Cara Hunter's The Whole Truth is a masterclass in intricate plotting and character development. This latest installment in the DI Adam Fawley series delves into a complex case of sexual assault on a university campus.

While the novel is a thought-provoking exploration of consent, power dynamics, and the blurred lines of truth, it also offers a glimpse into the personal lives of the characters, adding depth and complexity to the narrative.

To get the most out of this book it is necessary to read the previous book in the series, All the Rage. In fact to appreciate the background of the detective team led by Adam Fawley, you really should start with the first book, Close to Home. Cara Hunter is a wonderful storyteller. This mystery series is complex but not over the top with twists for the sake of twists. The foreboding atmosphere builds until the satisfying conclusion. several loose ends involving Somers and some of the other members of the team will likely be addressed in the next book in the series. I can't wait. And my reader friends must be tired of listening to me rave about this author.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

DI Adam Fawley and his team are assigned to a sexual assault case at one of the colleges of Oxford. A student has made a complaint against an influential professor, but the details of the case take Adam and his team by surprise. This investigation is complex enough on its own, but things get even more complicated for the detectives when another case comes up that hits closer to home. Loyalties will be tested in this case in which an old grudge against Fawley poses a new threat.

This is the fifth book in the DI Adam Fawley series, but if you’re a new reader, there’s a helpful character guide at the beginning of the book. The assault case takes so many twists and turns that even the experienced detectives start getting confused, but it’s never boring. The story is made even more interesting by the inclusion of multimedia items such as police reports, newspaper articles, and online message boards. There are also several transcripts from a podcast whose goal is to overturn what they see as miscarriages of justice. This podcast plays a big role in the second case Fawley’s team must deal with. The direction that case takes almost derailed the whole book for me, but it gets back on track thanks to information the team receives from an unexpected source.

I like this author’s writing style and found both cases to be tense and suspenseful. The story held my interest from beginning to end. Both cases are wrapped up in dramatic ways, but I was hoping for more information on how the aftermath affected the main characters. I’m hoping the next book in the series may address some of my questions. If you’re looking for a twisty, procedural thriller, The Whole Truth is the book for you. Be sure to read the epilogue for one final shocking revelation!

~ Christine

A Surprising Twist

4.25 stars

The Whole Truth is the fifth book in the DI Adam Fawley series and can be read as a standalone. This installment focuses on a sexual assault case, a murder, and a criminal recently released from prison intent on revenge.

The novel opens with Fawley called in to handle a delicate case of a “he said/she said” sexual assault involving a faculty member and a student. At the same time, Gavin Parrie, notorious rapist linked to Fawley and his pregnant wife, Alex, has been released from prison, and a podcast titled “The Whole Truth” begins airing touting Parrie’s innocence. Lastly, a murder occurs that winds up having enormous consequences for Fawley and his team. Needless to say, a lot is going on, but it all comes together in a satisfying and surprising way.

There are so many different layers and angles in this novel manifested through the various cases. The multimodal narrative includes podcasts, newspaper articles, testimonies, and traditional chapters.

This is a slow-burn read that might require patience at the start, but as the plot develops, it becomes unputdownable.

What makes this a standout is the character dynamics of Fawley's team, which are brought to light when one of their own is accused of doing something unthinkable. There are a lot of twists and turns, and one of them threw me for a loop. I have a few lingering questions, but I am confident they will be answered in the next installment, Hope to Die

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

🥂 BOOK / REVIEW 🥂

@carahunterauthor is back with another BANGER! #thewholetruth was quite an intriguing book, and while I have mentioned in the past that these can be read as standalone, this is the first in the series where you should absolutely read the book prior to this (#alltherage) or you will be completely lost.

The series is worth reading in order and in its entirety because the character development is just so good. I loved that Hunter added a "whose who" at the beginning of the book because there are a lot of names to keep straight. This would be great if someone takes time off between books as a refresher (unlike me who has read them all within days of each other 🤣).

This book has 2 storylines, which threw me off a bit at first. I had no idea how they would affect each other, and for the most part, they didn't. The whole truth focused on bringing justice to a case where everyone was convinced it was wrongdoing, so we had quite a bit of closure.

