A call comes in on 999 from a member of the public, the sound of a gunshot has been heard.
The police are sent to check at the remote farmhouse.
They receive no answer to their knocks though there are lights on upstairs.
When finally they gain entry they discover a dead man on the kitchen floor, his whole face has been blown off. In his hand is a knife.
Richard and Margaret Swann, the owners, are an elderly couple. They say the man broke in and Richard shot him in self defense when he was attacked. He has a nasty cut on his hand.
So why didn`t they report it?
What are they hiding?
Fawley and his team begin to investigate with little to go-on. The man has no identification on him not even a mobile phone.
As the team dig deeper they discover the Swanns used to be Dick and Peggy Rowan. They changed their name following their daughter Camilla being found guilty of the murder of her newborn son 15 years ago, although his body was never found.
When the victims DNA results come in and a match is found to Camilla the team find themselves wading through the cold case evidence logs even details from the Netflix documentary the case was a subject of.
This along with the transcripts of interviews, copies of emails and recordings of phone calls draw the reader directly into the investigation.
An absolutely gripping addition to the series, a very original storyline.
What a fantastic read!
Can`t wait for the next instalment in the DI Adam Fawley series.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

I am a big fan of Cara Hunter's DI Adam Fawley books, thanks to her blend of fastpaced, twisty plots, ongoing character development through the series and mix of tense and style so a book is not just from muliple POV, but also chatroom threads, TV show summaries etc. They are the ultimate in 'unputtadownable' and as as result I was up far too late last night as one more chapter turned into I must see what happens!

Fawley has recovered from the events of book 5 and is enjoying being part of a family once again with wife Alex and their newborn daughter, so the last thing he wants is to be involved in another huge case with intense media interest and a potential miscarriage of justice. What seems like a simple case of a burglary gone wrong starts to look more sinister when the elderly couples story doesn't add up and they are soon linked to a notorious trial from nearly twenty years ago involving a young woman accused of murdering her newborn baby despite the body never being found.

Like all Hunter's books buckle up for a wild ride because just when you think you have a handle on where this is going it throws a curveball as revelation after revelation is unveiled.

Two things made it a four star rather than a five: there was some character depiction and description that made me uncomfortable - in keeping with the pov of the character saying it, true, but never challenged and as it's a depiction used to excuse crime, I would have liked it challenged even internally. And secondly I didn't really understand why (trying not to give away any spoilers here). Crime fiction, like romance, has an expectation of all ends being tied up and so when that isn't fulfilled there is an element of disappointment.

But all in all clever and entertaining and as always highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the ARC of this book.
Yet another great story featuring Adam Fawley. The diversity that Cara manages to include in the books is just amazing. She never fails to give us a very different storyline and the way the inserts of phone calls, reports etc are included adds to the interest in the storyline.
More soon please.

I love Cara Hunter’s books so was very excited to read the latest in the series and enjoyed every page. It was great to meet Adam Fawley and his colleagues again. They almost feel like my friends now! The writing is as good as ever, it’s such a page turner especially towards the end. I enjoyed the use of voicemails, emails and transcripts to convey information. This made the investigation feel true to life. Looking forward already to the next one!

What can I say that I haven't said before about this series, I have run out of superlatives. This is the sixth book in the series and is just as thrilling as the previous books. The books are so well written, they are a joy to read. Once you start you won't be able to put this book down. So cleverly plotted with surprising twists and great characters, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys reading police procedural novels. As always, highly recommended.

Brilliant story and really different! Love Adam Fawley and his team, they all feel very real, I like knowing their stories!

Book # 6 in the DI Adam Fawley series, So I was super happy when I got selected for this book ..... ekkkkk

Cara Hunter is one of those few authors that i can trust to make a book amazing without even knowing the plot she has a way in which she rights that gets me hooked right away and under a spell till the very last page.

As soon as I got the email asking would I like to read the next installment I put all my other books down and started reading right away?

The plot... The police receive a call of a shooting that happens in a remote cottage. t. When the uniforms arrive there is a what is left of a young man with no more than a body to look out on their kitchen floor after getting his face blown off by the owner's shotgun. Burglary went wrong or is there more than meets the eye.

