Hope to Die

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But, finally the door is opened by the homeowner, pensioner Richard Swann, who seems startled to see them. Can anyone tell me if the father was the father of the baby, why did it not show up on the DNA testing?

The dead man, his face been destroyed by a blast from a shotgun, is holding a knife in his hand and the Swanns claim they woke to him breaking in and shot him in self-defence. At first it seems that a burglar has had his head blown off by the elderly man who disturbed him, but when DI Adam Fawley and his team get involved, it soon becomes clear that this case might not be as cut and dried as it first appeared.Thankfully Cara Hunter was kind enough to entertain me and answer my questions and tell me – politely – to read the acknowledgements section. The characters were superbly drawn although, apart from the police and the odd other ones they were largely, eventually, unlikable.

I kinda felt a bit unsatisfied at the end of it all but only if I'm comparing it with the previous books. Richard's wife backs up his story that an intruder had broken in downstairs and Richard shot him in self defence. Like every book in the series, this was a wild joyride from start to finish, and the fact that this is based on a true crime is mind-blowing, guess I've got some more true-crime docs.Despite these slight misgivings I enjoyed Hope to Die and will certainly look for book seven when it comes out.

And yes, this is based on a true story, but since other creative liberties were taken, I think it would've been worth it to make the motive a bit clearer. I don’t believe in some of the characters and find Fawley to be one of the weakest - I wonder why his are the only entries which are preceded by his name, is it because he has a very indistinct voice and we might not know it was him? This is the sixth book in the series featuring DI Adam Fawley and his team – although there are some plotlines that run across the books (mainly to do with the team’s personal lives and relationships), I think this could be enjoyed as a standalone novel.Hunter’s excellent outline of the characters at the start of the book is a wonderful memory refresher for fans of the books and would also be helpful to those new to the series. Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home , In the Dark , No Way Out , All the Rage and The Whole Truth all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. And just when I thought I had a fix on the unfolding events Hunter threw another hand grenade into the mix and I had to think again. Richard’s wife Margaret backs up his story – they had retired for the night when they heard someone breaking in downstairs.

There is adequate information in the official synopsis to get you started, so you don't need any potential spoilers from me to detract from the pleasure of uncovering the story for yourself. Creepy, disturbing, exciting, fast-paced, with a high level of suspense maintained throughout, culminating in an explosive, satisfying conclusion. He has a dependable team who work hard to identify the mystery ‘burglar’ and his link to the Swanns. Under questioning, Richard Swann and his more evasive wife Margaret insist that the man was an intruder and they were defending their household, but the police believe the real story is much more complex than that.Yes, the no chapters thing is odd, but the scene breaks help and tbh 5 books deep, I barely notice it now. However, I can acknowledge it might be trickier for series newbies to get a grasp, which is why the "Fawley Files" within the cover are another great touch.