I will admit that this wasn't my favorite of the series, but I still loved it! You cannot go wrong with this series or author if you love #crimefiction. Onto the next installment 🙈. Thank you, @penguinrandomhouse, for my #gifted copy. OUT NOW!!

This popular UK series is being released in chunks stateside. With the release of The Whole Truth, books 3 through 5 are now available. If the rest of them are anything like this one, sign me up - if Harlan Coben wrote a police series it might be something like this insanely readable and provoking book. Hunter, in golden age style, provides a precis of the characters at the beginning to aid the reader coming late to the series in getting up to speed. It remained a helpful reference as I sorted characters mentally.

The book has a fascinating premise. The case that opens the narrative involves a call from a swanky, formerly all-women’s college at the edge of Oxford, and it’s to be handled with kid gloves, so despite the fact that Fawley is at home with his very pregnant wife, he is the one who heads out along with his team. He is the one who ends up talking alone to the high up college admin, and he’s the one who discovers that the accused is a young, flashy female professor who teaches AI, and the victim, one of her male grad students.

The young man goes through the whole rape examination just as a woman would, complete with photographs, swabs and intrusive questions, though the women handling him could not be kinder. You are forced to adjust your preconceptions as you follow this case. The professor in question does indeed seem incredibly entitled. There are some physical clues that point to an assault as well as some physical clues in other forms throughout the house. The detectives have enough questions to make it a thorough investigation.

The home lives of the detectives play a part in the story as well, and the home life of Fawley powers the other threads. One involves a rapist recently released from prison, who went in vowing revenge of Fawley and maintaining his innocence. Adam’s pregnant wife, Alex, is certain she’s being watched, though she’s reassured by everyone that there’s no way the rapist could have slipped his monitoring device and turned up down the street from her home.

Adam is all in on the Oxford rape case and he’s all in when there’s a murder about halfway through the novel, and the outcome of this murder involves him extremely personally. I’ll try not to give anything else away, though as this novel has been out in the UK for several years it’s possible to find information on the story should you choose to look. But really, just read the book – you won’t be disappointed.
The story is told not just through straight up narrative, which shifts points of view between various members of the squad, but also through text messages, emails, handwritten notes, and the script of a podcast looking into the possible innocence and wrong imprisonment of the rapist. While this sounds complicated – and it is complex – it’s never confusing. If you’ve ever watched a Law & Order episode, you should have no trouble following the story. Hunter writes like she’s on fire, and I could not stop reading.

This is also a really interesting look at perceptions of reality. Public, private, social media-based perceptions – every player in the story has a bit of the “whole truth” but not all of it. The police investigation relies as much as anything else on perceptions as well and as you’ll see, the crime narratives constructed by police based on evidence and interviews, is not always the whole truth or even the correct one. This was a fascinating, compelling read. If you are a fan of police novels, snap it up.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy.

The Whole Truth is the fifth book in the Adam Fawley series, and I can’t stop binging this series! Great procedural with tons of red herrings, and we get to know some of the side characters a little better. On to the next one!

The Whole Truth is the third DI Adam Fawley novel that I have read. Cara Hunter does a terrific job creating characters and plots and margin details that all work together to tell a story. The characters are the part of this series that speaks loudest. Even the most minor characters receive a deep dive into their motivations. Initially I was irritated at the narrative interruptions regarding the documentary, but then as I got closer to finishing The Whole Truth, I realized that those interruptions included one very important clue and that their purpose was essential to solving a significant mystery. As always in these Cara Hunter novels, all the clues are hiding in plain sight. Readers just have to recognize the clues when they appear.

Although there is much to like about The Whole Truth, the ending happens too quickly. Readers want to know about Zoe and that crowd of vicious students and if the truth emerges. Missing from the novel? I guess there is no justice, but are the police really that inept? Moreover, readers are anxious to see at least one DS get his comeuppance. What about that documentary maker, who is so vested in the truth? So vested that she does not even recognize the truth when she sees it? Where is the reader satisfaction that we all need and want? The epilogue is not enough, especially since justice does not happen. We need the rest of the story.

I want to thank the author, Publisher William Morrow, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The comments above include my honest assessment of The Whole Truth. I do recommend this Hunter novel. 4.5 stars.