide one twist after another in this dark and grisly tale.

Was this review helpful?

This. Book. God damn.

I love me a thriller where you can't guess what will happen, and that is precisely what this is. I tried to predict the outcome five times, and each time I was so far off. In the end I just let go and enjoyed the trip.

This is the third book of a series, and I haven't read the first two. That's not at all a reason to panic, as there are very few references to the earlier books.

Was this review helpful?

A devastating fire rips through an Oxford house, leaving a trail of destruction, and both the fire and the police services have their work cut out trying to piece together the sparse clues which the fire has left behind. DI Adam Fawley and his investigative team start a complicated investigation to track down the parents of two small children who were pulled from the wreckage of the fire.

The story pulls you in from the dramatic start which it is particularly emotional as it shows this unknown family at their most vulnerable, I especially enjoyed the countdown to the event which explains what's been happening to the family in the months before the fire devastated the family home. The police procedural aspect of the story is as tight and tense as ever and, as we have come to expect in the series, the author really cranks the tension to high as the team race against time to discover just what went so badly wrong for the family involved in the house fire.

No Way Out sees the welcome return of this team of intrepid crime investigators and it was good to meet up with them in the aftermath of the previous story in which some of the crew suffered more than others. As always, they work well together however this investigation is especially challenging as they have so little evidence to go on, and seem to be thwarted at every turn.

This is now the third DI Adam Fawley thriller and I've followed this series from the start. There's no doubt that each book is as strong as the one before and whilst it's possible to read each as a standalone, it does work best to read from the start, that way you get to know the CID team really well and come to understand all their faults and foibles.

The author has certainly made her mark on this genre as her crimes stories are now really popular, and rightly so, as she is such a talented writer whose stories captivate from the start. The ending of No way Out certainly ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I really can't wait to see what happens next for DI Fawley and his team.

Was this review helpful?

Another great DI Fawley story. A house fire has tragic consequences for the Edmond family - but where are the parents?
As the story unfolds, it’s full of brilliant twists and turns which I won’t spoil, as well a pot full of red herrings!
I really liked the way the story skipped between now and the run up to the fire. It gave an insight to what happened before the police worked it out, yet still left some surprises to the end.
As I’ve seen someone else say, the fact the story is split into small chunks of writing makes for easy reading, but I always wanted to “just read the next page” to see what happened
Can’t wait for the next one!

Was this review helpful?

Having been blown away with the quality of the first two books featuring DI Adam Fawley I had high expectations of this, the third in this series set in Oxford. The expectations were completely met in this topical thriller.
The crime this time is arson, a particularly brutal means of killing and in this the victims appear to be a young boy Zachary Esmond who has been killed in his home in North Oxford. His elder brother Matty is desperately ill in hospital and their academic father and mother are nowhere to be found. Family annihilation is suspected but only time will tell if the facts fit the theory. First job is to find Michael Esmond and find out if he has deliberately sought to wipe his family off the earth and that is Adam Fawley’s job.
I particularly enjoy the style of Cara Hunter’s writing. All her crime fiction books have been pacey with the main story told in the first person present tense while the reader is treated to news extracts and on-line comments at regular intervals throughout. In this book we are provided with the storyline on what led to the fire, a story covering the best part of a year. The investigation is rapid and a master in police procedural while the on-line excerpts keep the storyline feeling exceptionally current given how most of us digest the news these days and I enjoy having a flavour of the crime being investigated alongside some more generic local news from the Oxford area.
The plotting was, as always, superb. The author manages to provide the reader with a whole host of red herrings without giving this reader the feeling that it is simply a complex puzzle to be solved. I need to feel the potential suspects are there because that’s how the investigation has unfolded rather than they are being conjured up just for the story’s sake.
One of the things I enjoy about this police procedural series is that the team get along with each other. There is little in the way of politics and they provide the reader with a solid team that although aren’t devoid of personality, this isn’t the defining part of the story. I will admit I often like the forays into personal lives of our detectives but I have to admire those writers who manage to keep the investigation itself in the frame through any personal ups and downs the team may encounter. Cara Hunter’s writing falls into the latter camp.
Of course in crime fiction it isn’t just the detectives that need to keep you entertained, we also need to feel something for the victims, the potential perpetrators and all the witnesses that we meet along the way. Cara Hunter has a real knack for bringing the whole cast together with a lightness of touch that certainly kept me turning the pages as the book worked its way towards an accomplished finale.
I'd like to say a huge thank you to the publishers Penguin Books UK who allowed me to read a copy of No Way Out which was an enormous honour. I've already put the fourth in the series (due out in December 2019) onto my wishlist.
Previous Books in the DI Fawley Series
Close to Home
In the Dark
First Published UK: 22 March 2019
Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
No of Pages: 367
Genre: Crime Fiction - Series
Amazon UK

Was this review helpful?

The third outing for DI Fawley

The opening chapter of this excellent thriller starts with a harrowing account of a major fire in a house in Oxford. Two bodies of children are found, one is dead, the other barely alive. The police join the fire officers on the scene and questions are immediately asked, was there anybody else in the house and if not, where are the parents? This starts a problematic and unpredictable investigation for Adam Fawley and his team. It is soon evident that the fire was deliberately started and when the second child dies, it becomes a priority to find the murderer.

