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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A murder mystery told through episodes? Count me in!
Cara Hunter’s Murder in the Family is a gripping epistolary thriller that feels like binge-watching a true crime series—with all the twists, red herrings, and cliff-hangers you’d expect from TV… but on the page.
I’ve always had a soft spot for epistolary formats, and this one absolutely delivered a fresh and immersive experience.
I read the physical copy and honestly—highly recommend you do the same. The layout with transcripts, emails, texts, and news clippings is just so much more fun and way less confusing in print.
From the get-go, the story pulled me in. It’s structured like an 8-episode crime docu-series rather than traditional chapters.
Hunter sprinkles red herrings and introduces a lot of suspects, which kept me second-guessing everything. Solving this cold 20-year-old case? Yeah… easier said than done.
I’ll admit, a couple episodes slowed down a bit for me in the middle. But then—bam! A small detail would jolt me back into alert mode.
Each episode ends with a killer twist (shoutout to episode 3 for truly shocking me), and the final two episodes? Wild.
Overall, Murder in the Family is a clever, wildly entertaining read that I devoured.
It’s a standalone, but hopefully Cara Hunter decides to write another like it—I’d grab it without hesitation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Dementia, Car accident
The book started off very slow for me and I didn’t think I was going to like it. However, it ended up being a fun read with a lot of twists! Something different from the usual murder thrillers out there.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
I don’t think this works well as an audiobook. Maybe I’ll try again physically another time
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book had an incredibly slow start that I almost dropped it entirely. The last episodes were a burst of plot twists and revelations. Quite the page turner
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
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