Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series is fast becoming one of my favourite series. Set in Oxford, with it’s now signature mix of narrative with police reports, social media comments, emails, online news and podcasts, the novels perfectly blend the ups and downs in the lives of Adam and his team with delivering intriguing crimes and mysteries.

In this sixth novel in the series, police are called out to a remote house in response to the report of a gunshot, heard by a man out photographing the stars. When they arrive, they find an elderly couple, Richard and Peggy Swann, with the body of a young man in their kitchen. The dead man, his face been destroyed by a blast from a shotgun, is holding a knife in his hand and the Swanns claim they woke to him breaking in and shot him in self-defence. However, they not only failed to call the police but some of the evidence also doesn’t add up to this being an attempted burglary for Adam.

Looking into the Swanns background, Adam later discovers that they are not the bland, innocuous couple they claim to be. They changed their name and moved to Oxford seventeen years ago after their daughter Camilla was convicted on circumstantial evidence of killing her baby. Her baby’s body was never found but, after keeping her pregnancy secret from her family and friends, he simply disappeared the day Camilla left hospital with him and her explanations of what happened to him were vague and inconsistent.

It’s good to see that Fawley is in a much better place than in the previous book, where he was being framed for a shocking crime. He’s enjoying his new baby daughter Lily with his wife Alex and his career is looking up. He has a dependable team who work hard to identify the mystery ‘burglar’ and his link to the Swanns. New members DC Hansen and DC Chloe Sargent are talented and I look forward to seeing more of them. However, DC Bradley Carter currently filling in for the missing DC Somer is surely heading for a fall after his underhand tactics at getting noticed by the boss. Hunter’s excellent outline of the characters at the start of the book is a wonderful memory refresher for fans of the books and would also be helpful to those new to the series.

In the acknowledgements, Hunter notes that Camilla’s history of multiple unplanned and secret pregnancies, resulting in two babies given up for adoption in addition to the missing baby, is based on the case of Australian Keli Lane. It’s truly a case of fact being stranger than fiction and worth looking up the reports or podcast made about it after finishing the novel.

Hunter’s imagining of what happened to Camilla’s baby results in a fast paced, intricate plot, filled with suspense and some great twists. It really is an intriguing case. Fawley finds himself interviewing Camilla in prison and she truly is just as slippery and unhelpful as reported in her original interviews. A brilliant read, recommended for all fans of crime fiction.

Great addition to this series-read if you like police procedurals.

The way the author writes makes it stand out, the extra details and side points really make it feel real.

Very much enjoyed this book.

Another brilliant read in Cara Hunter’s detective series. DI Fawley and team have another mind boggling crime to crack, when a mystery man is shot dead at a remote farmhouse, apparently a burglary gone wrong- but as ever, all is not what it seems.

I love this series, this is the sixth book with a fabulous cast of characters, all flawed but all brilliant. I love the easy to read writing style, the story just flew off the page and I couldn’t put it down,

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another fantastic book from Cara Hunter, an author I will go to again and again. I couldn't put this down. Highly recommended.

This is a fabulous addition to the DI Fawley series and I raced through it - it is yet another page turner with twists galore that had me throughly engrossed.

Fear not if you’ve never read any of the previous books as there is a useful introduction to everyone on the police team at the beginning of the book. What begins as an investigation into an intruder shot dead by an elderly man in his home, apparently in self defence, quickly becomes more complex as it is clear that things are not adding up. And what does it have to do with the high profile case of Camilla Rowan, a convicted child killer?

I love the way in which Hunter adds to the narrative through the use of different medias, among them transcripts and a Netflix documentary, ensuring the reader feels very much part of the investigation. But every time I thought I knew what was going on, something new came to light and there were plenty of jaw-dropping moments. The fact that it is based on a real case makes it all the more intriguing.

For me this is a series that keeps getting better and I am fully invested in the characters lives! It’s a book not just for fans of police procedurals but for anyone who enjoys a well written, well plotted twisty read. I for one can’t wait for number 7!

