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DI Adam Fawley #1
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Бритвенная острота сюжета и совершенно непредсказуемая концовка - вот что особо отличает творчество Кары Хантер. Живя и работая в Оксфорде, она обладает ученой степенью в области английской литературы. И знает, как писать романы. Неудивительно, что ее дебют в жанре психологического триллера сразу же стал национальным бестселлером Британии, вызвав восторженные отзывы знаменитых собратьев Кары по перу.
Восьмилетняя Дейзи Мэйсон бесследно исчезла прямо в разгар семейной вечеринки. Никто из жильцов на тихой окраинной улочке Оксфорда ничего не видел - по крайней мере, так говорят все они... Инспектор Адам Фаули начал расследование, стараясь быть по возможности объективным и беспристрастным. Однако он прекрасно знает: в девяти случаях из десяти похитителем является тот, кого ребенок хорошо знает. Кто-то из ближнего круга. Возможно, самого ближнего...
Восьмилетняя Дейзи Мэйсон бесследно исчезла прямо в разгар семейной вечеринки. Никто из жильцов на тихой окраинной улочке Оксфорда ничего не видел - по крайней мере, так говорят все они... Инспектор Адам Фаули начал расследование, стараясь быть по возможности объективным и беспристрастным. Однако он прекрасно знает: в девяти случаях из десяти похитителем является тот, кого ребенок хорошо знает. Кто-то из ближнего круга. Возможно, самого ближнего...
350 pages, Hardcover
First published December 14, 2017
3320 people are currently reading
31926 people want to read
About the author
Cara Hunter
19 books3,067 followersCara Hunter is a writer who lives in Oxford, in a street not unlike those featured in her series of crime books. Close to Home is her debut featuring DI Adam Fawley, and her second, In the Dark, is coming soon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,591 reviews
October 22, 2019
**4.5 STARS**
The literary world already has a huge number of successful Detective series, but I believe DI Adam Fawley will find his place amongst those successes with this excellent debut novel from Cara Hunter, as 'Close to Home' has all the makings of a great series.
8 year old Daisy Mason has disappeared from her parents summer barbecue in Oxford; there were lots of guests - neighbours, school friends, their parents, but nobody saw a thing and were therefore unable to help with police enquiries. But the one thing all police officers hate more than anything else, is a case involving a child, and DI Adam Fawley and his team will leave no stone unturned in their search for Daisy.
Suspicion naturally falls on those closest to her, and investigations reveal that this 'normal' everyday family is actually very dysfunctional. Mum Sharon, and Dad Barry, each have secrets they'd rather keep hidden from the outside world, while 10 year old Leo, (Daisy's brother) is reluctant to share what he knows with the police - and he clearly knows something.
As is the case today, thoughts and feelings about the family are displayed for the whole world to read on the big wide web. This is definitely trial by social media, with many of the posts making serious accusations without anything material with which to back up those accusations. This in turn, results in anger and threats of violence, and it becomes even more imperative that DI Fawley and his team discover the whereabouts of Daisy.
Nothing is as first appears in this investigation, but ( through flashbacks ) we gradually gain insight into this very complex family, and what led to Daisy's disappearance, though what actually happened to her isn't revealed until the very end of the book.
This was a page turner in every sense, the writing was crisp, the storyline was utterly gripping, and the characters (though not always likeable ) were completely believable. DI Fawley and his team worked tirelessly in their search for Daisy, and it was encouraging to watch the results of their hard work and long hours unfold into concrete clues.
I don't think I've ever changed my mind so many times regarding who the perpetrator was - so congratulations to the author for keeping me guessing right until the end. I'm not sure the ending was quite believable, but having been utterly gripped throughout, I'm willing to go with it.
A brilliant start to a series that (I for one) will greet with huge anticipation.
*Thank you to www.shotsmag.co.uk for my paperback copy in exchange for an honest review*
The literary world already has a huge number of successful Detective series, but I believe DI Adam Fawley will find his place amongst those successes with this excellent debut novel from Cara Hunter, as 'Close to Home' has all the makings of a great series.
8 year old Daisy Mason has disappeared from her parents summer barbecue in Oxford; there were lots of guests - neighbours, school friends, their parents, but nobody saw a thing and were therefore unable to help with police enquiries. But the one thing all police officers hate more than anything else, is a case involving a child, and DI Adam Fawley and his team will leave no stone unturned in their search for Daisy.
Suspicion naturally falls on those closest to her, and investigations reveal that this 'normal' everyday family is actually very dysfunctional. Mum Sharon, and Dad Barry, each have secrets they'd rather keep hidden from the outside world, while 10 year old Leo, (Daisy's brother) is reluctant to share what he knows with the police - and he clearly knows something.
As is the case today, thoughts and feelings about the family are displayed for the whole world to read on the big wide web. This is definitely trial by social media, with many of the posts making serious accusations without anything material with which to back up those accusations. This in turn, results in anger and threats of violence, and it becomes even more imperative that DI Fawley and his team discover the whereabouts of Daisy.
