Murder in the Family
By: Cara Hunter
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: William Morrow Paperacks
Pages: 480
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): SIX EPISODES. ONE KILLER.
It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.
Luke Ryder's murder has never been solved. Guy Howard's mother and two half-sisters were in the house at the time of the murder--but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.
But some murder cases are simply too big to forget...
Now comes the sensational new Netflix series Infamous, dedicated to investigating--and perhaps cracking--this famous cold case. The production team will re-examine testimony, re-interview witnesses, and once again scour the evidence. The family will speak. The key players will be reunited--on camera. The truth will come out.
Are you ready to see it?
First Impressions
I heard about this book on TikTok. The person described it as a murder mystery that you solve in real time along with the investigators. She then went on to talk about how unique the format was. I immediately added the book to my TBR, put it on hold at the library, and then get sad because it didn’t come out for 3 months.
What I thought
This book was so fun!
Infamous is a true crime documentary investigating a 20 year old murder. The step-son of the man that was murdered is a film maker and he is the one leading this forward with the Infamous director. This story is told in scripts from each episode. You get the information as the investigators who were selected for the show get the information. There are also chapters that are news articles, text messages, and internet message boards.
I couldn’t put this book down. It moved quickly and had more than one twist. It’s hard to say whether or not I liked any of the characters because there is a sense that you never truly get to know them, but I enjoyed their interactions on the show.
My only issue with this book is that it felt like there were one or two twists that were a bit too much. Like the end was twist after twist after twist to the point where I was like “really?” It did get me though! And if you know anything, you know that I judge mysteries on whether or not I was able to figure them out.
Personally, I loved the format. I thought it was well done. The only time it didn’t work for me was right at the end. I was left a little bit confused and wanted to confirm whether or not what I thought happened really did. I would definitely read more of these. But I do wish it had been able to address the negatives of true crime and the impacts on the families a little bit more.
I don’t want to say too much about this book because I don’t want to accidentally give anything away. The pace was quick and the story was well thought out. I will definitely go back and read some of Hunter’s earlier reads. If you enjoy murder mysteries and have been looking for something a little different, I highly recommend picking this one up.