EXCERPT: I wonder what she would have said if she knew the truth.

Gavin Parrie isn't stupid, she's right about that. And he'd have a hell of a lot to lose, she's right about that too. But he does have a reason. A reason that might - perhaps - be worth the risk.

Revenge.

Because he wasn't just venting, that day, in court.

He was guilty. He knows that and I know that. But there's something else we both know.

Gavin Parrie was convicted on a lie.

ABOUT 'THE WHOLE TRUTH': An attractive student. An older professor.

Think you know the story? Think again.

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.

And they have a plan to put Fawley out of action for good.

MY THOUGHTS: The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter has two storylines involving DI Adam Fawley. There's a distinctly different and muddied case of sexual assault, and an old case of Adam's, which actively involves his very pregnant wife Alex, looks like it is coming back to haunt them.

This is a heart-in-the-mouth addition to an excellent series. I have become quite fond of Adam and his team, most of whom are loyal to their boss. But there's always one, isn't there, who wants to take him down.

There are plenty of twists and turns in both storylines and at times I felt like I was in a tumble dryer and didn't know which way was up. Cara Hunter has done a wonderful job of making this work. At no point was I in any way confused, just incredibly excited and invested in the outcome.

Hunter has seamlessly blended two intriguing storylines with a progression in the characters personal lives. Adam and Alex's is fraught with tension on several fronts, and we learn a bit more about Asante.

Another thing I really appreciated was the refresher on the series characters at the beginning of the book. Other authors, please take note.

The one fly in the ointment for me was the reproduction of Alex's notes. It was totally unreadable on the Kindle. 🤷‍♀️

The narration on the audiobook was excellent. It was provided by Lee Ingleby, Emma Cunnliffe and Roy McMillan.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheWholeTruth #NetGalley #carahunterauthor #penguinukbooks #penguinrandomhouse

@CaraHunterBooks @PenguinUKBooks @PenguinRandom

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #series

THE AUTHOR: Cara Hunter is a writer who lives in Oxford, in a street not unlike those featured in her series of crime books.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Penguin Random House UK audio and Penguin General UK via Netgalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This is the fifth instalment in the DI Adam Fawley series, however I read this as a stand alone as it’s a “new to me” series. The author included a very useful character summary at the start of the book, which was a welcome addition.

There are two storylines, the first follows the investigation of a sexual attack on a male student by a female professor and the second is a previous murder case Fawley worked on years ago.
As the team investigate the most recent case, they make no secret of their concerns over the va
lidity of the claim. Could a highly successful, slender and slight female really overpower a six-foot male rugby player?

Meanwhile, the murderer from the historical case is released after serving an eighteen sentence. This case has a personal connection for Fawley – not only was he the lead investigator but his now wife was also a surviving victim of the murderer.

There were so many twists and turns in both storylines to keep me engaged throughout. My only criticism was the use of graphics within the text, simply for the reason that I found them hard to read on a kindle screen, however this did not detract from my overall enjoyment. I imagine they work much better in physical copy.
As this was the first in the series I have read, I will definitely be looking to catch up on the previous four titles and eagerly await the next instalment.

Many thanks to Penguin General UK and NetGalley UK for the review copy.

This is the fifth book in the series but Cara has very carefully introduced all the characters so that someone like me reading this series for the first time has a basis to understand the characters. I did find it a tad confusing as there was no real distinction when the character being written about or telling the story changed. Redaing this on the kindle required the use of a magnifyer when some of the articles where shown as these could not be blown up. It was an unusual way to write a story by interacting with the media, the police, the witness, the suspect and the group fighting to prove a wrongful arrest and final judgment. I loved the fat that there was more than one story taking the limelight but each being evaluated by the same police station.
There was lots of twists and the characters all remained real throughout. The descriptions of the locations was well described and as a reader I felt that I was there with the subjects.
A well written and balanced book. I need now to look for the others in the series so that I can really get to grips with the characters prior to this situation.
A good author who writes with great clarity.

This book has a very good plot line but I personally found that it dragged one story out too long and then ended it abruptly! There are two different storylines here and I found one to be really intriguing but the second not so. Still I would recommend this book as a good mystery tale.