Nothing is as first appears in this investigation, but ( through flashbacks ) we gradually gain insight into this very complex family, and what led to Daisy's disappearance, though what actually happened to her isn't revealed until the very end of the book.
This was a page turner in every sense, the writing was crisp, the storyline was utterly gripping, and the characters (though not always likeable ) were completely believable. DI Fawley and his team worked tirelessly in their search for Daisy, and it was encouraging to watch the results of their hard work and long hours unfold into concrete clues.
I don't think I've ever changed my mind so many times regarding who the perpetrator was - so congratulations to the author for keeping me guessing right until the end. I'm not sure the ending was quite believable, but having been utterly gripped throughout, I'm willing to go with it.
A brilliant start to a series that (I for one) will greet with huge anticipation.
*Thank you to www.shotsmag.co.uk for my paperback copy in exchange for an honest review*
April 8, 2021
QUE EPÍLOGO FOI ESTE?
March 14, 2024
Close to Home Cara Hunter (Author)
Lee Ingleby (Narrator), Emma Cunniffe (Narrator)
An eight year old girl is missing from a backyard party put on by her parents. She was wearing a daisy costume at the party and there are pictures to prove it. But as the story goes back and forth in the timeline, it is obvious that almost nothing is as it seems.
DI Adam Fawley is in charge of the missing girl investigation but those who know him think that's probably not a good idea. Not because he isn't good at his job but because of what he lost less than a year ago. Fawley knows that he and his wife haven't emotionally dealt with the loss but all he wants to do is his job, he wants for things to at least be as normal as they can be even though that isn't possible. The grief and emptiness is too much, but there is nothing to do but go on.
This is the kind of story where I didn't want to stop it until the end even though I had to do so. Sleep beckons, real life beckons. There are so many revelations, so many red herrings, it was hard to stop listening to the story before it ended.
Pub Mar 6, 2018
Lee Ingleby (Narrator), Emma Cunniffe (Narrator)
An eight year old girl is missing from a backyard party put on by her parents. She was wearing a daisy costume at the party and there are pictures to prove it. But as the story goes back and forth in the timeline, it is obvious that almost nothing is as it seems.
DI Adam Fawley is in charge of the missing girl investigation but those who know him think that's probably not a good idea. Not because he isn't good at his job but because of what he lost less than a year ago. Fawley knows that he and his wife haven't emotionally dealt with the loss but all he wants to do is his job, he wants for things to at least be as normal as they can be even though that isn't possible. The grief and emptiness is too much, but there is nothing to do but go on.
This is the kind of story where I didn't want to stop it until the end even though I had to do so. Sleep beckons, real life beckons. There are so many revelations, so many red herrings, it was hard to stop listening to the story before it ended.
Pub Mar 6, 2018
April 18, 2018
I feel like I've hit the jackpot lately because I've read so many excellent novels! Why aren't more people talking about this book? I'm blown away and likely can't wait for book 2 to make it to the states, so I'll be purchasing off of Book Depository. Fantastic debut that completely had me fooled; I did not guess the ending in any way, shape or form. Highly recommended and full review to come!
Content warning for mentions of child abuse, child pornography, and murder (thought not graphically described).
Won via Goodreads Giveaway!
Content warning for mentions of child abuse, child pornography, and murder (thought not graphically described).
Won via Goodreads Giveaway!
April 26, 2018
Promising new police procedural series about the disappearance of an eight-year-old girl. Close to Home offers compelling characters, an unpredictable mystery, and some surprising twists and turns.
When 8-year-old Daisy Mason is reported missing, DI Adam Fawley and the team are called in to investigate. Daisy was last seen at a neighborhood barbecue wearing a daisy costume. As Fawley and his team investigate, they quickly learn that the Mason’s carefully crafted personas are nothing more than facades hiding dark secrets. The Mason’s quickly become primary suspects due to mother Sharon’s chilling facade and father Barry’s repulsive hobbies. Dragged through the Twittersphere, the Mason’s are found guilty in the eyes of the public but many questions remain: Where is Daisy? Did she someone kidnap her? Did she run away? Or has she been murdered? The case is especially traumatic for DI Fawley who is dealing with the loss of his young son.
This is a fast-paced read that goes back and forth in time to before and after Daisy’s disappearance. The POV shifts, and while Fawley’s is the main voice, additional character POV’s are shared. Fawley is a likable lead, and I am curious to learn more about him, as well as more about some of the other characters that play a role. I feel like we only get tiny glimpses of their inner lives, and I would like to have seen more.
What I liked most about Close to Home was that the mystery kept me guessing. I thought things were going to be cut and dry in terms of who committed the crime, but in the end, I wasn’t even close to being right about. I thought the culprit came out of left field, which made things more interesting. I would recommend this to those who enjoy mysteries and police procedural series!
