Wow there was so much going on in this book it made my head spin. Not only was the ongoing story about a man claiming to be innocent who has just been released on tag from prison but throw in a new murder enquiry and the finger starts pointing a little close to home for the police force. Alongside this is a case of sexual assault made against a female teacher from one of her students. As everyone lies and deceives in order to protect themselves getting to the bottom of the story is going to take some doing. I loved it as I never knew what was happening from one page to the next.

I'm a huge fan of this series set in Oxford so was predisposed to enjoy the story and I'm pleased to say the author exceeded expectations by not only providing a brilliant plot, or two, but by also using a different style to the previous books.

The plot lines are as in previous books, up to the minute, with sexual abuse and the release of a long incarcerated murderer courtesy of the brilliant DI Adam Fawley. The team set to work to investigate the sexual abuse but this evidence doesn't necessarily show what they expected.

Poor Alex Fawley, Adam's wife is in the final stages of her pregnancy and a pod cast is shining a light on a bit of the past she is trying to forget; is it this that is making her think someone is watching her?

All the elements are here for the perfect crime thriller = Cara Hunter just keeps on delivering in this fantastic series.

This story was a bit different. There are two plots running through it. The book starts with a sexual abuse complaint (rather than a murder) but in this case the victim is a strapping young man and the perp is an older (albeit rather attractive) professor. Fawley’s team gets the case because the young man’s mother is a VIP but it proves to be anything but simple. With this case - everyone is an unreliable narrator and the worst of them was the professor’s 7 year old son. I still don’t know if he was lying or not!

While the sexual abuse case turns on its head again and again, recently released serial rapist Gavin Parrie is quietly plotting his revenge against DI Adam Fawley who was a DS 18 years ago and was largely instrumental in getting Parrie convicted. Adam’s wife, Alex - one of Parrie’s former victims, is heavily pregnant with their second child. The first one having died in tragic circumstances some years ago. Alex is a bundle of nerves, she is 44, quite an age to be pregnant and she is convinced Parrie will want his revenge because his conviction was not as simple as it seems.

When Parrie finally strikes it is not in the direction the Fawley’s anticipated, its almost worse. The rug is well and truly pulled from under Fawley’s feet and he is truly in a bind that even he may not be able to escape from!

The first half of the book sets it all up - subtle clues and a slow ramping up of foreboding. Then WHAM, a sucker punch to the gut. I really don’t want want to spoil this excellent story for anyone so I’ll stop there. This is #5 in the series but can be read as a stand alone, although I do think it would be so much better to read them all. It is a truly excellent series. Cara Hunter writes so well and her characters are wonderful. In each book she adds more flesh to their bones. In this book we become concerned over Somer’s health and Fawley’s impending fatherhood. Quinn has almost redeemed himself and Everett shows her us her empathetic side again.Their loyalty to Fawley is laudable. This book will appeal to anyone who loves a good thriller or mystery or crime story. It is not gruesome and no animals were hurt or killed. Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Cara Hunter for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

I would have enjoyed this book a lot more without the news reports, emails, podcasts and texts. I was also confused by the switching between the characters and timelines. For me, it wasn’t a ‘smooth’ read. Saying that, I did enjoy it. I just wish I had read the previous books in the series so that I’d have understood the characters better.

thank you for the opportunity to read this latest book by cara hunter, wow what a book too, i have followed this series and it just gets better and better and this book was so tense and seemed to have lots of twists, awaiting the next one...

Brilliant read from Cara Hunter, kept me engaged, interesting plot and a page turner. I highly recommended it.

Another fab book from Cara Hunter in the series. I have only read two of her books in this series and really enjoyed them. I will one day start with Book 1. The story is set mainly around the police station with the usual “cast”. A student reports one of his professors for misconduct and this part of the story intertwines with a murder/suicide. Adam Fawley the DI in charge is dealing with this and also the case of the murder until something goes wrong and he finds himself in a situation which he cannot get himself out of without the help of his colleagues some of which are not too sure he is not guilty. The Major Crimes Unit gets involved and in that group is a police officer who is convinced he is guilty and goes out of his way to make sure his boss agrees with him. As well as the stress Adam Fawley is under he also has a pregnant wife who is concerned about which clouds his thoughts. The story winds its way between the two stories and I found it a very compelling read. I would recommend this series by Cara Hunter to anyone – a definite must read

Another great book from Cara Hunter. I have read a few of her books now and I would highly recommend them.

