I got excited to receive a copy The Whole truth by Cara Hunter. I have been following the series from the start and loved them. The author never seems to disappoint. The Whole truth is the fifth book in the series.
This time Fawley and his team investigate a student claiming sexual harassment from his tutor. Not unusual but, the student is male, and the tutor is female. Whilst the investigation unfolds with the controversy it leads to this case Di Fawley is stressed not just because of this case but also his wife Alex is nearly the end of her labour. The baby is due any day and there are complications, and she needs total bed rest.
This is another compelling thriller from the author. The story at first though was a bit slow to come together but when it did, I was hooked. The author has a unique writing style. I like how she keeps it current with the inserts of social media and whatsapp messaging. And I was at the edge of my seat to see what pans out with DI Fawley at the end of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, as much as Carla Hunter’s other books I’ve read; they never disappoint! Whilst the characters appear in her previous books there is a quick recap of who is who at the start so you can start with this one and not feel lost. This is such a suspenseful book which makes you literally exhale when you turn the final page. I’ve likened her books before to a book form of Line of duty; if you enjoy that you’ll enjoy her books. I highly recommend this.

This was a clever thriller that deserved the hype - I really couldn't put this one down. I did feel that the police force characters were a little stereotypical but to be honest that helped get me straight into the novel. Really enjoyed it.

Cara Hunter can be relied upon to create tense, pacey police procedurals. This series, featuring DI Fawley, is extremely well-plotted and contains a cast of believable, relatable characters. 'The Whole Truth' is the fifth book in the series, but probably could be read as a standalone because a lot of the back stories are explained.

In this book, DI Fawley and his team are called in to investigate a sexual assault allegation at a university - a male student is accusing his female professor of inappropriate conduct while he was babysitting her child. The case takes high priority because of his status as son of an MP, but Fawley soon has a suspicious death to investigate too. Meanwhile. his past (and that of his wife, Alex) is threatening to catch up with him...

I thought that the sexual assault storyline was interesting as it reversed expectations of this inappropriate student/teacher relationship and featured the idea of the man as victim - this is an interesting perspective, but realistic and one that shouldn't be shied away from. That said. I didn't find this plotline particularly compelling as the stakes never felt that high - it was very much he said/she said and with no evidence, so it didn't really feel like it was going anywhere at times.

The suspicious death storyline felt more like Hunter's usual ground and it was this element that I liked best - this is where the police procedural element really came into its own and I could follow the twists and turns with a little more engagement. I also liked the way that interview transcripts, official documents and notes and podcast were incorporated into the story - Hunter certainly knows what she is doing with revealing clues gradually and keeping the reader guessing.

As usual, Fawley and his team are presented as realistic and three-dimensional characters. Having read quite a lot of this series, it was nice to be back amongst Gis, Ev, Somers and all the rest. Fawley himself is an interesting character and some of the story is told through his first-person narration which helped me to engage with him, although I am less keen on the encroachment of his personal life into cases; this is a bugbear of mine as I prefer police procedurals without too many personal stakes for the investigators. I know this is odd and I'm probably alone in feeling this!

Overall. I'd say this is a cleverly plotted and worthy addition to an already-excellent series. The two plot strands did feel a little disparate and the start (the sexual assault claim) a little slow, but once it got going then I was very keen to read on. Highly recommended but, for those new to DI Fawley, I'd start at the beginning of the series as there are some brilliant books you will miss otherwise.

Another great Adam Fawley story. It took me a little while to get into but when I did I couldn't put it down.

The epilogue was frustrating, but not a surprise.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the 4th (I think) book I've read of Cara Hunter's - I think I'm missing book #4 from the series featuring DI Fawley. I enjoy the way the books are written but it had been a while since the last time I read a Cara Hunter so it took me a wee while to get back into the rythmn again.

Really enjoyed it - even if I had worked out both of the featured cases!

This is my first introduction to Cara Hunter. I'm surprised I haven't read any of her previous books in this series (DI Fawley) as I have read and enjoyed the work of many authors in that genre (Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin, Peter James etc). I have mixed feelings about this one.

