Reviews - Murder in the Family

4.87k reviews for:

Murder in the Family

Cara Hunter

3.8 AVERAGE

kristynharrington's review

5.0

i am frothing and foaming at the mouth i need more books like this NOOOOWWWWWW

jnvreads's review against another edition

4.5

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter - Rating: 4.5/5⭐️

In December of 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead with his head bashed in after a distressed call in from his stepdaughter. Despite the media circus that encompassed the high profile case, no suspect was ever convicted, making it a cold case. 20 years later, Guy Howard, stepson of Luke Ryder and film-maker leads a new documentary series opening up the case. Reexamining old testimonies, re-interviewing witnesses, and scouring old evidence. As the camera comes out maybe the true killer will too.

LIKES:

👍🏾 The different formats encompassed in the book. From the resumes, text messages, emails, episode logs, newspaper clippings, and chat platforms online. It provided a vivid, realistic portrayal of the surroundings, clues, reactions, and inner turmoils of each character. Also allowing breathing room for the reader to investigate for themselves right along with the crew. It was my favorite part of the whole book.

👍🏾 There were multiple unexpected and truly surprising twists and turns. It left the mystery behind Luke’s killing to be very compelling. And kept me guessing up until the very end.

DISLIKES:

👎🏾 There were some confusing moments wrapped up in all of the characters, facts, and theories about the murder. Just because there was a lot of information dumping going on.

👎🏾 The ending was kind of abrupt. There was so much build up and details following who finished off Luke Ryder (who I guessed from the very beginning but it was still fun to find out fully) that when we got to the actual person, the book quickly skimmed over it. It left me feeling dissatisfied after how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. Bringing my rating from a 5 to 4.5 star.

Overall, I really enjoyed the unique concept of this book. It really felt like watching a true crime documentary. I wish I could’ve elevated my experience by buying it in physical copy since there was a lot going on, but I still loved the take on the genre and story regardless. If the ending would’ve wrapped up better this would’ve been a 5 star read all around.

alidathealien's review

5.0

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

*chefs kiss* the perfect amount of twists, legitimately unputdownable towards the end

I really enjoyed the TV show format, it never felt like it was dragging.

My only gripe is that it's pretty impossible to "solve it before" the characters, as key evidence isnt introduced until the very end. But that's more of a problem with marketing, I think!