When 8-year-old Daisy Mason is reported missing, DI Adam Fawley and the team are called in to investigate. Daisy was last seen at a neighborhood barbecue wearing a daisy costume. As Fawley and his team investigate, they quickly learn that the Mason’s carefully crafted personas are nothing more than facades hiding dark secrets. The Mason’s quickly become primary suspects due to mother Sharon’s chilling facade and father Barry’s repulsive hobbies. Dragged through the Twittersphere, the Mason’s are found guilty in the eyes of the public but many questions remain: Where is Daisy? Did she someone kidnap her? Did she run away? Or has she been murdered? The case is especially traumatic for DI Fawley who is dealing with the loss of his young son.
This is a fast-paced read that goes back and forth in time to before and after Daisy’s disappearance. The POV shifts, and while Fawley’s is the main voice, additional character POV’s are shared. Fawley is a likable lead, and I am curious to learn more about him, as well as more about some of the other characters that play a role. I feel like we only get tiny glimpses of their inner lives, and I would like to have seen more.
What I liked most about Close to Home was that the mystery kept me guessing. I thought things were going to be cut and dry in terms of who committed the crime, but in the end, I wasn’t even close to being right about. I thought the culprit came out of left field, which made things more interesting. I would recommend this to those who enjoy mysteries and police procedural series!
November 19, 2017
Cara Hunter begins her series featuring DI Adam Fawley of Thames Valley Police with a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller set in Oxford. It begins with a scene of a fearful Daisy Mason. The precocious 8 year old Daisy goes missing at her parents barbeque and fireworks party for parents and neighbours. The police are called in, and DI Adam Fawley instigates local area searches. Adam has a focused and highly competent team that are determined to find Daisy that includes DS Gareth Quinn, DC Gislingham and the sharp eyed DC Everett. However, the parents, Barry and Sharon Mason are displaying strange behaviour and refusing to countenance a detailed search of their home. Leo, their 10 year old son, is clearly not opening up about all that he knows. In the meantime, the media have parked up outside their home with no intention of leaving anytime soon. A social media storm takes off, firstly mostly concerned but later a more trolling, toxic presence with its vilification of the parents, threats and more worryingly, incitement to violence and murder.
As the team delve into Daisy's life and her family, it soon becomes clear that they are a dysfunctional family mired in secrets and lies. Sharon is insecure, vain and lacking the maternal instincts to nurture her children. Barry has a secret life of other women and dodgy business practices. Daisy is painted as a exceedingly bright child, who feels like a fish out of water with her more intellectually pedestrian family. She is given to eavesdropping on the conversations of others, has her own secrets and emotional fallouts amongst her own coterie of schoolfriends. We are given flashbacks that go back a considerable number of years to the more recent past. Adam and his team slowly find that every assumption they have made begins to slowly fall apart as they try to find out what happened. Matters are further complicated as we become aware that Adam and his wife, Alex, recently lost their son, Jake, in highly emotionally upsetting circumstances. In a investigation where nothing is as it seems, suspicions focus on and oscillate between Sharon to Barry, as Adam believes the perpetrator is usually close to home.
This is a fast paced and well plotted story peppered with social media postings, news bulletins and police interviews. It authentically replicates the reality of how outrageously people behave on social media in real life missing children cases. There is twist after twist in the narrative that has you desperate to keep reading to find out how it all ends. The final twist requires a huge suspension of disbelief in my view, as indeed does the portrayal of Daisy as a 8 year old, but this did not stop me from enjoying the novel. One of my favourite parts is just how well Adam's police team worked, their absolute commitment to the case and how they support one another. A highly entertaining and absorbing read. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.
As the team delve into Daisy's life and her family, it soon becomes clear that they are a dysfunctional family mired in secrets and lies. Sharon is insecure, vain and lacking the maternal instincts to nurture her children. Barry has a secret life of other women and dodgy business practices. Daisy is painted as a exceedingly bright child, who feels like a fish out of water with her more intellectually pedestrian family. She is given to eavesdropping on the conversations of others, has her own secrets and emotional fallouts amongst her own coterie of schoolfriends. We are given flashbacks that go back a considerable number of years to the more recent past. Adam and his team slowly find that every assumption they have made begins to slowly fall apart as they try to find out what happened. Matters are further complicated as we become aware that Adam and his wife, Alex, recently lost their son, Jake, in highly emotionally upsetting circumstances. In a investigation where nothing is as it seems, suspicions focus on and oscillate between Sharon to Barry, as Adam believes the perpetrator is usually close to home.
This is a fast paced and well plotted story peppered with social media postings, news bulletins and police interviews. It authentically replicates the reality of how outrageously people behave on social media in real life missing children cases. There is twist after twist in the narrative that has you desperate to keep reading to find out how it all ends. The final twist requires a huge suspension of disbelief in my view, as indeed does the portrayal of Daisy as a 8 year old, but this did not stop me from enjoying the novel. One of my favourite parts is just how well Adam's police team worked, their absolute commitment to the case and how they support one another. A highly entertaining and absorbing read. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.