I have not read a DI Fawley book before this one and it is the 5th in the series. The author starts the book with Previously in the Fawley files, and I think that is such a fun way to catch up a reader picking up a book in the middle of the series or even brush up on previously read books. I appreciated it as all the information is there without bogging down the story trying to find a way to incorporate it into the plot.

I thought the crime in this book was a fresh twist on assault. An inebriated female professor is accused of being the aggressor on a rugby playing male student. The team along with the reader is surprised with this turn of events. Then later in the book, one of their own is accused of a murder. The two stories intertwine through the progression of the book.

Also running through the book is the transcript of a podcast that is documenting the supposed wrongful conviction of Gavin Parrie as a serial rapist. DI Fawley and his wife were instrumental in putting him behind bars and the podcast is implying that he was framed.

The author does a fantastic job of moving between characters and plot lines while unraveling the mysteries and I loved how she would have a teaser foreshadowing a nugget of information before moving on to a different plot line. With as complex as the story was, I never felt like I was bogged down or lost.

I couldn’t read fast enough to figure out what happened. As the team made progress on the crimes, there were more questions than answers. It was an ambitious storyline that was a success. I highly recommend this book. I must find time to track down the previous books.

Just when you think this series can't get any better it does.

An absolutely thrilling 5 🌟 book that will keep you reading late into the night. I was hooked from the first page and read it in one sitting.

It's full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. There's even a few "omg" moments.

Absolutely brilliant and I can't wait to read the next book. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long.

I'd not read any of this series previously, but I didn't feel like i was missing too much back story.
There were two strands to the story, one about a professor sexually harassing a student, with a sex reversal to confuse things and the lead character having to worry about a criminal he'd previously put behind bars.
There were a few images inserted into the story showing text messages which made it difficult to read on a kindle on large font at night, but otherwise I liked this story and will read more about this police team.

I really enjoyed this; it was nice to have a crime thriller where the characters behaved sensibly, there were no crazy coincidences, and the plot was substantial. It was fast paced and full of intrigue; I also thought the ending was great, especially that about the sexual assault case.

This was my first read in the series so I was grateful for the table at the start giving a quick account of all the main characters – it meant it could be read without needing to read the previous books first. All of the characters had well established personalities and I soon found out who I liked and who I didn’t.

Everything was believable and the decisions made by people made sense which is sometimes lacking from thriller novels. I will certainly be reading the previous books in the series and hoping for more in the future.

DI Adam Fawley and his team are investigating a sexual assault between a lecturer and a student at a local college. Adam however is about to find himself on the wrong side of the interrogation room when he is arrested for the rape and murder of a woman his wife knows. He swears he's innocent and being set up but who could be behind it? Could it be a man recently released that he sent to prison?

Wow what a thrill ride this one was. I found myself flipping glued to every page wanting to know if Adam would get out of this. I love thise series of books and this one was by far the most dramatic given the subject of Adam being a criminal. I love all the newspaper articles, text chats and pod casts that run through the book. It breaks up the text and just makes it more interesting and current. The plot was well written and clever. I had an idea of some of the twists in this but a couple caught me out which is always fun. The ending was good but I really wanted to see what happened when the officer who was after Adam, learnt he was wrong, Beyond that, brilliant.

Firstly if I could give this more than 5 stars I absolutely would!

This is the fifth book in the DI Fawley series and whilst they are all amazing, this has to be my favourite so far without a doubt – Cara Hunter really has taken this to the next level!

Yes this is a series but I do find them to be standalone, for example in The Whole Truth there is a brief reminder of each character in the police department before you begin and previous events are discussed helping new readers to catch up quickly. However, personally I would highly recommend reading the series from the beginning to really get to know DI Fawley. I’ve grown so attached to him now he feels like a friend which is possibly why I was on the edge of my seat with this latest installment.

The Whole Truth is perfectly paced and doesn’t deal in chapters. Sections are split but jump to different parts a lot, however not once is it confusing and it all reads so well, similar to how a crime series on the TV would look but on paper.

