Hope to Die

Product Information

This is a good story for Fawley, who comes across as having a new lease of life and it was fun getting an insight into his thoughts on this particular case and giving an interview about it, as well as the dynamic between the members of his team. When the police arrive and knock at the door,at first no one answers then the door is opened by pensioner Richard. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019. Thankfully Cara Hunter was kind enough to entertain me and answer my questions and tell me – politely – to read the acknowledgements section. I think the ending was supposed to be a shock so was a bit disappointed because it really wasn't at all.

I love giving my readers different ways to explore the story and I'm such a geek that I do all my artwork myself. As she did with the previous novel, Cara Hunter provides a little background précis of the central characters at the start of the book, which shows wonderful practical consideration for her audience.The homeowners, elderly couple Richard and Margaret Swann claim he broke in and Richard shot him in self defence. As the team dig deeper they soon discover that this was far from a burglary gone wrong and may have connections to one of the country’s most infamous crimes. As the police investigate we discover the Swann's are indeed hiding a secret from their past and are not the bland couple they appear to be. The author helpfully provides a little background of the central characters at the start of the book, a great touch which shows thoughtfulness to her audience.

As the story goes on it is easy to actually feel kind of sorry for Richard, while Margaret was harder to read and definitely seemed to be holding something back. This is the sixth in Cara Hunter’s Oxford based crime thrillers featuring DI Adam Fawley and this time Hunter turns away from the domestic worries of her regular cast and sticks firmly to the mystery in hand. Cara Hunter's latest offering is a cracking addition to her Oxford based DI Adam Fawley series, it is packed with her trademark insertions in the narrative that include police interview transcripts, social media comments, psychiatric reports, details of a 2016 Netflix investigation, phone conversations, online media reports and Wikipedia entries. For any prospective readers who may find themselves in a similar situation, I am pleased to tell you that you can simply pick this series up at this point without it having any adverse effect on your enjoyment. The people involved also seem plausible – the police team are well-developed as separate characters (and there’s even a cast list with back-stories at the front of the book if you need a hand).they make some shocking discoveries and my jaw literally drops on occasions and possibly the odd little naughty may be uttered at some of the explosive revelations. I don't give out many 5-star ratings for book reviews, but "Hope to Die" fully deserves that top mark.

It’s good to see that Fawley is in a much better place than in the previous book, where he was being framed for a shocking crime. The writing is often informal as it contains some light-hearted moments in a way that it is almost sharing a private joke with the reader, which is particularly enjoyable if you are familiar with all the books in the series. Creepy, disturbing, exciting, fast-paced, with a high level of suspense maintained throughout, culminating in an explosive, satisfying conclusion. Cara Hunter's characterisation was tremendous and certainly not neglected in favour of the plot or anything else. Rather than synopsize this book I'm going to recommend you read the blurb or just go in blind and don't read too many reviews ahead of time.

Overall, this a brilliant book that might just claim the honour of being the best DI Fawley novel to date, thanks to a case that proves impossible to get out of your head and impressive steps forward in character development. What at first seems like an easy case of an intruder being shot by an elderly man in his home, turns into a complex and twisty case that has links to a high profile case of convicted child killer, Camilla Rowan. An all round winner, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book, and the entire series, to mystery, crime, thriller, psychological suspense, domestic drama, and police procedural fans.