This is a book that keeps the reader guessing right to the end, with endless twists and turns. As more bodies appear in the house, the plot thickens with frustration setting in as no answers are immediately found. The story is even more poignant as it takes place over Christmas and the tension is heightened by newspaper articles and the public’s reaction to the reporting on emails and twitter.

The storyline is masterfully put together, and the characters are well drawn. The only slightly unnecessary area is the frequent reference to the home life of Adam Fawley, who is struggling with his marriage in trouble. This rather held up the main plot of solving the complicated mystery of the fire. The case is a disturbing one for all concerned, and the final twist comes as a great surprise.

No Way Out is a good detective thriller and fans of D I Fawley will eagerly be waiting for Book 4.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Was this review helpful?

Although this is at times a heartbreaking read, as it contains the deaths of two children in a house fire, the investigative arm of this book provides excellent food for thought. There are so many false leads and misapprehensions but the determined and dogged team under DI Fawley just never give up. I liked all the team members, and thought their interaction seemed very realistic. Poor old Quinn coping with his demotion and, at the same time with Gislingham's, (albeit temporary) promotion. I vacillated between who I thought had 'dunnit', never once landing on the actual perpetrator. A well written and intelligent book that I am thrilled to recommend.

Was this review helpful?

With every volume of the Adam Fawley series, it becomes easier to recommend it as a must-read. Having read all of the books in the series, I’m happy to say that No Way Out is the best yet!

Adam Fawley returns with his team still suffering the fallout from events in book 2, In The Dark. Although there are tensions in the team from this earlier outing, you can easily read No Way Out on its own merits as it is only briefly referred to, and then backed up with a small amount of recapping.

There is an excellent mix of characters who have their own reasons for reacting the way they do to a fatal house fire involving the death of a young child. There are differing levels of professionalism and conflict within the team, but they are united in finding out what happened and who was responsible for the explosive start to the book (literally!).

I find Cara Hunter’s books excellent in their mix of straight up prose, and also clippings of interview transcripts, twitter postings and local news articles. It allows a lot of pertinent information to be summarised, without characters having to recap, or tell each other something in an unnatural way. It’s very cleverly done and can lead the reader up the garden path too…

In all three of the Adam Fawley books, the crimes have been very well set up, and all with a major twist. You have to applaud Cara Hunter for being able to write such a left-field twist, while all the evidence is really in plain view – there is nothing that you couldn’t have guessed at yourself if you go back over the book in detail, but so far I have failed to guess the true outcome of each title!

As I said, I definitely recommend the Adam Fawley series – I can’t wait to find out what the next novel has in store.

Was this review helpful?

A perfect holiday read, oi curl up with and enjoy. Brilliant story, great and well padded characters, and of course a completely amazing thriller of a story.

Was this review helpful?

Another cracking read from Cara Hunter! This series seems to go from strength to strength and I can't wait for the next offering. Full of intrigue and loved the insertion of the evidence (interviews etc) as the case progressed. I was gripped from start to finish and as always, the writing style is effortless and makes you want to keep reading.

Was this review helpful?

When emergency services attend a house fire they discover one child dead, another taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and the parents nowhere to be found. The police have plenty of questions including what sort of parents leave their children alone waiting for a tragedy like this to happen. The pressure mounts when the surviving victim dies and the fire is confirmed as arson.
This is the third in the DI Frawley series and gives the reader insight in to the lives of each of the main characters including the police working the case. The author has the ability to lure the reader in, provide plenty of suspects to keep them guessing and ensures the nail biting tension is turned up all the way through. Even though I had my suspicions I still wasn’t quite sure who was behind everything.
My favourite characters include Everett who was struggling to cope with an aging father who needed assisted care and a senior positon in the police force. I can only imagine how much stress would be involved in that sort of situation. I also sympathized with the recently promoted Gislingham trying to fit into his new position and struggling to cope emotionally after a trial separation from his wife. The glimpses into the lives of these characters make them seem like real people.
This is a cracker of a psychological thriller you wont want to miss. I have read a few of Cara Hunter’s books and this is encouragement to keep doing so.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

No Way Out is the third installment of Cara Hunter's highly successful British crime thriller series featuring DI Adam Fawley. Having now read them all, this latest novel is my least favourite. Although the plot was good, I found it lacked excitement. I so much wanted to enjoy it as much as its predecessors but for me it fell a little flat. I hasten to add I'm in the minority here - other reviewers are loving it and currently extolling its virtues.

Set in Oxford, the reader is reunited with coppers Fawley, Gislingham, et al, who find themselves investigating a house fire - believed to be arson - in which a mother and child are killed. The story is told through events leading up to the tragedy and the present-day police investigation.

As with the previous books, newspaper reports and online comments are inserted into the story. To be perfectly blunt, I found them distracting and unnecessary. I think the book would work better without them.

Don't get me wrong, the plot is solid and there are plenty of twisty, unexpected developments as the police investigation progresses. The characters are exceptionally well developed; feeling both believable and real. It's not that I didn't enjoy the story; I did. I just didn't love it.

Was this review helpful?