March 8, 2020
Diligence
Close to Home is Cara Hunter’s first novel in the Detective Inspector Adam Fawley series. Having already read the other 2 books in the series, (In The Dark & No Way Out) I had a huge desire to return to the debut novel and appreciate how it all started. It's clear why this series became so highly regarded and anticipated because this debut smashed it out of the park.
Cara has the wonderful ability to enable the reader to experience a detailed police procedural story that feels real with all its discovery, dead-ends, tensions, horrors, frustrations and rewards. Cara introduces modern sources of information gathering including Twitter feeds, police interview reports, transcribed phone discussions etc. This adds to a genuine police investigation feel with all the public intrusion and misdirection.
In this missing person hunt, 8-year-old Daisy Mason has been reported missing from her house-party in Oxford. No one that attended the party can remember anything strange, in fact, no one can clearly remember her even being at the party. The Mason family are the obvious initial targets for any investigation and we see that under the hood of the apparent normal English family there is a completely dysfunctional group with questionable behaviour, privately, socially and in business. The father, Barry, works in construction and has until recently been very close and affable with Daisy, exhibiting that easy father and daughter connection. The mother, Sharon, seems a little neurotic with a strange maternal attitude and an obsessive vanity. The 10-year-old son, Leo, is distant and is obviously hiding something and unwilling to speak up. The family refuse a police search of their home which sparks greater suspicion, however, the investigating team must keep options open. The media storm kicks into high gear and Cara uses this backdrop expertly in propagating an atmosphere of suspicion, blame and frustration, particularly with the public involved.
The investigation team of DI Adam Fawley are a wonderful array of characters including DS Gareth Quinn, DC Chris Gislingham and DC Verity Everett, who add so much depth and variation to the storyline. It will take all their wits and expert investigative skills to unravel this complex twisty plot that is so brilliantly woven. Flashbacks to the days prior to Daisy's disappearance help create the background and potential motives and routes the plot can take. Cara Hunter exhibits great ability to plot so many captivating threads that the reader is constantly kept guessing right to the end.
I would highly recommend this book as a full-on entertaining and thrilling mystery, framed perfectly in a police procedural structure.
Close to Home is Cara Hunter’s first novel in the Detective Inspector Adam Fawley series. Having already read the other 2 books in the series, (In The Dark & No Way Out) I had a huge desire to return to the debut novel and appreciate how it all started. It's clear why this series became so highly regarded and anticipated because this debut smashed it out of the park.
Cara has the wonderful ability to enable the reader to experience a detailed police procedural story that feels real with all its discovery, dead-ends, tensions, horrors, frustrations and rewards. Cara introduces modern sources of information gathering including Twitter feeds, police interview reports, transcribed phone discussions etc. This adds to a genuine police investigation feel with all the public intrusion and misdirection.
In this missing person hunt, 8-year-old Daisy Mason has been reported missing from her house-party in Oxford. No one that attended the party can remember anything strange, in fact, no one can clearly remember her even being at the party. The Mason family are the obvious initial targets for any investigation and we see that under the hood of the apparent normal English family there is a completely dysfunctional group with questionable behaviour, privately, socially and in business. The father, Barry, works in construction and has until recently been very close and affable with Daisy, exhibiting that easy father and daughter connection. The mother, Sharon, seems a little neurotic with a strange maternal attitude and an obsessive vanity. The 10-year-old son, Leo, is distant and is obviously hiding something and unwilling to speak up. The family refuse a police search of their home which sparks greater suspicion, however, the investigating team must keep options open. The media storm kicks into high gear and Cara uses this backdrop expertly in propagating an atmosphere of suspicion, blame and frustration, particularly with the public involved.
The investigation team of DI Adam Fawley are a wonderful array of characters including DS Gareth Quinn, DC Chris Gislingham and DC Verity Everett, who add so much depth and variation to the storyline. It will take all their wits and expert investigative skills to unravel this complex twisty plot that is so brilliantly woven. Flashbacks to the days prior to Daisy's disappearance help create the background and potential motives and routes the plot can take. Cara Hunter exhibits great ability to plot so many captivating threads that the reader is constantly kept guessing right to the end.
I would highly recommend this book as a full-on entertaining and thrilling mystery, framed perfectly in a police procedural structure.