It is very hard to put down, so the tension is well maintained right to the end. It would probably have helped to have read some of the earlier ones in the D I Fawley series. What I liked was the premise of a man being the subject of an allegation of sexual assault by a woman, and the parallel investigation of a rape and murder. What stretched my imagination was the cliche of a criminal coming back to stalk the policeman responsible for his arrest ten years before. There were other cliches too: in particular the rivalry of a fellow detective taking delight in the predicament of the DI. The resolution of both crimes - the sexual assault and the murder - came pretty much like rabbits out of a hat and left me feeling slightly let down after being so engaged earlier!

Still a good read!

Another great read from Cara Hunter, this book follows 2 cases both totally different but both involving life changing consequences for individual involved. One of those being the infamous Adam Fawley, who will go above and beyond to help DI Fawley, both cases involve many twists that keep you guessing till the end. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book I enjoyed would give 4 1/2 stars.

My review of
THE WHOLE TRUTH
by Cara Hunter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received an ARC of The Whole Truth from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

An investigation into the alleged sexual assault of an Oxford University student seems straightforward until DI Adam Fawley's team discover the victim is a 6-foot tall rugby player, and their suspect is a female professor. Things aren't what they at first seemed.
And now someone is watching from the shadows, with a plan to destroy Fawley. Who will find themselves caught in the crossfire?

This is the fifth DI Adam Fawley book and it didn't disappoint. As a standalone book The Whole Truth introduces each character and provides enough backstory so you don't feel like you've missed something. I did, however find that reading the previous book All The Rage, provided more context allowing for an easier read. The story held my attention completely, and as usual with the Adam Fawley books, I found myself trying to work out who did what and why. Obviously, Cara Hunter had other plans and provided several twists to keep me off balance.
Fawley's team felt familiar and you warm to them with their own problems very easily. It was very easy to empathise with some of the personal and professional dilemmas they found themselves facing. There were other new characters who, while essential for the story, weren't so easy to like or feel any connection to.

Cara Hunter's skillful way of bringing a story to life has not been neglected on these pages, and I honestly felt a little sad as I found myself moving ever closer to the end. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Whole Truth, hence the five stars and look forward to both the next book, and also Adam Fawley's debut on television.

This is the 5th book in the DI Adam Fawley series by author Cara Hunter. I enjoyed the 1st book 'Close to Home' but somehow never got round to the other three books. Once I finished this novel I recalled how much I enjoyed the previous one and instantly ordered books 2,3 and 4 to get up to date.

The case is a little different to the normal. An Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault, sounds a familiar plot but the difference is the predator is a woman and the student a six-foot male rugby player.
This is a very good police procedural crime novel with excellent characters and a twisty plot. I don't intend to leave the next Cara Hunter book in my to read pile so long.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book but did have similar gripes to other readers. It was a bit disjointed- it started with a story about possible rape, then this story kind of gets forgotten about and we move on to the storyline of a character being framed.

The book was slow to start and then seemed rushed at the end with a bizarre turn of events regarding the rape case but by this point I couldn’t see the relevance and had no real interest.

Overall it was an easy to read police procedural.

This is the first book I have read in this series and by this author but it won't be the last. I enjoyed the way the storylines were told interweaving different perspectives. The two main threads cover the issues of sexual harassment and rape and have twists and turns which lead the reader into many changes of direction. I will now be reading the earlier books in chronological order. Inspector Fawley has been added to my list of fictional detectives who are must reads.

The book began with an outline of the main characters, useful as I had not read the previous books in the series, though without it I think it would have been clear enough.

This is an enjoyable police procedural, with the twin stories of a sexual assault case involving a female professor and male student, and a murder. There are many twists and turns, a little confusing as several characters constantly change their stories. The Kindle version is excellent as you have the ability to search and remind yourself of who people are and what has happened previously, though I'd prefer not to feel the need to refer back.. The big drawback of the Kindle edition was the inability to sufficiently expand the screen shots of internet message exchanges, etc, and as I didn't know if they were important to the story or just put in for effect, I was straining my eyes to read them.

The book is composed of very small sections and this keeps the action moving and meant that I was very curious to know what would happen next. The characters are convincing and the dialogue outside of the police station is natural and between the officers not too clichéd.