She has everything at stake; he has everything to lose. But one of them is lying, all the same.

When an Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault, DI Adam Fawley's team think they've heard it all before. But they couldn't be more wrong.

Because this time, the predator is a woman and the shining star of the department, and the student a six-foot male rugby player.

Soon DI Fawley and his team are up against the clock to figure out the truth. What they don't realise is that someone is watching.

My recommendation is to read the series in order. And, believe me you won't be disappointed as all five books are 5-star quality. However, The Whole Truth could be read as a standalone, as there is a handy ‘Previously … in the Fawley files' guide at the start, and the plot itself does a fantastic job of explaining what's gone on before.

I'm beyond thrilled to report that the book series has been picked up for a TV series – yay! They’d better do it justice though, or they'll have me to answer to. Here's me settling in for a long wait until the release of no. 6.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin UK for supplying an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Cara Hunter, and I now see what all the fuss is about! I didn't realize that this was part of a series but I was still wholly able to enjoy the story without having read its predecessors. While the story itself is not new to the genre, the detective POV was refreshing, and I'm excited to go back to read the rest in the series. Contemporary, thrilling, captivating.

I have followed Cara Hunter from her debut for good reason – she’s brilliant. One of my favourite thriller writers does it again, and she delivers another police procedural with her police team that we grow a deeper and deeper connection with. The Whole Truth is captivating, full of mystery, tension, moral dilemma and outstanding in its observational power that urges you to think profoundly about very sensitive issues.

DI Adam Fawley and his team are investigating a rape charge where a male student has accused his female professor of rape, using her position of power to control submission. There are so many reversals of direction throughout the story that you never quite know the truth, but it does illustrate the challenging perceptions of rape when it’s just one word against another and the evidence appears consensual or inconclusive.

In stark contrast, in terms of brutality and an evil calculated psyche, the ‘Roadside Rapist’ – Gavin Parrie, is released from prison and has vowed his revenge on the main detective who hunted him down. Adam Fawley was the detective who built the case against him and used evidence from one of his victims to guarantee the conviction. That victim is now Adam’s wife, Alex, and the suspicion is that the evidence was planted, which is what Parrie has claimed. The twists and surprises in this revenge laden mystery create an atmosphere that is full of menace, drama, fatigue and fear, all while Alex is almost at full term with her pregnancy.

Once again Cara Hunter uses modern storytelling mechanics to deliver her story including the use of podcasts (which plays a big role in this novel), social media, text conversations, interview transcripts and voice recordings. I have wondered if this would get too much and start becoming a distraction but so far it hasn’t, however, I did feel the graphic image of a smartphone with the text conversation laid out started to go that direction. Maybe I’m too traditional but I would hate to see the overuse of graphics in a fictional thriller novel.

While major investigations are solved, other supporting plots and rivalries are not fully resolved and tied up in a pretty bow, which is a more realistic conclusion. There is always the next book to take these relationships further. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the team members as their personal lives are drawn with greater depth and circumstance as they face difficulties and challenges with private issues that start creeping into their police work.

I think this was a challenging subject illustrating the horrendous crime of rape, but Cara presented a range of scenarios without being insensitive or graphic. I would like to thank Cara Hunter, Penguin UK and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first DI Fawley book and I can see it's received glowing universal reviews on NetGalley so far.
I wasn't as blown away as some readers appear to have been - it's a good book, yes, but it did feel just a little unbelievable to me.
A typical 'he said', 'she said' book and the reader is left to decide who to believe. you can't really tell and the police kind of give up also trying to work it out.
It concludes with an interesting twist and it kept my interest throughout but it wasn't really an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
4 stars from me.
As ever however - thank you for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around DI Adam Farley and his team of detectives. This is the 5th book in this well written series. This book focuses on a male student who accuses his female professor of sexual assault. Alongside that crime they also have their plates full with others, including the appearance of a dead body. Adam also has personal issues in his family, which is also explored in this book and weaves throughout the whole story.