It’s definitely one of the best police procedural series I’ve ever read and nothing is ever as it seems. If you’ve ever thought you’d make a good detective then this book will definitely test those skills. Throughout it features different formats, for instance there are Twitter conversations, WhatsApp messages, Podcast recordings and drawings. All of these pull the reader in, making you feel like you are part of the team. There were plenty of times where I had to go back to check something – especially near the end.

The case in this book is an accusation of sexual assault which was dealt with so well and I felt the author really portrayed just how difficult it can be in these types of cases when it’s just a case of ‘he said/she said’ and the lack of evidence.

An ongoing storyline with DI Fawley was wrapped up nicely near the end and I’m pleased to say my earlier suspicions were correct. Honestly I could go on about this book for ages, it was just brilliant and that epilogue was just PERFECT! There is never a dull moment and the author will have you on the edge of your seat until that very last line.

Overall this was such an incredible read, one I couldn’t put down, but also had to put down because I didn’t want it to end so soon. Full of brilliant characters and chilling storylines, this is not to be missed!

When DI Adam Fawley's team are called into a university for a report of sexual assault, they find that the situation is not what they initially thought. The sexes have been reversed and it is a male student accusing a female academic. Alongside this Gavin Parrie, convicted for being the Roadside Rapist, has been released and due to his threats to get his revenge on Adam and his wife, Alex, they are concerned for their safety. Alex is heavily pregnant and her health is suffering due to the stress of everything, but things are about to get much worse when Adam is accused of a crime and arrested.

This is probably the best book of the series so far. There are two plots running throughout this, the assault case and the business with Gavin Parrie, and both are filled with twists and turns which come at breakneck speed. There were a lot of things left unresolved at the end of the book, and I hope some of them at least are going to be tackled in the next book, as I felt rather uneasy at the thought that people who maliciously orchestrated someone's downfall should get away with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Caleb Morgan gets in touch with the police to report that he has been sexually assaulted by his university professor, Marina Fisher. DI Adam Fawley’s team get the report so they start to investigate but there is something not quite right about the situation. It will be down to them to prove if there is a case here or not. Somehow, it is leaked on Twitter but no names are mentioned.

Adam is worried about Alex as she is now 35 weeks pregnant and meant to be taking things easy plus the weather is searingly hot for summer. She is stressing about someone in a van watching the house as Gavin Parrie is just out of prison but he is on a tag, Adam has checked and it’s not him. Who else could it be? Would he come after Adam like he promised in court? Also, Alex was one of his victims!

Emma Smith is a close friend to Alex. Adam hardly knew her but she asked for his advice as she thought she was being stalked. Again! He saw her after he had been to the gym, had a quick drink and she showed him her diary with dates, he gave her tips. He went home.

Next day, Emma is reported missing by a co-worker as she doesn’t turn up for work and they can’t reach her. A body of a woman is found on the railway after a night crew witnessed it falling from a bridge just before a freight train was due and they managed to stop it. They identify her as Emma Smith. The postmortem shows she died from suffocation and was sexually assaulted. The DNA has come back as DI Adam Fawley!

Adam denies it all but still faces a charge of murder unless someone can help work out how this happened. He states he only knew her as ‘Emma’. He loves his wife.

This was an absolutely brilliant read. Well laid out and researched. The profile at the start of the book was a good touch, along with the podcasts and the news items. I think this has to be one of her best books yet, full of tension all the way through.

This is a great read. There are two storylines running through the book - the first being that of a male student accusing his female professor of misconduct and the second is around the release of a rapist from prison, who has it in for DI Adam Fawley.
Parrie was convicted by Fawley and he said publicly that he would get revenge on him when he was released.
A podcast gives details of the attacks on women and the case against Parrie while also trying to declare his innocence.
Fawley is then accused of rape which leads to doubt being cast on his ability to investigate the other assault. However, he’s determined to prove that Parrie is behind this and is trying to frame him.
This is a fast paced crime thriller that will definitely keep you guessing.
Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc.
I have started this book a few times, but other books have taken over, mostly library books!
I didnt realise when I requested this that it was the 5th book in a Fawley detective series, so I liked the background history at the beginning of the book, so you knew who everyone was without having to read the other books.
However it took me a few attempts to get into it as there are so many characters and I couldn't remember who was who!
Once I got into it, it was a good read, having different POV and styles, like podcast and memories, however, for me, there wasn't many shocking revelations or cliffhangers I would expect from a thriller!
I knew who it was pretty early on, so im not sure whether that spoilt the story for me or not, but there was also just too many characters to remember and some that weren't relevant.
Perhaps if you have read the other books they may be more relevant but I have only read this one.
A good read but wasn't amazing unfortunately.