I'm not a great fan of this genre as many writers rely on red herrings and a hurried unravelling that you could never have guessed, but this did not fall into those traps. I found it engrossing and satisfying.

I'm always in suspense of a release from Cara Hunter and she has yet to disappoint!

DI Fawley and his team are back with a bang in this the fifth book in the series and Cara has produced another masterpiece to add to her five star series.

Great to reconnect with the characters, faced paced, excellent layout on the edge breath holding drama always leave me wanting more.

Am excited to see this series made into a TV series defiantly one I shall be watching (just hope it lives up to the books!

Love this author ! I am now on a mission to read everything else she has written. Carefully crafted with excellent characters. Great story read deep into the night. I find really good writers only con along once in a while. Read this book!

After 50 or so odd pages in... and I had to force myself to stop... It's super gripping and DI Fawley and the rest of the team just draw you right in! Cannot wait to go ahead with this fab story line...
Let me tell you... Thriller is NOT my preferred genre for reading... but this one knocks it out of the park!
The book deals with two parallel story-lines, one about the assault on a handsome rugby-playing student by a female professor and the other one is about a former criminal now out on parole and who is an old enemy of the Fawleys.
The storytelling is gripping and so magical ...its almost like watching a police procedural unfold in front of you!
The podcasts and the interview formats were so thrilling.
The twists and turns are so unexpected, they punch you right in the gut!
The EPILOGUE though gave me the literal chills... it's like that ONE scene they show after the credits roll after a fantastic whodunit.
I was actually sad after it ended.
Definitely going back to read the previous books, I cannot let Fawley and his team out of my life that fast!
Kudos to Cara Hunter... Congratulations on the series getting picked up for Television! Waiting to watch it!

~ Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for my ARC ~

Thisis one hell of a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes for the entire time.
Two intertwinning stories that at times I found slightly difficult to keep up with but this was an advanced reader copy so had no chapters, so I am assuming the natural break of chapters will keep this from being an issue.
The characters are well written and you can almost feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Many lies and many truths but who is telling what and will the whole truth be known?

Even though the year hasn't started yet, I can honestly say this is one of my favourite books of 2021.

It's the first of the Fawley books that I've read, but I didn't find it difficult to follow who was who - or to get drawn into the stories of each of the main players.

It all begins when an Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault. While Fawley and his team think the case will be cut-and-dry, they couldn't be more wrong.

This time, the accused s a woman and the shining star of the department, and the student a six-foot male rugby player.

DI Fawley and his team race to figure out the truth, not realising the there's someone from Fawley's past waiting in the wings. Watching, waiting, and ready to put him out of acting for good.

Every single time I thought I had this book figured out, there was another twist to totally surprise me. I really liked that the story was told through different formats, including the voicemails, podcasts, press articles or WhatsApps - it made it more immersive, and drew me in.

As someone new to the series, I also liked that there was a second storyline running alongside the Oxford one - it gave a bit more insight into the different characters, their backgrounds and added another layer of intrigue to it all.

I've really enjoyed the DI Fawley series of novels by Cara Hunter, so I was excited to see a new one had been released.

"The Whole Truth" is a he said/she said story at its heart, with allegations of sexual misconduct brought against a professor by a student - the twist being that in this case, the alleged victim is a strapping male rugby player and the accused a dainty, beautiful woman. Alongside this story is the continuing domestic drama of Adam Fawley and his wife as they prepare for the birth of their child and anticipate the release of a criminal Adam previously brought to justice, and who swore he would get his revenge on Adam and his family.

What I enjoy about Cara Hunter's series is that unlike a lot of police procedurals, she skilfully manages to manipulate both the domestic and professional storylines and keep both interesting - I find with a lot of similar novels, one side of the story is better managed, with Cara Hunter, both are equally intrinsic and equally fascinating. I liked the twist on the he said / she said sexual misconduct, and the twists that came throughout were inventing and surprising.

Another capably wrought crime thriller which I really enjoyed - am already looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this and even though I’m late to the party and started with the 5th DI Fawley, I will definitely be reading the others! Fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the very end.