I really enjoyed this instalment. The writing by Cara Hunter stands out and I enjoy her use of multi media, which adds a real creative element to the story. A great book all round!!

I have been really excited to read this book so when I had the opportunity to get an ARC I was so happy. Thank you to @PenguinUKBooks and @CaraHunterBooks for this advanced copy of The Whole Truth in return for an honest review. The Whole Truth is due to be published on 25th February, 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

DI Fawley and his team receive a report of sexual abuse from an Oxford student. It all seems like a familiar story until they learn that the predator is a female Professor and the victim a stocky male rugby player. The investigation starts to get quite interesting but the truth is not very forthcoming.

Though DI Fawley is intent on getting to the bottom of the investigation, somebody else is watching and they have very different plans for him. Will DI Fawley remain as DI for much longer?

General Thoughts 🤔

There was no stopping me with this book, I could not put it down. There were no good places to pause. I’d finish a chapter or a section and need to know what was going to happen next and therefore had to carry on just that bit longer. There is no messing around with getting straight into the story and I was hooked immediately after I started.

What I really loved about this book was the two mysteries that were running in parallel. I spent so long trying to work out if/how they were going to link together. I won’t give away any spoilers by giving that answer away. I think this is part of what kept me so addicted to reading this book. There were two mysteries that my little brain had to work out and I needed answers to both.

Characters 👫👭👬

This is the fifth book in the DI Adam Fawley series so the characters are pretty established. I haven’t read all five; only this one and the previous. I didn’t at all feel at any kind of disadvantage and I honestly don’t think anyone would if they started here at the fifth. This is helped by the lovely touch right at the start. Cara Hunter has included a list of DI Fawley’s team and a bit about their background. I wish all books in a series would do this, it was so helpful!

There are so many characters in this book, I wouldn’t know where to start with giving my thoughts on them all. I will however say that I love DI Fawley’s team. They’re like a dysfunctional yet productive work family. They may have their quibbles between them, but they are a solid team.

Writing Style ✍️

There is one thing about this book that stands out for me as unique and just oh so very good. I adore the way that the story is told through different mediums; screen grabs of text conversations, transcripts of podcasts, copies of police documents. It made me feel like I was in on the investigation with the team and was a fantastic way to keep the story moving along.

A lot of the book is told from DI Fawley’s perspective, but not as much as I remember from the last book. As readers we get a lot of perspectives from the rest of his team as well as some of the victims and suspects. For me, this made the book fast paced and I loved that.

Conclusion & Scoring 🏅

I knew I loved this book as I was reading it and when I’d finished but having had the night to reflect on it I think I love it even more now. It’s so cleverly written and everything about it felt exciting. I’m toying with whether or not I want to go back and read the first three books in the series. I’ve heard that the TV rights have been sold so we can expect a dramatisation in the future which is VERY exciting. I may wait and watch that, but I may give in and just read the first three. Who knows. Either way, this book and this series is fantastic and I can’t wait for more.

I had previously read the other 3 DI Fawley novels and enjoyed them, so had high hopes for this fourth title. The case is somewhat different in this latest book, as it at first appears to revolve around sexual assault rather than murder. An unexpected murder plot does creep in, and there are twists aplenty. This comes to the fore and obscures the original plot, and is in fact much more gripping than it. Overall I enjoyed it, but a bit less so than some of the previous DI Fawley novels.

The whole truth is the fifth book in the series of Adam Fawley series. The mystery and the suspense go up one notch higher in this book.
The book starts with the list of recurring characters with the details about the characters, so if you do not remember or if this is your first book, it will provide an insight into the characters. One can read it as a standalone book, but for wholesome understanding, it will good read from the start of the series.

It’s easy to get engrossed in Hunter’s book. Her book style is distinctive, the text messages, the WhatsApp messages, Twitter and including podcasts.

