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A review by bizarrebrunette
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
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? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 stars
Successful filmmaker, Guy Howard, was 10 when his step-father, Luke Ryder was murdered. The murder has gone unsolved for close to 20 years. Guy decides enough is enough and partners with a TV producer to launch a six-episode series reinvestigating the crime. Guy wants the truth, that's all that matters to him. In six episodes, readers will become hyperfocused on the crime, the secrets, and who could gain from Luke's death. Can you solve the crime or are you simply along for the ride?
This is unlike any book I have ever read. Murder in the Family reminds me of a read-along version of one of those "Hunt a Killer" boxes. Instead of being written like a typical book, there are news articles, images, and other illustrated clues throughout the story. Most of the dialogue is from the TV episode scripts of the six experts they have hired to help investigate. I wasn't expecting this when I originally picked up the book, but I loved it and would love to read more thrillers in this format.
As for the story, I was immediately hooked. It's not often that I stay up till midnight reading a book. I finished this book in a few days and towards the end of the day, I couldn't wait to pick up this book and continue where I left off. Any book that feels addicting will automatically be a book that I rate highly even if I'm not a fan of how the story plays out.
With that said, I liked the first half of the story. The first reveal was a jaw-dropper.Luke Ryder wasn't Luke Ryder at all. He was a con man. Born Jonah McKenna, he faked his death in Canada. From there, he took on the identity of Eric Fulton, a man murdered in New York. Finally, he met the real Luke Ryder in Beirut when a car bomb went off. Luke died, but Eric took on Luke's identity. I was not expecting that and it added so much to the mystery of who could have killed him. It changed the original investigation and opened up new motives for why someone would want Luke dead. I felt the second half of the book and the killer reveals to be lackluster in comparison. So you think that fake Luke would have someone from his past who killed him? Oh no, Guy as a 10-year-old killed Luke for no other reason than he hated him? Guy has no recollection of this. His sister, Amelie, covered it up. There's no point in writing that Luke is a Con Man if he ends up being murdered by a family member. It felt like a waste of a reveal to me. I mentioned the similarity between this book and the "Hunt a Killer" boxes. I have completed some of the "Hunt a Killer" boxes where the killer reveal seems out of place and I'd put Murder in a Family in that category.
The characters aren't the focus, yet they end up playing a big role in the end. I felt this to be a bit implausible as well as forced. All 6 investigators have a connection to the case. Bill is a PI who knew Luke Ryder wasn't Luke Ryder before the show was filmed. Alan's sister was conned by the fake Luke. Those 2 connections were fine, the others, not so much. Mitchell was having sex with Maura, Guy's sister when she was underage. Hugo was having an affair with Caroline, Luke's wife, and Guy's mom. Laila's brother was killed by a drunk driver who was believed to be killed by the real Luke before his identity was stolen. Finally, JJ is believed to have been Caroline's son before she had Guy. I think it was interesting that some of the investigators had information about the crime, I don't think they all had to be involved, it got to be too much OH and on top of that, I can't believe Hugo wouldn't admit that he had an affair with Caroline. The investigation focused on "Caroline's Mystery Man" and he didn't think to come out and be honest. C'mon. All the connections to the original crime were a bit much towards the end.
I'm glad I read this! I thought this was a fast read and I looked forward to reading this book to figure out what truly happened to Luke. If this author writes more books in this format in the future, I'd read them in a heartbeat.
Successful filmmaker, Guy Howard, was 10 when his step-father, Luke Ryder was murdered. The murder has gone unsolved for close to 20 years. Guy decides enough is enough and partners with a TV producer to launch a six-episode series reinvestigating the crime. Guy wants the truth, that's all that matters to him. In six episodes, readers will become hyperfocused on the crime, the secrets, and who could gain from Luke's death. Can you solve the crime or are you simply along for the ride?
This is unlike any book I have ever read. Murder in the Family reminds me of a read-along version of one of those "Hunt a Killer" boxes. Instead of being written like a typical book, there are news articles, images, and other illustrated clues throughout the story. Most of the dialogue is from the TV episode scripts of the six experts they have hired to help investigate. I wasn't expecting this when I originally picked up the book, but I loved it and would love to read more thrillers in this format.
As for the story, I was immediately hooked. It's not often that I stay up till midnight reading a book. I finished this book in a few days and towards the end of the day, I couldn't wait to pick up this book and continue where I left off. Any book that feels addicting will automatically be a book that I rate highly even if I'm not a fan of how the story plays out.
With that said, I liked the first half of the story. The first reveal was a jaw-dropper.
The characters aren't the focus, yet they end up playing a big role in the end. I felt this to be a bit implausible as well as forced.
I'm glad I read this! I thought this was a fast read and I looked forward to reading this book to figure out what truly happened to Luke. If this author writes more books in this format in the future, I'd read them in a heartbeat.