I really liked this book. It was well written and kept me guessing until the final pages. It was written as a TV series, sort of like a Dateline. While it is likely not for everyone, I found it worth my time.

In Murder in the Family, a suspense story, a group of experts are brought together to revisit an unsolved murder case in the UK from 20 years ago — Luke Ryder had married Caroline Howard, a slightly older, wealthy woman and mom of three. Luke was murdered in the garden at their stately home one night and nobody claimed to see anything. The police launched an investigation at the time though it yielded no confirmed suspect. Now, filmmaker Guy Howard wants to revisit the case with experts’ insight as it had a direct impact on his family.

I really enjoyed the mixed media format for how this story was told, mostly as a Netflix true crime documentary. There were a lot of characters and it took me some time to remember who was who and their role in the story. I did guess a major element correctly, but not too early, so this didn’t detract from my enjoyment as Murder in the Family delivers plenty of twists!

A cleverly structured mystery that makes very good use of epistolary format.

The premise for this isn’t one of my favorites (true crime tv), but its well-executed here, and the way the book is written contributes a lot of positives to the overall reader experience.

The mystery itself is fine, though I found the solve a bit depressing. Still, the way it connects to the tv program and the characters involved with it works well and improves the basic framework of the mystery.

I wish the story had more atmosphere and that the characters (or at least some of them) were either more likable or more compelling, but it’s a good story overall, well-paced and peppered with sharp humor.

Probably the most creative thriller I've read this year. This was a refreshing change from a typical murder mystery and has a great cast of characters. I liked that the team of investigators become far more involved as the "show" progresses, which end up throwing red herrings all over the place. Fun read for those looking for a change.

Thanks, NetGalley and William Morrow, for the digital review copy.

Unpopular Opinion: This one didn’t work for me. I was often lost and confused and forgot who was who in the zoo. It was a creative premise, and there were some fun twists, but the “mixed media” and “screenplay” dialog kept me from getting immersed in the story. The ending fell flat with an obvious murderer but no clear motivation.

I heard great things, but I will hesitate to pick up another book formatted like this one. If you’re willing to give it a try, I recommend reading it as a physical copy or on the Kindle App, NOT as an audiobook or on a Kindle. The mixed media (newspaper clippings, Reddit screen grabs, maps, etc.) would not translate well.

I DNFd this book pretty early on. The premise sounded so good; I love a good true crime/pod cast type book. Mystery and suspense - but I didn’t love the layout at all. I couldn’t get past the articles and notes of this book. If it was written like a book I think I would have enjoyed it but it just felt awkward to read

For fans of true crime documentaries, Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter is the book you have been waiting for. The reader gets a front row seat as the production team investigates a cold case 20 years unsolved for a Netflix series. Using transcripts, text messages, and newspaper articles, it was fun following the investigation episode-by-episode trying to figure out who the murderer was. If you worry that reading a book that is presented in this unique way will take away from the overall reading experience, fear not. The book is easy to read and the presentation makes you feel like you are a part of the investigative team.

The murder of Luke Ryder, stepfather to director Guy Howard was never solved. Curious, Guy believes that reinvestigating the murder through television may bring new experts and witnesses forward so the murderer can finally be brought to justice. Family secrets are unveiled while additional mysteries are revealed and the reader is along for the ride as the twists and turns seem never-ending. I suspected the killer but new spins and suspects were introduced which cast doubt. What a fun adventure! This book would absolutely appeal to fans of authors who have explored unique storytelling devices such as Janice Hallett.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Canada, and Killer Crime Club for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the most unique epistolary novel I’ve read in ages! It gave me the vibes of a choose your adventure book à la elementary school and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and engaging read!

That being said this review is slightly late because I wanted to give my real and true experience reading it because reading this on the kindle (as I got an eARC) was not a fun experience at all. This is 10000% a book you definitely want to read physically so you can flip back and forth to help you solve the mystery!!!! I was able to get a copy in my possession and it was an AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!!

4.5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, William Morrow Books for the review copy

A book murdered by bad marketing.

I wish I was exaggerating but correctly guessed whodunit within the very first page, all because it referenced something I'm very familiar with. This is why I don't compare books to other books in my reviews and why I prefer blurbs not to do it. Sure, you're riding on the fame of the thing you are referencing for publicity, but you are also pretty much giving everything away and potentially spoiling it for those familiar with said thing.