March 19, 2018
ughhhhhh.
this book was so meh.
it follows Detective Investigator (i'm making that up, kinda) Adam Fawley, in the most procedural murder book of all time. seriously. if you have ever been interested in the mundane inner workings of a suburban british police station, this is the book for you.
i am not. so this wasn't.
this book was more confusing than mysterious or thrilling, and i ended up just really not caring about what happened. which is impressive, considering this book details a sh*t ton of children's suffering. it's kind of crazy to be so bored and ready for a book to be over that you're like "child death? sure. child abuse? uh huh. child negligence? kk."
please if i ever choose to run for president, do NOT take the preceding quote out of context.
also shoutout to the gender roles in this book, which were truly wildin. we've got: objectification of female interviewees; objectification of female police officers; condescension/patronizing of female police officers; judgment of women based on sex life/clothing/maternity; and just really vitriolic ways of talking about women on the internet!!!
which, speaking of: there was also some half-ass attempting at unique formatting (through the inclusion of tweets and BBC articles) that was just the worst. it added nothing to the story that wasn't already covered and completely broke the narrative flow. yippee.
anyway. i didn't hate this book but i did really dislike it! there were twists, kind of, but the twists were more just discoveries of evidence and who cares about that. whatever. boring.
bottom line: non merci. (is it possible that i'm bigoted on the subject of british thrillers exclusively?)
thanks to penguin first to read for the ARC
this book was so meh.
it follows Detective Investigator (i'm making that up, kinda) Adam Fawley, in the most procedural murder book of all time. seriously. if you have ever been interested in the mundane inner workings of a suburban british police station, this is the book for you.
i am not. so this wasn't.
this book was more confusing than mysterious or thrilling, and i ended up just really not caring about what happened. which is impressive, considering this book details a sh*t ton of children's suffering. it's kind of crazy to be so bored and ready for a book to be over that you're like "child death? sure. child abuse? uh huh. child negligence? kk."
please if i ever choose to run for president, do NOT take the preceding quote out of context.
also shoutout to the gender roles in this book, which were truly wildin. we've got: objectification of female interviewees; objectification of female police officers; condescension/patronizing of female police officers; judgment of women based on sex life/clothing/maternity; and just really vitriolic ways of talking about women on the internet!!!
which, speaking of: there was also some half-ass attempting at unique formatting (through the inclusion of tweets and BBC articles) that was just the worst. it added nothing to the story that wasn't already covered and completely broke the narrative flow. yippee.
anyway. i didn't hate this book but i did really dislike it! there were twists, kind of, but the twists were more just discoveries of evidence and who cares about that. whatever. boring.
bottom line: non merci. (is it possible that i'm bigoted on the subject of british thrillers exclusively?)
thanks to penguin first to read for the ARC
May 26, 2020
Close To Home is the first of a series of police procedurals by Cara Hunter, featuring DI Adam Fawley. I had high expectations of this series as many of my goodreads friends rate it highly with a profusion of 5 star reviews.
Eight year old Daisy Mason goes missing from a party - a summer barbecue organised by the Masons for friends and neighbours.
Adam and his team become embroiled in the tensions and awkward relationships that exist within the Mason family and strange and unsettling details soon begin to emerge.
This domestic crime drama is unpredictable and quite chilling.
I like the fact that the investigation isn’t straightforward. Mistakes are made, clues missed and police characters lose their cool, say inappropriate things and get too close to the case. It’s all a bit messy, as I imagine real investigations can be.
As our crew pick their way through false starts and mistaken assumptions, they eventually get some lucky breaks and make some progress. All the while we learn a little more about their inner lives and personalities, setting us up nicely for further instalments.
There’s nothing ground breaking about this book but it’s excellently plotted and you really need to know what comes next. The writing is smooth and naturalistic and I’m already becoming attached to the central characters.
Can’t wait to read book two :)
Eight year old Daisy Mason goes missing from a party - a summer barbecue organised by the Masons for friends and neighbours.
Adam and his team become embroiled in the tensions and awkward relationships that exist within the Mason family and strange and unsettling details soon begin to emerge.
This domestic crime drama is unpredictable and quite chilling.
I like the fact that the investigation isn’t straightforward. Mistakes are made, clues missed and police characters lose their cool, say inappropriate things and get too close to the case. It’s all a bit messy, as I imagine real investigations can be.
As our crew pick their way through false starts and mistaken assumptions, they eventually get some lucky breaks and make some progress. All the while we learn a little more about their inner lives and personalities, setting us up nicely for further instalments.
There’s nothing ground breaking about this book but it’s excellently plotted and you really need to know what comes next. The writing is smooth and naturalistic and I’m already becoming attached to the central characters.
Can’t wait to read book two :)
June 5, 2022
Bookoutlet read.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 3/5 but that epilogue can fk off LOL
THE PLOT
8-year-old Daisy is reported missing after her family's BBQ. Who's at fault? Her image-obsessed mother? Her shifty-eyed father? Or her sullen brother?
MY OPINION
This was solid until that epilogue. Who asked for that? Everything was wrapping up nicely and then the author said, let me throw a lil razzle dazzle in there even though no razzle nor dazzle was needed. Instead it felt like being showered with cheap body glitter that somehow embeds itself in your flesh and impervious to soap. WHYYYY!!!!!????
Other than that godawful, contrived, OTT, whack ass epilogue, I enjoyed the ride. The writing was good, the character had depth, and an intricate web was spun. Hunter did a fantastic job making Sharon unlikeable and pitiful. Usually I want to fight only the male characters, but Sharon could get these hands too!!!!!
