I adore a cleverly told mystery, and this one, told through the transcripts of the streaming series they are creating (with Reddit posts, emails, etc. adding to the story), is definitely that. Twist after twist, I'd have definitely binged this as a series as quickly as I did a read- it's a major page turner. It's definitely a plotty book versus character driven- there's little in the way of character development, and in some ways it almost feels like a game of Clue. It's smart and enjoyable to read.

A highly inventive murder mystery told as episodes of a television show. A very fresh take on the thriller genre. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Can The Reader Solve a Cold Case?

This cleverly formatted book is not quite Agatha Christie where the possible murderers are presented to you, and then exposed at the end. There are six experts trying to solve the case

This is a cold case, remember the TV series totally devoted to cold cases? Luke Ryder is murdered; his body is found outside of his home. In the house are his wife and two stepdaughters. It is a true story. The murder occurred in December, 2003. Is this the new murder mysteries?

This British murder is a novel in itself. However, it is set up like a screenplay. I never was sold on this technique, but when the series hits the small screen, I hope each episode ends with a retrospect opinion.

Like any good thrillers, it can keep the reader guessing who is (or are) the killer(s). The irony here is that a British filmmaker, Guy Howard, age 10 at the time, is the victim’s stepson.

To reduce some of the confusion, I returned to the beginning and re-learned the cast of characters who remain the experts in the present.

My gratitude to Net Galley and William Morrow for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was such an intriguing and unique read! I, personally, love books written in more of a “media” format, such as interviews, emails, newspaper articles, etc. and I cannot imagine just how much time and thought was put into this one to create such an entertaining and interactive read 🔎

This is the perfect book for all my Nancy Drew lovers and True Crime fans who enjoy putting their brain to work! I can’t recommend it enough 🕵️‍♀️

What a fun and wholly original format! This reads as a podcast script. I loved all the newspaper articles and phone messages scattered throughout. I’ve never read a book like this before! It kept me guessing all the way to the end. Lots of twists and family drama as the truth is slowly and expertly revealed.

I love suspense books. and even more so when it's a good thriller like this one. I enjoyed the concept of being part of the investigation and trying to find out who the murderer is. This book brought out my detective side and that's why I give it 5 Stars.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow! Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter is a very original book. A man was murdered in an exclusive London neighborhood twenty years ago, and the case has remained unsolved. A television “true crime” show focuses on the case, and all kinds of information is reviewed, including voice mails, texts, and maps. The reader feels as if they are part of the investigative team! This book had me from page 1, and I really enjoyed it!

Oh wow! Cara Hunter's new book, Murder in the Family, is crazy good!

Why? Well, first up is the style used in telling the tale. It's an epistolary novel - not bits of it, but all of it!

The book is setup as a true crime show with six experts determined to solve a twenty year old cold case. Police reports, emails, memos, online chat rooms, interviews, memories, newspaper clippings, texts, messages, old photos, suppositions, clues and more are all there for the reader to see.

But - can you determine who the culprit is? I couldn't! Which is absolutely fine with me. I truly enjoy being unable to solve a mystery book. Hunter makes it very difficult to solve, with multiple twists and turns that change the direction of the investigation. Fantastic!

There is a large cast of characters in Murder in the Family. There's a detailed bio for each of the prime characters at the beginning of the book. I had to refer to it at first, but I came to 'know' them all as the book progressed. There's a wide variety of personalities. Some will rub you the wrong way, others are know-it-all, some are secretive and more....

Murder in the Family was a treat to read. Addictive, clever and unique. Loved it.

Filmmaker and director Guy Howard was only 10 years old when his stepfather Luke Ryder was murdered in the posh garden of his London home. The police were never able to solve the crime. Now 20 years later, hoping to gain closure, Guy decides to shed new light on the case in a true crime docuseries.

Talk about a truly clever and fantastic novel 🤯 I loved the Netflix documentary style of the story as each “episode” reveals a new twist. You become part of the investigation as you pick up clues in news articles, texts and voicemails, and online forums. Everyone has their secrets, including some of the experts, and the drama leaves you reeling. You’ll absolutely want to binge this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Phenomenal and highly original!

I am a natural skeptic of books that tend to have a "gimmick" and once again I am made the fool by it. Cara Hunter's absolute mastery of a plethora of moving parts and characters is at play in this novel. I was blown away by the exquisite and precise attention to detail. No space is wasted and each small inclusion is necessary for the big and little picture throughout the novel. Part behind-the-scenes, part documentary, part whirlwind mystery, this novel held me and my brain tight and refused to let go.

As an avid mystery/thriller reader, this novel is exclusive in its writing. I felt like a part of the detective team, catching each word, tone, and little morsel of evidence trying to come to my own conclusions and reading endlessly to see if I was right. It's like playing Clue! I had so much fun reading it!

Even with my enjoyment, I did have to stop reading at some points because the constant dialogue can feel a bit bogged down, especially with how the "chapters" are separated. Each has a lot of information (obviously) which, while understandable and not a big problem, required breaks in reading from me. That being the only drawback, this novel is 100% worth a read if you're even the slightest fan of mystery!

Follow the clues, watch your back, and see if you can catch the murderer by the end!

3.5 ⭐ rounded up. I gotta say that I think this book is best read with a physical copy. I do think the epistolary format was good BUT sometimes got a bit tedious. Being that I read it on my Kindle it was sometimes hard to keep track of things, and I was wanting to flip back to re-read parts. Other than that, I enjoyed this one. I really liked the idea of a Netflix documentary re-examining a cold case murder.

