Skip to main content

Book Review: Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

 


Book: Murder in the Family

Author: Cara Hunter 

Pages: 470

Read on: Kindle

Read in: ~5 hours 

Plot Summary: 

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION 

LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED 

In October 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera. 

Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

Or does the truth lie closer to home?

Can you solve the case before they do? 

The truth will blow your mind.


General Thoughts: If there is only ONE Crime Fiction/ Thriller book you read this year, make it this one! :) Now, on to the review. 


Things I Liked: 


1. The premise had me at hello! A cold case, a murder of a much younger step-father, no solid leads, promise of a messed up/ interesting family dynamic, told in a documentary style format- what is not to love?! 


2. The book is well-written, fast-paced and even though it is told in a documentary-ish style, with conversations, interviews, text messages and newspaper clips that move that story forward, the reader gets a good sense of each of the main characters in the story- both the members of the Howard family and the six experts working on solving the cold case. 


3. There are multiple twists and turns as one goes down the 'episodes' of the documentary and each of these reveals are quite shocking and you most likely won't see them coming! 


4. The investigation undertaken by the team of experts -two cops (one British, one American), a psychologist, a lawyer and a journalist - is realistic and nothing that the cops in 2003 couldn't have done. A lot of the new information found is shocking, interesting and only very slightly predictable. The book does make several digs at the inefficiency of the Met cops for some reason :).


5. The book is atmospheric and an absolute edge-of-the-seat page turner! Get started on it on a Friday night and read late into the night! I promise you, you'll not regret it! :) 


Rating: 5/5 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a