I did find that without the male gaze descriptions, I would've assumed all the police characters were female (don't come for me with the this is sexist nonsense). There were just certain things only women naturally pick up on (again, don't come for me) that just did not fit with a male character. It kinda was like when Matteo from Superstore tries to act straight? That was the vibe so the author was like btw he likes TITTIEZZZZ.
I haven't looked at Hunter's catalogue, but I'd like to read something of hers that wasn't a police procedural. There were some questionable things detectives did not detect, which I think it is due to lack of research. However, the writing itself was good quality, so I'd like to see her write a contemporary or even literary novel.
Btw, there's NO chapters in this book, just scene breaks. If this sends you into orbit, you've been warned.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting case, good writing, Sharon's character was well-developed, well-paced
Cons: police procedural plot holes (say that 5 times fast), epilogue made me wanna tear the book in half Hulk-style, male police characters didn't have a distinctive voice
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 3/5 but that epilogue can fk off LOL
THE PLOT
8-year-old Daisy is reported missing after her family's BBQ. Who's at fault? Her image-obsessed mother? Her shifty-eyed father? Or her sullen brother?
MY OPINION
This was solid until that epilogue. Who asked for that? Everything was wrapping up nicely and then the author said, let me throw a lil razzle dazzle in there even though no razzle nor dazzle was needed. Instead it felt like being showered with cheap body glitter that somehow embeds itself in your flesh and impervious to soap. WHYYYY!!!!!????
Other than that godawful, contrived, OTT, whack ass epilogue, I enjoyed the ride. The writing was good, the character had depth, and an intricate web was spun. Hunter did a fantastic job making Sharon unlikeable and pitiful. Usually I want to fight only the male characters, but Sharon could get these hands too!!!!!
I did find that without the male gaze descriptions, I would've assumed all the police characters were female (don't come for me with the this is sexist nonsense). There were just certain things only women naturally pick up on (again, don't come for me) that just did not fit with a male character. It kinda was like when Matteo from Superstore tries to act straight? That was the vibe so the author was like btw he likes TITTIEZZZZ.
I haven't looked at Hunter's catalogue, but I'd like to read something of hers that wasn't a police procedural. There were some questionable things detectives did not detect, which I think it is due to lack of research. However, the writing itself was good quality, so I'd like to see her write a contemporary or even literary novel.
Btw, there's NO chapters in this book, just scene breaks. If this sends you into orbit, you've been warned.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting case, good writing, Sharon's character was well-developed, well-paced
Cons: police procedural plot holes (say that 5 times fast), epilogue made me wanna tear the book in half Hulk-style, male police characters didn't have a distinctive voice
June 29, 2021
Buen contenido, pero esperaba más.
En realidad 2,9
Aunque intento organizar con mucha antelación mis próximas lecturas, por lo general ese cronograma resulto cambiándolo completamente en el momento menos inesperado; esto, porque he vivido múltiples experiencias en las que un libro aparece de repente ante mí, me atrae, me obsesiona, y me produce tantas ansias de leerlo que no puedo resistir y resultó devorándomelo inmediatamente, descubriendo después que mis presentimientos sí eran acertados, y que gracias a ellos he conocido una verdadera obra maestra. Esto, es lo que he sentido en esta ocasión cuando conocí un libro llamado ¿Quién se ha llevado a Daisy Mason? Por ello, me dejé guiar por una corazonada y resulté leyendo repentinamente esta obra, con altas expectativas. No obstante, esa corazonada, me ha fallado en esta oportunidad.
Este libro nos cuenta, tal y como dice la sinopsis, la extraña desaparición de una niña llamada Daisy, quien misteriosamente desaparece en medio de una fiesta organizada en su propia casa. Por tanto, las autoridades intentarán hacer su mejor esfuerzo para encontrarla, ya que parece que se la hubiera tragado la tierra. ¿Qué es lo interesante? Lo interesante es que absolutamente todos los personajes cercanos a ella —familiares y amigos— son bastante sospechosos, por lo que nuestra tarea será descubrir quién es el responsable de la extraña desaparición de la niña. Hasta aquí todo parece fascinante, pero, el problema, es que pienso que a la autora le ha faltado leer más obras del género para presentar mejor la información. Sí, los capítulos estuvieron cortos y eso ayuda a que la lectura sea bastante fluida, pero se excedió. Son tan cortos que siempre que terminaba mi lectura diaria se me dificultaba recordar lo que acababa de leer. Creí que quizás tenía problemas con mi memoria o que estaba distraído, pero no, verdaderamente es muy difícil recordarlo todo porque en muy pocas páginas la autora te presenta muchas mini-historias, sin pausas y sin transiciones. Es como si vieras los titulares de las noticias, y luego te preguntaran el orden en que aparecieron. Imposible saberlo, ¿verdad? Pues esto mismo ocurre con este libro. Es una historia que tiene un argumento interesante, pero que se presenta con desorden para intentar mantener un ritmo intenso. No obstante, a pesar de lo desordenado que se siente esta historia, eso llega a ser tolerable. Lo que sí no logré soportar, fue que la autora presentara comentarios de supuestos usuarios de Twitter que reaccionaban a la historia de la niña. ¡Fue tan irritante, tan desesperante! Los «trinos» fueron pésimamente desarrollados, fueron irreales y absurdos, y estaban compuestos con un vocabulario que no correspondía para nada a la forma como los usuarios escriben por Twitter. Parecían más conversaciones creadas por Cleverbot, o comentarios diseñados por empresas, o por sitios engañosos, que hacen publicidad usando perfiles falsos en diferentes sitios web. De veras, son tan malos, que dan a entender que la autora nunca ha interactuado en una red social. No significa que los comentarios debieron componerse de mil insultos y malas palabras para sentirse reales, pero siento que si Cara Hunter hubiera trabajado más en estas páginas, o simplemente las hubiera retirado, todo sería muchísimo mejor. En mi opinión, la idea no era mala, pero al hacerlo así, pasó de ser una idea novedosa a una desastrosa.