What an absolutely amazing book! I’ve read most of the previous books in the series but this would work well as a stand-alone, you don’t need any prior knowledge of the characters to enjoy the book as the author gives a great rundown at the beginning. This book definitely had a lot of twists and turns but they were easy to follow and totally absorbing. I honestly had no inkling where the story was going to end up and it was a great journey to get there. I especially like the way the story is told through different formats such as Wikipedia pages and interview transcripts, it adds something a bit different but there’s not so many that it distracts from the story telling. I’m really looking forward to the next installment.

Excellent read, always go to author. This book kept me gripped throughout it was a fast paced thriller

Having read one of this author's books before (not in the series order apologies!) I had enjoyed it and was intrigued by the latest offering when I received an advanced readers copy.

When DI Adam Fawley is called to investigate a burglary gone wrong, it soon becomes clear that there is more to it, especially when there is a link to a high profile police case from years ago involving a child's murder. Did the wrong person go to jail all those years ago? Was this just a burglary that went tragically wrong? Just how many secrets will be uncovered whilst trying to uncover the truth and solve the crime?

I really like Cara Hunter's style of writing, mixed in with all the emails, recording, newspaper excerpt article style items added in, adding an extra depth to the reading. The story keeps you guessing from the offset, there is also a handy recap at the beginning of all the characters so if you haven't read any of the previous series it still works as a stand alone title without confusion.

If you are looking for a enthralling, keep you reading who-done-it, then look no further, would recommend and I am definitely going to look out for some of the other titles in the series too.

I have just finished the previous book in this series, The Whole Truth, and dived into this the 6th outing for DI Fawley and his team and, let me tell you, what a treat it is.

I have said it before and I will say it again, what an absolute cracker of a book this is and, once again, an excellent addition to this excellent series. Please be reassured that you don't have to have read the others as this works well as a standalone however, I recommend you do ... you won't be disappointed.

DI Fawley and his team are called after the violent death of an unidentified young man shot dead in an isolated farmhouse in an apparent burglary but things just don't add up and so begins a complex, challenging and thrilling investigation which uncovers secrets and lies and so, so much more.

Cara Hunter uses, very cleverly, other media to provide different perspectives to the story including Netflix and voicemail transcripts. This helps the story to flow and provides another element and makes it feel current and relevant. The only thing that I have a small quibble about is that some of this didn't work very well on my Kindle as it's quite small writing and I found myself constantly adjusting the font size but that may have been because I received an advance copy so I felt it was a small price to pay for what is an excellent addition to the way of telling the story.

Highly recommended to lovers of police procedurals with twists and turns that keep you guessing ... roll on number 7!

Many thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for enabling me to read Hope to Die and share my thoughts.

Cara Hunter never disappoints! Always exciting to read a new novel from this author, and this one is no exception.
I loved that the story is told through a mixture of narrative, transcripts of interviews, police procedure and more.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC.

I enjoyed Hope To Die. It’s a well-constructed and involving police procedural which also develops the characters in the series nicely.

Fawley’s team are called to a shooting at an isolated house outside Oxford. Quite soon, anomalies begin to appear in the story told by the two elderly occupants and links emerge to a sensational crime of fifteen years earlier which cast doubt on the conviction. The investigation which follows becomes gripping as the team slowly close in on the truth, but Cara Hunter makes it refreshingly unsensational and avoids cheap Shocking Twists.

There is plenty of very familiar stuff here – the re-investigation of a very high-profile crime and conviction, huge press interest and so on – but Hunter handles it well and manages to make it feel quite fresh. She structures the narrative with a number of points of view, transcripts from police interviews and TV programmes, newspaper articles etc., which in other hands can sometime be very wearing but here I found it very effective. The one thing that grates slightly is Fawley’s first-person contributions among the other third-person sections, but it’s a very minor gripe.

One of Hunter’s best achievements is her creation and development of the police team. They are a varied, wholly believable bunch in whose lives I have become quite invested. Fawley himself is actually rather a bland protagonist, but I find I like that as a welcome change from the overblown, melodramatic Complicated Personal Lives of so many fictional detectives. The characters add to the story rather than distract from it, which is a cause for celebration.

This has been a slightly variable series so far, but this is an enjoyable and involving instalment which I can recommend.