That said, this was a terrific thriller that hooked me from start to the end. Besides the gripping plot and intriguing cast of shady characters, the book also did a great job delving into themes like the ethics of true crime. Each explosive bombshell and jaw-dropping revelation left me reeling.

I loved the mixed media format, which is seriously on another level. I've never seen an epistolary novel this meticulous or realistic. So much of the storytelling is in the details in this multi-layered book, such as how you can tell a lot about each character from their resumes (clever!). Everyone even has a photo attached. I'm highly impressed by the level of detail here.

Overall, one of the most riveting and enthralling thrillers I've read in a while. Shame about the whodunit but everything else was outstanding, including that final punch.

⭐️⭐️ Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

Welp…

I was so excited to get this one. Murder in the Family is about a 20-year old cold case of the murder of Luke Ryder. Luke is the stepfather of Guy, Amelie, and (I can’t remember the other’s name.) Guy has decided 20-years later to produce a Netflix documentary on the cold case in hopes of solving the murder. So this story is told through six episodes of the documentary, online forums, text messages, and newspaper articles. This different format was very intriguing.

The story: started pretty well, fizzled in the middle, became skim-worthy at 75% and perked back up at about 95%, but then just became meh. There were times it was very repetitive, seemingly even word-for-word. A few times I thought I had accidentally skipped backwards in the story.

The characters: there are so many characters in the documentary I couldn’t tell you who was who or who was saying what. It was very hard to follow. I didn’t really care about any of them…none of them had any redeeming qualities. Also, it was very unrealistic that all these people so quickly were able to find out all of this information when they couldn’t even come close 20 years ago.

The twist: not very surprising or twisty. The outcome was pretty much a letdown and there were lots of unresolved situations.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @williammorrowbooks for an early copy of Murder in the Family by @carahunterauthor. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: September 19th, 2023

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63241097-murder-in-the-family?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9FV738Rboe&rank=1

This surely is a five-star read for me from the very beginning. I’m listing Murder in the Family as one of my best reads this year! I can’t stress this enough without giving away any spoilers but PICK THIS ONE UP when you have the chance! You’ll surely enjoy the story and the reading experience this book gives.

🛑Swipe for the full review; may contain spoilers🛑

Murder in the Family is a mystery/thriller told through a screenplay format of Infamous, about director Guy Howard’s stepdad Luke Ryder’s murder 20 years ago. The show covered notorious and unsolved crimes and was “known for its in-depth analysis and exclusive access to those closest to the crime”. In the book, the current season covers the murder of Luke Ryder, which has been left unsolved for two decades, and the new season premiered on the 20th anniversary of the crime. The docuseries shows a group of experts, which includes detectives, retired investigators, a lawyer, and a psychologist (who were apparently invited to the show because they were somehow involved with the case as it turned out), unboxing what has already been investigated on in the past, and discovering there were still a lot of bases that weren’t covered.

Each new piece of information they discovered led to a lot more possibilities of what really happened that night of the murder, and each new evidence made me think twice about who the killer really was. There were loads of information being exchanged by the experts which was quite overwhelming, but it made the story feel genuine, nonetheless.

It was only at around 80% of the book that I had two suspects who I thought had a high probability of being the real murderer (out of the many people the experts have investigated, interviewed, and researched) – and I’m so proud to say that one of my hunches was right, and was very unexpected.

I really enjoyed the book’s screenplay format, which also included some actual pieces the experts used for the investigation like newspaper clippings, maps, handwritten notes, etc. After each broadcast, there was also an online forum where viewers commented, reacted, and discussed what they had watched and voiced their suspicions. There were also some voicemail transcripts and emails shown, as well as Guy’s sister’s text messages to each other as the investigation unraveled. These pieces of media and the screenplay format had me a lot more engaged with the story and made me feel like I was really watching a docuseries.

The story was overall fast-paced, compelling, and gripping. The format kept me engaged and thoroughly invested and the book itself was difficult to put down. Some of the characters the experts investigated surprised me with how sick and creepy they are, and yet some are really not who they seem they are.