In terms of the recurring characters, the book shows progression in each of their lives. These parts are interspersed with the suspense makes it a pleasant change and keeps the reader captivated. Fawley’s team rise to the occasion not to solve both the cases.

Alex Fawley has a pivotal role in the book. She was a lawyer by profession before the death of her son Jake.

Quite like her earlier books, there are two parallel stories, but this time both the cases take precedence. Hunter’s writing brings out the desperation of Fawley, the anxiousness of his wife, and a feeling of loss for the rest of his team.

The central theme of the book revolves around sexual abuse and harassment, where the power play takes the forefront and becomes the underlying assumption. Also, left to the readers to think about how people react to the power-play concept.

The book is a brilliant read, and the Adam Fawley series will never disappoint you.

My rating of the book is four stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cara Hunter had me second-guessing everything which added to my enjoyment of the plot in this story. This went on right until the end when I thought I knew exactly where this story was going; he said/she said had my head in a spin so many times. Lots of twists and turns kept this story going for me even though I did struggle with the layout.
I did, however, find this is a difficult review to write because, on the one hand, the premises for this story was such a good one, and the characters are so enjoyable and interesting to read about. One the other hand the story is long, very in-depth and, for me, disjointed. It is told in the first-person narrative and set out with no chapters which I found quite hard to follow.
Fawley and his team are investigating a case that concerns a male student that has apparently been sexually harassed by his tutor who is female, which was an unusual storyline and one I thought was an excellent idea.
This is a new author for me and the fifth book in the Detective Inspector Adam Fawley series, so maybe I am just not used to how this author writes her stories. Also, in this text were media transcripts, podcasts and WhatsApp reports which I just didn't connect with very well and which from my perspective contributed towards the fact that I found it hard to follow and was disjointed. A great plot but just really hard to follow.

The Whole Truth is a crime thriller about DI Adam Fawley’s latest case: a sexual assault claim, where a promising, male postgraduate student is filing charges against the university’s most successful female professor. This case is anything but straightforward and, as it goes on, more and more complications throw themselves into the case until it’s impossible to figure out what truly happened that night.

Meanwhile, Fawley’s caught up in a personal case of his own. His heavily pregnant wife believes she’s being stalked and, when someone close to her is found dead, everything gets just a little more complicated.

I would strong recommend reading Cara Hunter’s other books first, or as well, as this one is apparently the fifth book in her DI Fawley series. I have not read the other books and I think that would account for some of the confusion I felt regarding Fawley’s personal life and the sheer amount of police officers that you need to keep track of in this book. That being said, I enjoyed The Whole Truth hugely as a stand-alone.

This book was completely enthralling. Everything seemed so clear-cut at first with the student’s claim against the professor, but there seemed to be a new- not entirely unbelievable- twist with every page. Similarly with Fawley’s personal case, some parts were guessable, but this is the kind of story where, even if you do figure it out, you convince yourself you’re wrong and change your mind before it’s revealed. At least, that’s what I did.

This story is told in an interesting way, with the majority of characters having chapters told in third person, one chapter being told in second, and Fawley’s chapters being told in first. This was difficult to keep track of at first but, I’m assuming, if you’ve read the other books first, this format would be much more familiar to you. It did an excellent job of keeping up the pace, making sure we knew exactly who we were dealing with at all times, and adding dimension to characters that I originally wasn’t as interested in as the obvious DI Fawley.

The takeaway is that I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly short, very pacey and full of twists and turns. It hooked me within the first few pages and I found that every new side-story that was added as we went through only added to the characters and the tension. I would of course recommend this to lovers of crime and twisty thrillers, though perhaps you may want to check out the others first.

Another excellent book in the series. This one seemed to start somewhat slowly but then it captures your attention and you can't stop reading until you find out what happens. Great characters and a fantastic storyline that will have you wanting to read!

I haven't read any other books in this series but as a standalone novel The Whole Truth is a very good read. Lots of twists and turns for DI Adam Fawley and his team investigating an accusation of sexual assault by a female Oxford professor on one of her male students. A real page-turner and I now have to read the rest of the series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.