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Reviews: Hope to Die (49)

Another cracking case for Adam Fawley

DI Adam Fawley and his team at Thames Valley Police are back and once again, Cara gives the reader another five star knockout read.

If you haven't read any other books by Cara Hunter, why not? You are missing out on some cracking books.

This can easily be read as a standalone. Reading the previous books would give you more of an insight into what has happened previously in Adam's life but at the start of this book there is a brief outline of all the characters as a reminder. This is great, even for someone who has read them all as it just gets the reader right back in to the lives of the characters.

Two police officers are called to a remote farmhouse where there is a gruesome dead body. The two elderly owners say he was a burglar and he was shot in self defence, but something doesn't add up.

It soon becomes clear that this is linked to a case from several years ago, but it's not going to be easy to solve.

I love the way Cara writes. Truly one of the best authors for writing police procedual novels. This is not only written in chapters from the point of view of the main characters, but also transcripts of police interviews, Twitter feeds, texts, newspaper clippings and a Netflix show. This is such a great addition. So much detail has gone into this book and it is very clear Cara has an excellent understanding of police procedure.

I really can't praise this enough and I can't wait for book number seven!

One of the easiest five star reads this year.
Paperback edition
By Nickeyh
18th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 16

Love Cara Hunter!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Cara Hunter is my favorite thriller author!! I love how her books have different formats: interviews, newspaper articles, etc. Suspense of these books are always so intense! So many twists, so many secrets, such suspense!! I am a little disappointed we didn't hear much about Fawley's wife and her baby, but in the next one! Highly recommended. Always five stars!
Paperback edition
21st July 2022
Helpful? Upvote 15

Brilliant book!

Another brilliant book from Cara Hunter. I was hooked from the start. Great writing, fast paced plot, what’s not to love, if you enjoy police procedurals, this is definitely for you. This is the sixth book in the series, but you don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this book. Thank you #netgalley
Paperback edition
18th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 14

Cracking thriller

What an absolutely cracking detctive thriller, once again from the pen of Cara Hunter. Poor Noah, maybe he should have been named Jonah in as much for the bad luck which surrounds him. Alas, he lived a short life and maybe if he had been less curious about his birth mother, he may have lived a longer one. The novel starts with the hook of a very nasty shooting, one where the victim is unrecognisable as most of his head has been removed courtesy of a shotgun. The circumstances appear to be that he was an intruder at an elederly couple's house but things don't quite tally and suspicion falls on the householder. Oxfordshire's finest, namely DC Adam Fawley and his team investigate. What follows is some great detective work and a plot which is very close to real life.
I have a few concerns though:
How on earth can a woman have three children without showing her pregnancy? Although I have heard of the odd case where the mother is as surprised as anyone from the birth.
Why wasn't more time spent searching for the plastic bag the old man disposed of in but a couple of minutes? 'Private drains' are very common in rural areas, plus there have been a number of cases where bodies (especially babies) have been found down them by the police.
How did Camilla know where this out of the way dumpster was and that it was partially full?
Putting the concerns to one side, I really do have to award it five stars as they did not detract from the story much.
As you can see I gave an honest review to my ARC. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance of reading such a good novel.
Paperback edition
21st July 2022
Helpful? Upvote 12

Fantastic and Suspenseful Book

I thoroughly enjoyed Hope to Die, the latest addition to the DI Adam Fawley series by Cara Hunter. I am a fan of this series and eagerly anticipate each installment. This is a testament to the author's skill in crafting such fast paced and engaging stories.

One of the strengths of this series of books is the well-drawn characters, and their consistency from book to book. DI Fawley is a complex main character, whilst also being very relatable. The supporting team members are also well-drawn and add depth to the story. I love the addition of the Fawley Files at the beginning of the books. It’s a helpful tool to keep track of these characters and their personalities before you start the new book.

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, as we follow DI Fawley and his team as they race against time to catch a dangerous kidnapper. The author does an excellent job of creating a sense of urgency and tension throughout the book. The plot is intricately woven, with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Overall, "Hope to Die" is a fantastic read that will appeal to fans of police procedurals and suspense thrillers, and keep them hooked. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced, engrossing read by a skilled author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin UK and Cara Hunter for a copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Paperback edition
23rd March 2023
Helpful? Upvote 11

The latest in this excellent series of Oxford based police procedurals

My thanks to Penguin U.K. Viking for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hope to Die’ by Cara Hunter.

This is Book 6 in Hunter’s series of Oxford based police procedurals featuring Detective Inspector Adam Fawley.

Hunter again opened the book with a short ‘previously on the Fawley files’ to serve as an introduction to the main characters for new readers or as a refresher for those, like myself, returning to the series. It was certainly appreciated.

This was a corker! Just a few plot details in order to avoid spoilers.

It opens on the evening of the 21st October 2018 with a 999 call. The police arrives at an isolated property outside of Oxford to find a body in the kitchen shot at point blank range.

While the incident initially seems to be a burglary gone wrong, DI Adam Fawley suspects there is something more going on. Then a shocking connection emerges to a high profile case from years ago….

Aside from the conventional narrative, Hunter livens things up by incorporating news reports, transcripts of interviews and the like.

This was an excellent and completely gripping crime thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Indeed, I have found the entire series amazingly good.

Highly recommended.
Paperback edition
27th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 11

Twists & Turns Galore!