(My thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I don’t know if it was my frame of mind but I didn’t really enjoy this book. I found it very long with a plot that was not that easy to follow and did not become engaged with it. I found myself skimming towards the last half of the novel. I really enjoyed this author’s last book in this series so I think that the timing for me reading this book just was not right.

Thanks to the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cara Hunter is a brilliant writer and I have thoroughly enjoyed her Adam Fawley series, of which this is the 6th book. Plenty of twists in this one and I was anxious to get back reading it whenever I could! Thankfully a list of all the police officers is given at the start as there are a lot to keep track of. It's good to revisit previous characters.
There was something slightly lacking in this book though, I feel we didn't get into the minds of the main character enough to discover the reasons for her actions. I did enjoy it and I would recommend all of the books in this series, I just wanted to get under the skin of Camilla to understand her a bit more.

I really enjoy Ms Hunter's books and spending time with the Fawley team.(great to have the character pen pictures at the beginning again)
I was really surprised to find this almost unbelievable story was based on a real event in Australia, although the author has added a number of fictional twists and turns to engage her audience once again. Can't wait for the next one
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

A recent murder is tied to the past in Hope to Die, a superbly crafted police procedural/psychological thriller by Cara Hunter.

The simple killing of a burglar by a frightened old man is far more complicated than it first appears. How did Richard Swann get the shotgun,supposedly locked in a basement gun safe, so quickly? Why did his recalcitrant wife wash his clothing before the police arrived? And just why did the Swanns invent new identities?

Camilla Rowan, imprisoned for fifteen years for murdering her newborn son, is the subject of a Netflix documentary implying that she may be innocent. She’s always declared her innocence but something about her behavior confounds both psychologists and police. DI Adam Fawley and his team realize that they will have to discover Camilla’s secrets before they can understand what happened at the Swann’s house.

This is the sixth in a series and I can’t believe I’ve missed the earlier mysteries. Hope to Die has everything I like about police procedurals. The officers on Adam’s team, especially Chloe Sargent, are so well-described you feel that you know them. The plot is compelling and Camilla makes a very unlikeable villain. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin General-UK and Cara Hunter for this ARC.

Hope to Die by Cara Hunter

Midnight. A callout to an isolated farm outside Oxford. A body, shot at point blank range in the kitchen.
It looks like a burglary gone wrong, but DC Adam Fawley suspects there's something more to it. Who exactly was the aggressor here?
When the police discover a connection to a high-profile case from years ago, involving a child's murder and an alleged miscarriage of justice, the press go wild.

Cara Hunter gets a wow from me for this one !
A brilliant read and a fab character in D.C. Adam Fawley .
Loved the way the plot flowed and the way he looked into a past case to help get to the bottom of this one.
Can't wait until her next book.

At first, I wasn’t sure about this one. It didn’t grab me from the get-go, but by the time I was 25% in, I was hooked. A cleverly written twisty tale with a deliciously surprising ending! I loved the different ways of telling the story: TV transcripts, voicemails, interview records and so on.
Highly recommended!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really enjoyed, very well written, some unpredictable twists and loved the character intro at the start

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this jaw dropping book....

right from the first page i was stunned with what i was reading... and the most annoying part of it all was when i had to put the book down and go to work, so annoying

but as soon as i was able i was back to this book that consumed me.... i couldnt believe what i was reading...its so well put together and the shocks just keep coming, as i dont want to give anything away i just want to say this book has it all...and more

shock value, horror, grisly and sadness.... all rolled into this book that leaves you exhausted after reading it

cant wait for the next book from this author...

right i am off to read a christmas book just to get my head back around after reading cara hunters latest thriller of a ride..

What another thrilling read from.this author!! It has you guessing all the way through. And just when you think you know how it's going to end Cara Hunter spins another twist!!
Richard & Margaret Swann have a dead body in their kitchen whom the police can't identify, because he has no head left having been shot! As the investigation continues, a link to an old murder case evolves, which links the dead body to the Swann family.
I don't"want to go giving any spoilers but this is a book definitely worth reading especially if you love a story full of twists & turns & many intriguing avenues.