Reviews with content warning for Grief - Murder in the Family

Twenty years ago, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home, where he lived with his wife and three stepchildren. Years on, and still no one knows who is responsible for his brutal murder. Now, a group of experts are coming together to cover the case on a true-crime show, and they are determined to get to the bottom of it - no matter what.

I really enjoy mystery/thrillers but I have to admit, this one isn’t very high up the list. I loved the fact that the story was told in a very unique way, episode by episode, almost like a script. While the idea of it was great, and the execution decent, I think it had a negative impact on the connection I felt to the characters.m, because unfortunately, there wasn’t really any.

The killer was quite predictable in my opinion, but I think given the victim and crime, their wasn’t too many options. Also, I found the reasoning and motivation for the crime that be anticlimactic and disappointing.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book, however, it’s not one for me unfortunately.

Content Warnings

kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

abigaelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

fengxin's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

i adore books in an unusual formatting and this one delivered at every turn. the characterization was incredible and with a cast this wide it's a testament to the author's talent that they all managed to feel so real. i felt like i was watching an actual tv show, the way the forums and even spoiler free review articles were included made it even more so. the plot wasn't the greatest but the twists and the way they each were presented kept me absolutely hooked. i couldn't put this book down.

the way the entire team was connected in some way to the story, i was losing my mind every time a new link was revealed. mitchell being a pedophile? god that one hurt i really liked him; and laila with the "did she love you?" pissed me off so bad. she was 15, he was 21, he should be in prison. as for the big reveal, i thought it was one of the sisters but for it to be guy? i was baffled.

overall, a good book.

Content Warnings

monicalaurette's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This story intrigued me from the first time I heard the concept, following along with a true crime show and trying to find the killer first? I love it. I also love mix media books so it was a fun little read.

Following along with the case and all its turns almost gave me whiplash and I can safely say I was not able to find out the killer before the experts did.

..but then again they learned at the same time as me so they didn't really win either

I was so sure it was one of the sisters...never suspected it wasn't them once it was all coming to a close but it made so much sense

REBECCA NO lmao

Content Warnings

infjkiki's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

Told in a multi-media format styled after a true crime documentary, MURDER IN THE FAMILY follows six experts trying to solve the cold case murder of Luke Ryder, who was killed in the garden of his expensive estate twenty years prior.

This was the May pick for my book club, and for some reason I was really hesitant to pick it up—probably because it wasn’t a book that was on my radar before it was chosen. Fortunately, once I finally read it I was pleasantly surprised! I found this one super enjoyable and entertaining the whole way through, LOVED the format (though heads up that I feel like this one would be VERY difficult to follow on audio and I’m glad I went with the ebook), and overall got relatively invested in the story.

I did feel like parts of the plot were very predictable and I saw all of the twists coming. I also thought the ending was a bit too “easy”—and honestly I wrote an entire alternate whodunit in my head that I like more.

Still, if you want a fun quick mystery, I would recommend this one, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with book club!

CW: Death/death of parent/murder; statutory rape; mentions of hate crimes, racism, and homophobia

Content Warnings

wishyouweresober's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Content Warnings

More...