Called out to an isolated farm in the middle of the night, Adam Fawley’s latest case involves an elderly couple and a dead body. Informed by the couple that, when faced with a burglar armed with a knife, he was shot, something just doesn’t feel right to the Detective Inspector and before long he and his team are involved in investigating a previous crime – and the surprises just keep on coming.

I’ve loved this series from the very beginning, but something about this one just didn’t sit well with me. I’m not sure what it was, but it took a while for me to settle with this sixth novel. The reports of the previous crime were in tiny print and it was irksome to continually have to alter the font size continually just as I was getting into the story. There is no doubt this is an awesome crime thriller, full of twists and turns galore and a riveting read but somehow it just didn’t feel the same as the rest of the series. Still, one I’m happy to recommend and give 4.5*.
Paperback edition
18th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 9

Another cracker

I have just finished the previous book in this series, The Whole Truth, and dived into this the 6th outing for DI Fawley and his team and, let me tell you, what a treat it is.

I have said it before and I will say it again, what an absolute cracker of a book this is and, once again, an excellent addition to this excellent series. Please be reassured that you don't have to have read the others as this works well as a standalone however, I recommend you do ... you won't be disappointed.

DI Fawley and his team are called after the violent death of an unidentified young man shot dead in an isolated farmhouse in an apparent burglary but things just don't add up and so begins a complex, challenging and thrilling investigation which uncovers secrets and lies and so, so much more.

Cara Hunter uses, very cleverly, other media to provide different perspectives to the story including Netflix and voicemail transcripts. This helps the story to flow and provides another element and makes it feel current and relevant. The only thing that I have a small quibble about is that some of this didn't work very well on my Kindle as it's quite small writing and I found myself constantly adjusting the font size but that may have been because I received an advance copy so I felt it was a small price to pay for what is an excellent addition to the way of telling the story.

Highly recommended to lovers of police procedurals with twists and turns that keep you guessing ... roll on number 7!

Many thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for enabling me to read Hope to Die and share my thoughts.
Paperback edition
14th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 7

Crime writing does not get any better

I remember reviewing the first book in the series and my review getting into the book. I have since followed everything that Cara has written and enjoyed the stories. I will say that this is the best one so far. I would say it is on another level to previous books and the characters are getting more and more developed and the storyline more creative. It had me guessing up to the end.
Cara Hunter is a crime novelist that is now at the top of her game and I can not recommend this highly enough. get it you will not be disappointed.
Paperback edition
By Tony
2nd August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 7

Twists, turns and revelations. I was enthralled throughout

'Absolutely brilliant' are the two words that sum up this fabulous novel. I loved every minute of it. I was a little bit sceptical at first because I'm hopeless when it comes to keeping account of numerous characters and I know there are quite a lot in here but Carla Hunter has been thoughtful enough to give a breakdown at the beginning of the book as to who is who and how they are connected which is always a great help until the reader gets fully into the story and can then identify each and every person easily. I have read other books in this series so remembered some of the characters but a reminder is always good. Despite it being part of a series the book can easily be read as a standalone so newcomers please grab a copy and read with confidence. I loved all the twists and turns, the emails, police transcripts, Netflix documentaries etc which all added to the intrigue. Just when I thought I was close to having the plot all sorted in my mind along came another offshoot taking me down another path with yet more startling revelations. Carla Hunter is so very talented and although her storylines are extremely clever they are never overly confusing and this multi faceted yet easy-to-read book kept me enthralled throughout. A massive, glittering five stars from me.
Paperback edition
18th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 6

Brilliant

This is the sixth book in the The DI Adam Fawley series, written by Cara Hunter, it can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading them from the beginning you will not be disappointed. This is a cleverly written police procedural thriller with great characters and intriguing story, defiantly can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Paperback edition
18th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 6

Favorite series

The DI Adam Fawley series is one of my favorite and each year I wait eagerly for a new book. Hope to Die is the sixth book in the series and it starts with a gunshot heard in an isolated farmhouse late at night. A passerby calls the police and when they arrive they find the body of a man killed by a gunshot. The elderly couple living there claims that they don’t know who he is and that he was shot in self-defense. It should be an easy case to solve, but the couple failed to call the police, cold cases are reopened, and dark secrets are revealed. As DI Adam Fawley and his team investigate, they find out that the truth is far more complicated than a burglary gone wrong.

After the events of The Whole Truth, I couldn’t wait to see what DI Adam Fawley and his team were up to. Adam and his wife Alex are now enjoying their newborn daughter Lily Rose and, while DC Erica Somer is recovering from a health issue, we are introduced to new characters as three new members join the team.

Once again, Cara Hunter created a gripping and twisty story that kept me engrossed from the first to the last page. I love how she includes other formats in the narrative, like extracts from Netflix documentaries, transcripts of police interviews, newspaper articles, psychiatric reports, and social media comments that add a bit of humor to the story. The plot is complex and unpredictable, the pace is fast and the suspense is way high, and I raced through the pages to see what would happen next.

Cara Hunter is, without a doubt, one of my favorite authors and Hope to Die is yet another fantastic and thrilling addiction to this terrific series. Book number 7 can’t come soon enough!
Paperback edition
4th August 2022
Helpful? Upvote 6
Hope to Die - DI Fawley (Paperback)
Hope to Die - DI Fawley (Paperback) Cara Hunter
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