This surely is a five-star read for me from the very beginning. I’m listing Murder in the Family as one of my best reads this year! I can’t stress this enough without giving away any spoilers but PICK THIS ONE UP when you have the chance! You’ll surely enjoy the story and the reading experience this book gives.

Unique crime mystery that can't be missed!

This was such a fun read! I loved the style and format as it created an immersive experience making the reader feel totally involved in this true crime docudrama. One can review all sorts of different pieces of information such as: photos, reports, maps, emails, text conversations, and best of all -- the transcript of the TV series, <i>Infamous</i>, that is said to be streaming on Netflix.

The premise: A specially selected group of experts is hired to analyze the evidence surrounding a cold case involving the murder of Luke Ryder in December, 2003. Twenty years have passed and no one was ever charged. Can the team figure out what happened on that winter night?

This was twisty with a new revelation at every turn. I was able to guess parts of the true crime story but wrong about some aspects. I really enjoyed how the truth unfolded and the way the clever author chose to do it. I think it's best to read this in the shortest sitting possible to keep everything straight and to get the full appreciation of some of the discoveries, coincidences, and surprises.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
Pub date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

I’m a huge fan of fictional true crime books and MitF gave off reality in spades, right down to the mixed media format. Huge. Fan. It was a bit harder to get through in kindle format since some of the media was in smaller print. I was looking forward to getting a print copy via @WilliamMorrowBooks but the package containing the book came partially sealed with only the packing slip! Haha! Dang it! So, I bought the book so I could give my magnifying glass a break!

Definitely give this a read if you like:

• Epistolatory/Mixed media format
• True crime fiction
• 20-year-old mysteries

I love all of the above and a fictional Netflix show that covers an old unsolved murder is cat nip to my little kitty soul. The twists are twisty and the plot moved forward at an entertaining pace.

My thanks to William Morrow Books for this gifted copy!

This book was so good and refreshingly unpredictable. Just when you think you have it figured out, there is a huge plot twist and everything changes! While the format took some getting used to (interview format), once I adjusted to the style it was a very fast read. I would highly recommend this book - and think it would make a great Netflix miniseries!

𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 has been the perfect “read before bed” book given its unique format! Told in episodes, I really do feel like I am watching a TV series, one episode at a time.

While it is not one you will figure out with many twists and surprises along the way, it was so fun! I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy!

If you constantly feel like you’re guessing the ending of mysteries then Murder in the Family is for you! The book is mixed media, which I always love, and the “goal” is to find out if you as the reader can solve the murder mystery before the crew of professionals in the book can. I will say I thought I had it, but I did fail. I think that this is a fun new concept for readers that are looking for a read that will be different from the normal mystery/thriller. This would also be such a fun book for book clubs, buddy reads and chapter by chapter group readings. I’ve already sold the copies in my store, and told everyone to read it!

It has now been 20 years since his stepfather was killed at their posh home in London and Guy wants to dig into the murder to see if he can find out who did it. After all these years, no one has been charged.

Guy is young and has some very experienced people running the show and show is what it is. The book reads as a movie or TV script and is being aired each week on TV. The group of people investigating includes some experts in their fields and each takes an aspect to pursue further.

What they find is that nothing is as it seems and it is creating a TV show that is highly talked about due to the cliffhangers each week. I like the way it makes the reader think. What you think is true may or may not turn out to be real or relevant. Good story!

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Opinions expressed here freely are my own.

I really enjoyed this read & thought it went extremely quickly. Due to the narrative structure of the book, I found myself flying through all the dialogue while analyzing everything for clues. I did guess the killer within the first 20% of the book so the final twist didn't hit me as hard, but I would have been thoroughly shocked otherwise.

I would've liked to see some more of the "off-camera" interactions between characters - especially Nick - but also thought the idea of the investigators getting the information in "real time" as the readers were was a masterful choice in storytelling.

This book was so fun!! I loved the cover and I absolutely loved how the story read like a documentary. All the clippings made it feel like you were there with everyone. I flew through this book! This was the first book I have read by Cara Hunter and I look forward to reading more of her books. If you want a good thriller with twist and turns then this book is for you!! I highly recommend this book!!!


Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I've read by this author. While I did enjoy the story, I found the writing format to be quite distracting. Unfortunately, that made this book a struggle for me. While this title wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I will be reading other titles by Cara Hunter in the future.