‘An attractive student. An older professor.
Think you know the story? Think again.’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Penguin U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Whole Truth’ by Cara Hunter in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fifth in Hunter’s series of police procedurals featuring DI Fawley, set in Oxford. I appreciated that the book opened with a short ‘previously on the Fawley files’ that served as an introduction (or refresher) to the main characters.

Aside from the accusation referenced in the tag line above, there is another case involving a brutal murder that comes to the fore during the investigation. No further details to avoid spoilers but trust me it’s complex and very thrilling.

Each of the previous books in this series has been a five-star read for me and Hunter’s latest has again proved an outstanding crime thriller.

Overall, a totally riveting addition to this excellent series that had me glued to my settee for the duration. I can hardly wait for Book 6.

Not having read the other 4 books in the series and not realising this is qas a DNF for me,my fault as didn’t check properly and therefore found it hard to connect with the characters

The Whole Truth is a clever, fast-paced and deftly plotted crime thriller that is a full-on adrenaline ride.

The fifth book in the DI Adam Fawley series, I haven’t read any of the previous books before but I had to take a gamble with this book as I was reading so many five-star reviews.

I have to start by saying that I absolutely loved that the book begins with a series catch-up of who’s who. This really helped me to get an idea of the characters’ names and relationships, which definitely helped with my enjoyment of the book.

With two separate stories told side-by-side, the book is brimming with astute police procedure. One story follows an accusation of sexual assault made by a male student involving his female professor, putting a spin on a case we see quite often to keep you guessing about where you should place your trust.

The second story has DI Adam Fawley [literally] at the centre, as he investigates the murder of someone close to him. Fawley is convinced that the murderer is someone he sent to prison years earlier who has recently been released, so you’re constantly on edge with the threat of someone lurking over your shoulder.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the use of different forms of narrative (apparently a trademark style used by Hunter) with podcast transcripts, emails, police interviews, press articles, medical examiner forms and phone calls. This constant change in narrative means that your interest never dips, always deciphering new information and discovering another piece of the intricate jigsaw.

There is so much going on and so many twists in each case, yet the story never feels overwhelming. Hunter is obviously a very talented writer, and every ounce of her ambition pays off. I’m definitely going to have to go back to Close to Home and start the series from the beginning!

DI Fawley and team investigate a sexual assault claim at one of the colleges, but unusually the accused is a female professor, and her accuser one of her male students. Trying to ascertain the facts is complicated, made even more so when Fawley is arrested for the rape and murder of one of his wife’s friends. Can he convince his lawyer, friends and the arresting team that he is being framed by Gavin Parrie out for revenge?

At the beginning, I found the transcripts of Parrie’s podcast a little tedious and unnecessary, but obviously as the book progresses, the reason became clear, and it actually felt like a clever way to present the circumstances.

I was disappointed in the Epilogue. To me, this ruined the whole assault plot line. Bringing the possibility of female on male assault into the public eye has got to be a good thing, but this was all thrown away with those last couple of pages.

I’ve enjoyed several of Cara Hunter’s books, and, other than the Epilogue, enjoyed this one too.

This is the 5th book in this series and the first that I’ve read for review although I have read many in the past privately as I find them extremely true to life and much more exciting than the usual police procedurals that one comes across.
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.

And they have a plan to put Fawley out of action for good...

This book was absolutely a delight to read and I always look forward to reading her books. Very strongly recommended.

A new author for me and I cannot praise this book enough.
I devoured it, I could not wait for the next chapter. Twists and turns galore with dynamic characters.
I especially liked the previous crimes written in the form of a podcast so the 'new ' reader gets the back story easily and succinctly.
An absolutely engrossing read