With more twists than most rollercoasters, this book was a real treat and I am so disappointed to have finished it I just cant wait for the next book.

Also, I loved learning about the character that got named after an amazing lady in the book after a charity raffle which made me love the book even more.

Cara Hunter does it again with another Fawley novel that just fills me a warm fuzzy feeling of meeting up with old friends.

This storyline is based upon a true story and if like me you love true crime this book will tick all the boxes, even referencing one of the greatest true crime stories of the golden state killer thrown in for good measure which felt like a nod to anyone who is invested in true crime.

I took the story slowly, ensuring I could enjoy it and I absolutely loved it. The characters developing to become firm favourites of mine.

The story was paced well. New characters were introduced well and the story was gripping throughout.

Another wonderful book that I highly recommend

I really like the complexity Cara Hunter puts into her books.
There are lots of characters, each of whom is well developed and unique.
There are many threads and leads. plots and subplots, and even when it seems all clear and the case solved, the author throws something more into the mix.
Great suspense. Fantastic attention to detail. A gripping read. A well-developed story that takes the reader on a nail-biting journey.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

And the queen of police procedural strikes again and how!
I'm a complete Cara Hunter fan girl and I cannot be prouder.
I was so keen to join DI Fawley and his team at Thames Valley back to solve another crime and it was an absolute cracker. Cara hunter's writing flows off the pages and the story grips you in the most satisfying way possible.

In her true fashion the epilogue holds an epic twist and this one does not disappoint.

A huge Thank You to Netgalley and Penguin for my ARC I was over the moon to be considered for an early bird read!

Kudos to you Cara! Waiting for your next one (already)

This book had me on the edge of my seat as it was so fast paced and such a good storyline that had me guessing until near the end which I really loved. The sixth book in the DI Adam Fawley series could be read as a standalone book but I'd recommend the others as they are all excellent and I enjoy the office politics between characters.
Hunter is very clever at using different formats within her books such as emails, text messages and message boards. I really enjoyed the procedural evidence so that you were learning information along with the police investigating. The investigation evolves from an intruder being shot by an elderly man to investigating an old conviction after links are discovered between the two. The conviction was the subject of a detailed and popular Netflix documentary which I thought was such a clever premise. It was so well written and I couldn't see where Hunter was taking me as my sympathies and suspicions were constantly changing. I think this might be my favourite book in the series so far!

This latest DI Adam Fawley book starts with an emergency call to a remote cottage and a dead body.

The elderly householder claims to have shot a burglar but Fawley's team are sceptical.

The plot that unfolds is far more bizarre and more twists than a mountain pass!

If you have not read Cara Hunter, you are in for a treat

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for letting me read it!

Cara Hunter's latest offering is a cracking addition to her Oxford based DI Adam Fawley series, it is packed with her trademark insertions in the narrative that include police interview transcripts, social media comments, psychiatric reports, details of a 2016 Netflix investigation, phone conversations, online media reports and Wikipedia entries. The police are called to a remote farmhouse in Wytham, after a report of a gunshot from a member of the public, where an elderly couple, Richard and Margaret Swann reside, a 'burglar', who cannot be identified, has been shot dead by Richard which he claims was an act of self defence. So begins a twisted and complex investigation where little is as it appears, as the police try to determine why the elderly couple failed to call the police.

Before long, it becomes clear that the Swanns changed their name by deed poll after a notorious court trial in which their daughter, Camilla aka 'the chameleon', was convicted of the murder of her baby on the basis of circumstantial evidence, no body was ever recovered. After 17 years, Camilla is still serving her life sentence at HMP Heathside. DNA evidence obtained from the victim proves that the dead man's mother is Camilla, clear evidence that she was not guilty of murdering her baby. As Adam and his hardworking team look into the past, at the previous police investigation and Camilla as a schoolgirl, her multiple pregnancies, her friends and family, and the present, who is the dead man and how did he come to make the fateful visit to the farmhouse to see the Swanns? There is surprise twist after twist in this dark and disturbing crime story.

