Cara Hunter

Murder in the Family

SIX EPISODES. ONE KILLER.

It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder's murder has never been solved. Guy Howard's mother and two half-sisters were in the house at the time of the murder--but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget...

Now comes the sensational new Netflix series Infamous, dedicated to investigating--and perhaps cracking--this famous cold case. The production team will re-examine testimony, re-interview witnesses, and once again scour the evidence. The family will speak. The key players will be reunited--on camera. The truth will come out.

A Novel

There were so many unexpected twists. I had to put the book down and process it for a minute. But there were some things - the killer for one, that I saw coming from a mile away. Still enjoyed this book so much. Don't know if it is realistic. But I did not expect it to be realistic. I just wanted it to entertain me - which it did wonderfully, so five whole stars for it. Loved the mixed media style as well. 

nuha ✨️

Loved the unique style and twists and turns. I expected some, some I didn’t. Dragged on in some places and the actual killer - while a surprise - the way they killed kinda ruined that amazing plot twist. Only reason a four for me.

Megan Lown

Isabella 

there were twists that made me gasp. end is kinda predictable, but still had an amazing reading experience. contrary to what others say, i liked the unique format of this book.

I loved the style of this, with the newspaper clippings, voice messages and just general transcript-ness of it. The plot was good, with lots of twists and turns, and the characters well-formed whilst being entirely unlikeable.

That being said, it really did seem like the author lacked direction when writing this, with convenient plot points and surprise deceptions being a huuuuge part of the plot line. The byline of the book says "One body. Six experts. Can you solve the case before they do?" But then literally makes it impossible for the reader to gain any insight into the true backgrounds of the people involved. 

AAAAND to top it all off, when we finally find our murderer, the author gives him some bs excuse of not remembering ever committing the crime. 

Kate B-L

I loved the style of this, with the newspaper clippings, voice messages and just general transcript-ness of it. The plot was good, with lots of twists and turns, and the characters well-formed whilst being entirely unlikeable.

That being said, it really did seem like the author lacked direction when writing this, with convenient plot points and surprise deceptions being a huuuuge part of the plot line. The byline of the book says "One body. Six experts. Can you solve the case before they do?" But then literally makes it impossible for the reader to gain any insight into the true backgrounds of the people involved. 

AAAAND to top it all off, when we finally find our murderer, the author gives him some bs excuse of not remembering ever committing the crime. 

marissa 

I loved reading "Murder in the Family" by Cara Hunter for several reasons. One because it was a story laid out in a different format than what we, as readers, are used to normally. The plot unfolded in a series of filming episodes that Nick (the producer) who is one of the characters in the book, set up so as to allow a group of experts to work out a cold case concerning a murder that happened in Guy Howard's childhood. Guy Howard was the director of the so-called film series entitled, "Showrunner," who volunteered to have his family life put under the microscope for close examination of possible witnesses, suspects, etc. that this group of experts could find and interview.

My second reason for liking this book concerned the clashing personalities of the expert professionals who were hired to work out the case (one a lawyer, one a journalist, one a detective, etc.) and how the author conveyed their opinions/perspectives concerning the crime at hand to the reader while touching upon the themes of honesty, professional and personal integrity, faithfulness, and the boundaries of when to intervene when a life is at stake. The characters' interactions played out nicely in the story particularly since each person had their own connection to the case and the clashes between them were conveyed with realistic potency. I felt like I was in the story with these characters and not just reading it which made the book a hit for me. I was thoroughly gripped right to the very end.

In conclusion, for me and I think for other readers as well, there was always the question arising, "okay, what next..." and "okay, where is this character leading me..." leaving us on the edge of our seats in anticipation of the evolving storyline. I cannot say how immensely enjoyable it was to find out who killed Luke Ryder which only came to light through the different twists and turns of the novel.

Thank you, Cara Hunter, for this wonderful book, and I hope to read more of your novels in the future.

Stavroula Kalantzis

I loved reading "Murder in the Family" by Cara Hunter for several reasons. One because it was a story laid out in a different format than what we, as readers, are used to normally. The plot unfolded in a series of filming episodes that Nick (the producer) who is one of the characters in the book, set up so as to allow a group of experts to work out a cold case concerning a murder that happened in Guy Howard's childhood. Guy Howard was the director of the so-called film series entitled, "Showrunner," who volunteered to have his family life put under the microscope for close examination of possible witnesses, suspects, etc. that this group of experts could find and interview.

My second reason for liking this book concerned the clashing personalities of the expert professionals who were hired to work out the case (one a lawyer, one a journalist, one a detective, etc.) and how the author conveyed their opinions/perspectives concerning the crime at hand to the reader while touching upon the themes of honesty, professional and personal integrity, faithfulness, and the boundaries of when to intervene when a life is at stake. The characters' interactions played out nicely in the story particularly since each person had their own connection to the case and the clashes between them were conveyed with realistic potency. I felt like I was in the story with these characters and not just reading it which made the book a hit for me. I was thoroughly gripped right to the very end.

In conclusion, for me and I think for other readers as well, there was always the question arising, "okay, what next..." and "okay, where is this character leading me..." leaving us on the edge of our seats in anticipation of the evolving storyline. I cannot say how immensely enjoyable it was to find out who killed Luke Ryder which only came to light through the different twists and turns of the novel.

Thank you, Cara Hunter, for this wonderful book, and I hope to read more of your novels in the future.

Easily the best book I've read all year! So many twists and turns and trying to figure out who did it added to it. I could not put this book down at all

Murder in the Family

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