El argumento de la historia estuvo bien pero sentí muy artificiales algunas escenas que se desarrollaron. Tampoco me gustó que se presentaran tantas casualidades para forzar a que el misterio se resolviera «mágicamente». No es lo mismo que un personaje desarrolle un plan, presente dificultades en su realización y que con improvisación e inteligencia logre salir adelante, a que el personaje diseñe su plan, lo lleve a cabo tal y como lo propone, pero necesite de coincidencias o «golpes de suerte» para que todo le salga bien. Eso no me gustó, y como el libro está atiborrado de situaciones así, obviamente me sentí muy insatisfecho porque ni los personajes, ni el argumento fluyeron con naturalidad; y una historia sin naturalidad claramente no es interesante porque no nos sorprenderá. Un inspector que no fue capaz de investigar nada por cuenta propia; sospechosos que ocultaron información importante en todo momento, y que incluso insultaron a la autoridad para luego comportarse como si nada hubiera pasado; usuarios de redes sociales indignados por cualquier noticia publicada; policías ineptos que se enteraban de lo importante de últimos, y que realizaban mil interrogatorios para confirmar lo que ya sabían... tantas, pero tantas situaciones sin sentido me hicieron tener permanentemente en mi mente la palabra «ilógico». Sin exagerar, la historia me pareció más una noticia de un canal amarillista que un libro de ficción. Y reafirmo esa idea porque casualmente aquí, en Colombia, en la fecha en que inicié a leer esta obra se presentó una historia similar de una bebé desaparecida en la que la familia daba versiones distintas y todo Colombia se «consternaba» por la criatura. No sé cómo sean las noticias en otros países, pero aquí cuando ocurre un hecho «terrible» los noticieros son tan amarillistas que empiezan a crear un drama impresionante recordando todos los sucesos similares que han ocurrido en el mes, en el año, en los últimos diez... se exagera tanto que en vez de provocar indignación en el televidente por la noticia reciente, lo que causan es hartar al televidente por su información reiterativa y extensa. En ese entonces yo estaba cansado por la repetición de esa noticia, y leer este libro fue como continuar con aquel drama que había sonado tanto durante los últimos quince días: La similitud es grandísima. Sin embargo, eso no ocurre en todo momento porque cuando se desarrolla la historia, y se le deja de dar tanta importancia a la reacción mundial de la noticia, el libro se vuelve atrapante e interesante.
De los personajes, naturalmente Daisy Mason fue la más destacada. El nombre de la saga hace referencia al inspector Adam Fawley, pero Daisy es el centro de todo, no el inspector. Todos los personajes del libro la conocen, cada uno tiene una historia diferente con ella, y asimismo hay facetas de Daisy que solo conocen ciertos personajes, por lo que más que resolverse un crimen, lo interesante es que vamos conociendo por completo a Daisy, y notaremos que tampoco es que sea tan inocente como aparentemente se pensaría de una niña. El padre, la madre y el hermano de Daisy también tienen historias interesantes, pero la historia de Daisy es el núcleo central del libro, y eso le ayuda bastante a destacar completamente sobre cualquier otro personaje. Es genial que sea así porque sinceramente su historia completa es uno de los mejores aspectos que encontraremos en esta obra. Los demás personajes sinceramente no me importaron y ni recuerdo sus nombres: Hablaban igual, usaban las mismas palabras, prácticamente ni los presentaron... el resultado lógico fue sentir indiferencia hacia ellos. Sobre el inspector pienso que pudo llamarse Adam, Jacinto o incluso no existir: Realmente no es un personaje necesario en esta historia.
Irónicamente, la parte final sí me ha gustado. Esas últimas cien páginas han sido muy interesantes, y el nivel de intensidad subió lo necesario para emocionarme en esa parte, a pesar de tantos disgustos e indiferencia que sentí en gran parte del libro. Por el nivel de intensidad, pensaría que la autora primero planeó el final y poco a poco fue construyendo la historia hacia la parte inicial. Gracias a esa sección, y a Daisy, siento que no perdí completamente el tiempo leyendo esta historia. Eso sí, ya he decidido que no continuaré la saga. Existen muchos autores y libros sobre el género por conocer, y solo tengo una vida, por lo que me parece más importante descubrir diferentes prosas, que buscar en un segundo, tercer o cuarto libro de esta autora, lo que seguramente no encontraré.
