Wednesday 15 January 2020

Book Review: All the Rage by Cara Hunter



Book: All the Rage

Author: Cara Hunter

Pages: 416

Read on: Kindle

Read in: ~3 hours

Plot Summary: A teenage girl is found wandering the outskirts of Oxford, dazed and distressed. The story she tells is terrifying. Grabbed off the street, a plastic bag pulled over her face, then driven to an isolated location where she was subjected to what sounds like an assault. Yet she refuses to press charges.

DI Fawley investigates, but there's little he can do without the girl's co-operation. Is she hiding something, and if so, what? And why does Fawley keep getting the feeling he's seen a case like this before?

And then another girl disappears, and Adam no longer has a choice: he has to face up to his past. Because unless he does, this victim may not be coming back. 


Things I Liked:

1. This book is gripping from the very first page. A man is stalking a young woman as she gets ready to leave the house with her friends for her Hen's Night. We don't know his exact intentions (rape or murder or worse), but it can't be anything good! The story then jumps to present day where an 18 year old fashion design student is found wandering down a deserted road in torn clothes by a cab driver. Who attacked her and why does neither she nor her mum want to press any charges? From here on, this book is a non-stop ride of twists and turns! 

2. I liked how the multiple mysteries gradually unfold in this book. As a reader, you are never kept hanging for too long about why something happened or what had happened in the past. For instance, the MO used to hurt Faith (the 18 year old found wandering) was the same as that of a serial rapist dubbed as the Roadside Rapist, so, you wonder what that case was all about and the author doesn't make you wonder for too long because apart from the current narrative, we get to read the trial transcripts of the Roadside Rapist's trial in 1999. 

3. There are plenty of good red herrings and you keep wondering who this criminal is and why are they doing what they are doing, but the author does a great job of keeping us distracted while also offering some clues on who the real killer could be- a balance that one seldom finds in books of this genre. 

4. There were some good, inspiring, likeable characters in this book. I quite liked the Thames Valley CID team. This is the fourth book in the series with these characters, but I never felt like I didn't know or understand what was happening. The book is a stand-alone in that sense. All the cop characters are quite likeable and we are shown little (when relevant) glimpses into their lives, which is always a good thing. 

5. The real killer and the motive behind the killing are both interesting. There is a hat tip to something which, possibly, a lot of us crime/ thriller genre readers love doing and it will give you a giggle or two. Not going to say anymore, you will know what I mean when you read the book. 

6. In spite of being 400 pages plus, this is a fast-paced book. Also, there are no dull chapters. Everything is tied well together to the central mystery and I really appreciate that. 

Things I Didn't Like: Nothing much. 

Rating: 4.5/5 

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