After the previous book, Fawley's personal and professional life is far more settled, there is joy to be found in baby daughter, Lily Rose, for both him and his wife, Alex, and he is more focused on fulfilling his ambitions for his police career. His police team of DS Chris Gislingham, DS Gareth Quinn, DC Verity Everett, and DC Andrew Baxter are joined by DC Thomas Hansen, DC Chloe Sargent and DC Bradley Carter, mostly positive additions that are hardworking who prove to be assets in a tricky investigation. I defy any reader to not race through this fast paced crime read, the suspense and tension are sky high, and whenever you think you know what is happening, the ground shifts and the case heads in a completely different direction. A brilliant read that has me looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I absolutly love caras books and this was another fantastic read. Written in a variety of formats makes for a really easy, immersing read. Fast paced and had me gripped the whole way through.

DI Fawley and his team of regulars plus a couple of new faces are back when a body is found after a gruesome shooting and limited opportunities to identofy the victims. The elderly couple, in whose house he is found claim he was a burgular and they wete acting in self defence.
However as the team dig deeper we learn that their daughter Camilla is currently serving a custodial sentence following the suspected murder of her newborn son 15 yrs ago. She has however always pleaded her innocence and a body was never found. Not only that but she has apparently had 3 children, all of them being given up at birth.
When similarities become apparent between the dead man and Camilla, the story unfolds as to what really happened 15 years ago.
Absolute corker of a book, highly recommend.

Excellent page-turner about a miscarriage of justice, or is it? Well-rounded characters - both good and bad, and some are verging on 'evil' - views change and are then reinforced, or are they. A definite must-read, and little can be said without revealing spoilers.

Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC.

Wow! Caravhas done it again a great read that had me gripped from start to finish with a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming!

Cara Hunter does it again! Hope to Die is another brilliant addition to the Adam Fawley series.
The plot, whilst complex, is well paced, tense and full of plot twists to keep you guessing.
A 5 star page turner that I demolished in one sitting.

This is a very gripping book, impressively written as well. DC Adam Fawley thinks he is investigating a random shoot of a young intruder by the elderly owner. Something about it doesn’t seem right, particularly as the victim’s personal possessions seem to have disappeared. Then a connection is discovered to a long ago case which led to a life sentence for a woman accused of murdering her baby. The case grows in its range and genders a lot of public interest. The use of old documentation to move the story along is well handled. The dictation of much of the book by Fawley is also a clever technique. The story moves the reader along at a good pace, revealing new information as it goes towards a satisfying conclusion. This book is a considerable achievement and I recommend it enthusiastically!

An intriguing and fascinating murder mystery, which has been heavily influenced by a real life crime. This makes it all the more poignant especially when the death of a child is involved. It really got me thinking on the possibilities and outcome of people keeping childbirth a secret.
In all, its very enjoyable because its something different.

A garbled phone call about a gunshot late at night, brings local uniformed officers to a remote farmhouse near Oxford. There they find an elderly and confused couple, a shotgun and a near headless corpse (courtesy of the shotgun). Their story of an attempted burglary looks suspicious and the local CID team start an investigation. Although the team is headed by DI Adam Fawley, the initial investigation is being led by the two DSs, Quinn and Gislingham, with Fawley being rather hands off. When startling new evidence comes in he takes a more central role. Who is the mystery ‘burglar’, what links him to the old couple? As the pieces begin to fit, it becomes clear that the central factor is Camilla Rowan, known as the “Duchess” to the warders and her fellow cons at the prison where she has been held for the last seventeen years, convicted of murdering her baby son. Scenarios are built, mostly fairly deducible by the reader, and then knocked down as fresh evidence comes in and the whole picture needs to be re-evaluated, and then again, and then again.
This is the sixth book to feature Fawley and his team and, like the earlier ones, it is again a team effort – Fawley being the chief player but not a solo star. This is pure police procedural, there are no loose cannons, no mavericks. All the players know their jobs and don’t let personal issues get in the way. Fawley’s home life is more detailed but not excessively so, or to the detriment of the other characters. Once again the story is told to a large extent by the evidence, so there are transcripts of interviews, extracts from newspapers, scripts from a TV documentary, copies of e-mails, recordings of phone calls. In addition we get sections, which might be notes written by Fawley, that hold the timeline together. This style can be – and here is – very effective. Some readers will find it an advantage because it gives the story verisimilitude, others might be put off by the font and layout changes. Personally, I rather like its use here because it provide a rhythm to the procedural aspect.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.