In 2003, the stepfather, Luke Ryder, of Guy Howard (acclaimed filmmaker, age 10 at the time) was murdered in his home. Guy's mother and two step sisters were in the house at the time and all swear that they saw nothing. After all of the police investigations and media attention, the case was never solved. Now, Netflix is running a series called INFAMOUS. They will do a deep dive into the case. The production team re-examines the evidence and testimony, and re-interview the witnesses. The family speaks and the key players are reunited on camera. They will get to the bottom of what happened that fateful night.

Out NOW.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. . All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun, unique murder mystery. It is told through episodes of a true crime documentary, interspersed with voicemails, emails, newspaper articles, and other sources of media. It plays out just like a documentary would. I could visualize everything because of the way it’s laid out in the book. It was a fun ride, for sure.

I would recommend the physical copy because unless you can enlarge the pictures in your e-reader, the mixed media can be very hard to read. While I didn’t listen to the audio I think things would get lost in translation in that format.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Read if you like:
Books featuring mixed media
The Jinx
True crime

Murder in the family is a twisty story. I love reading a book that’s set up like a pod cast. Guy wants to find out who murder his step dad Luke. 23 years have past and Luke’s killer was never found. Everyone’s got secrets . I feel like like
This was a great story a little drawn out but totally worth the read.,

Thanks to William Morrow for the eARC.
What an absolutely fun book this was. I really liked mixed media books, and this one is written as a TV show trying to figure out who killed Luke Ryder twenty years ago. I found the script, texts, voicemails, and emails all to be such a unique way to tell a murder mystery story. It was easy to get caught up in the plot, too, because Hunter timed her reveals so well that I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen. I don't want to say too much though because this is one that should be on your TBR and you should want to be surprised right along with the characters. Definitely one of the most memorable books I've read this year - and I applaud her planning and storytelling.

I think this is a 4 star story, but I am giving an extra start because for me, the style elevates the book. However, I do see how the script-like feel could sway readers in the other direction, purely based on personal preference. I love the contemporary true crime Netflix show feel. I loved all the visuals like maps and Reddit threads. It really makes the novel unique and makes me feel like I am solving the crime right along side the experts. I did guess the culprit, but I really enjoyed every twist along the way to get to the murderer. I think the very end is fantastic, and I can’t wait for others to read this book so I can discuss it with someone.

Okay, i was obsessed with this format. As a voracious true crime reader/watcher, this was easy for me to follow as it felt like I was reading a podcast. I think this will be easier to read in a physical format because I am not sure how some of the charts and information will come across on an e-reader. I need to read more from Hunter immediately (if you have any favorites let me know!). And the ending? Oh man…

This book was something else!

I really enjoyed it, a murder being solved 20 years later. The format this is written in made the book! They are making a documentary about the murder to find that answers. There is email, text messages, voice mail, redirect post, and news clipping..

Because of the formating with all the extra fun stuff I will say a physical copy read of this would be 100% better

A murder that rocked a British family 20 years ago comes to light again in this documentary style novel by Cara Hunter. Luke Ryder was found dead by Guy Howard (now a critically acclaimed filmmaker) at age 10. This story follows his documentary piece for a streaming platform. All characters in this novel are the family of Guy and investigators of this cold case. Hunter introduces all investigators with their resumes & news articles.

The producer asks Guy what’s his reasoning behind creating this documentary of his own family life and reliving the death of his stepfather. His answer? “I want to find the truth. Whatever that truth may be.” I can say without spoiling, the truth does come out after many twists and turns.

My rating for this book was 2 stars for a few reasons. The story was VERY interesting. The dynamic of having a family member investigate a murder of their step parent and finding out in “real time” the identity of the killer was fascinating. But the way this novel was written wasn’t for me. It read like a movie script or if I was reading the closed captioning. I felt immersed, but still found myself skipping parts to get to the actual story.
This brings me to my second reason. After about halfway, it started to become predictable. I had a feeling who the killer was about 70% in. There was a lot of unnecessary drama included (which all characters do mention). Even one of the investigators comments “This is starting to sound way too like Big Brotherish for my liking” and I couldn’t agree more. It was like crime trash TV in book form.

Now, reading this, I thought it was going to be the setup of a normal novel. And to my surprise it wasn’t. The execution on HOW it’s written is good but it wasn’t written for my own liking. Hunter covers a lot of prejudices and how we as a society have changed in the last 20 years. I also feel like readers from the UK may understand the novel a little bit better? It was based in the UK, and some activities or society norms mentioned seemed far fetched to me. But that could be because I’m from the US.

Either way, this book appeals to the true crime lovers and those who binge (like myself) crime documentaries. It’s a good afternoon read, but the writing wasn’t a style I enjoyed.

Thank you William Morrow Paperbacks, NetGalley, and Cara Hunter for the access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This review is also posted to my blog @ BooksBestiesBooze

eARC Review: Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter

Pub Date: September 19th 2023

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an early copy of this book to review!

My Thoughts: While browsing on Netgalley, I came across this book and the premise of it immediately intrigued me. It follows a group of investigators that are being filmed for a tv show about them solving a 20 year cold case. A cold case the the director himself wants solved, as the victim was his Step Father.

I thought that the author did a great job implementing mixed media into the telling of the story. It made for a quick and suspenseful read! I personally loveeee mixed media stories, it makes the story so much more engaging. A majority of the book is dialogue since we are reading the investigators piece together the case, which I loved. It honestly felt like I was reading the script of one of those csi-type tv shows. I thought the writing was great and the mystery itself had me guessing until the end. I was able to solve it by the end of the book but I thought the author did a good job stringing the reader along.

If you are a lover of mixed media, true crime, and mystery novels I think you will enjoy this book! I can’t wait to get a finished copy myself.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. When a man is found dead in his home, the police were never able to find out who did it. Cold case individuals try to determine who did it. This book lagged at times