En resumen, una historia irregular que no cumple mis expectativas, pero que tampoco es un fracaso completo porque logró entretenerme por momentos, e interesarme por el final de esta obra, que si bien ya lo predecía, fue importante corroborar. Quizás, si fuera mi primera vez leyendo libros sobre detectives, thrillers o crimen me hubiera gustado mucho más, pero hay obras como Sherlock Holmes, o El cuarto mono que han puesto la vara un poco alta. Lo calificaré con un 2,9, pero internamente lo catalogaré como uno más del género.
En realidad 2,9
Aunque intento organizar con mucha antelación mis próximas lecturas, por lo general ese cronograma resulto cambiándolo completamente en el momento menos inesperado; esto, porque he vivido múltiples experiencias en las que un libro aparece de repente ante mí, me atrae, me obsesiona, y me produce tantas ansias de leerlo que no puedo resistir y resultó devorándomelo inmediatamente, descubriendo después que mis presentimientos sí eran acertados, y que gracias a ellos he conocido una verdadera obra maestra. Esto, es lo que he sentido en esta ocasión cuando conocí un libro llamado ¿Quién se ha llevado a Daisy Mason? Por ello, me dejé guiar por una corazonada y resulté leyendo repentinamente esta obra, con altas expectativas. No obstante, esa corazonada, me ha fallado en esta oportunidad.
Este libro nos cuenta, tal y como dice la sinopsis, la extraña desaparición de una niña llamada Daisy, quien misteriosamente desaparece en medio de una fiesta organizada en su propia casa. Por tanto, las autoridades intentarán hacer su mejor esfuerzo para encontrarla, ya que parece que se la hubiera tragado la tierra. ¿Qué es lo interesante? Lo interesante es que absolutamente todos los personajes cercanos a ella —familiares y amigos— son bastante sospechosos, por lo que nuestra tarea será descubrir quién es el responsable de la extraña desaparición de la niña. Hasta aquí todo parece fascinante, pero, el problema, es que pienso que a la autora le ha faltado leer más obras del género para presentar mejor la información. Sí, los capítulos estuvieron cortos y eso ayuda a que la lectura sea bastante fluida, pero se excedió. Son tan cortos que siempre que terminaba mi lectura diaria se me dificultaba recordar lo que acababa de leer. Creí que quizás tenía problemas con mi memoria o que estaba distraído, pero no, verdaderamente es muy difícil recordarlo todo porque en muy pocas páginas la autora te presenta muchas mini-historias, sin pausas y sin transiciones. Es como si vieras los titulares de las noticias, y luego te preguntaran el orden en que aparecieron. Imposible saberlo, ¿verdad? Pues esto mismo ocurre con este libro. Es una historia que tiene un argumento interesante, pero que se presenta con desorden para intentar mantener un ritmo intenso. No obstante, a pesar de lo desordenado que se siente esta historia, eso llega a ser tolerable. Lo que sí no logré soportar, fue que la autora presentara comentarios de supuestos usuarios de Twitter que reaccionaban a la historia de la niña. ¡Fue tan irritante, tan desesperante! Los «trinos» fueron pésimamente desarrollados, fueron irreales y absurdos, y estaban compuestos con un vocabulario que no correspondía para nada a la forma como los usuarios escriben por Twitter. Parecían más conversaciones creadas por Cleverbot, o comentarios diseñados por empresas, o por sitios engañosos, que hacen publicidad usando perfiles falsos en diferentes sitios web. De veras, son tan malos, que dan a entender que la autora nunca ha interactuado en una red social. No significa que los comentarios debieron componerse de mil insultos y malas palabras para sentirse reales, pero siento que si Cara Hunter hubiera trabajado más en estas páginas, o simplemente las hubiera retirado, todo sería muchísimo mejor. En mi opinión, la idea no era mala, pero al hacerlo así, pasó de ser una idea novedosa a una desastrosa.
El argumento de la historia estuvo bien pero sentí muy artificiales algunas escenas que se desarrollaron. Tampoco me gustó que se presentaran tantas casualidades para forzar a que el misterio se resolviera «mágicamente». No es lo mismo que un personaje desarrolle un plan, presente dificultades en su realización y que con improvisación e inteligencia logre salir adelante, a que el personaje diseñe su plan, lo lleve a cabo tal y como lo propone, pero necesite de coincidencias o «golpes de suerte» para que todo le salga bien. Eso no me gustó, y como el libro está atiborrado de situaciones así, obviamente me sentí muy insatisfecho porque ni los personajes, ni el argumento fluyeron con naturalidad; y una historia sin naturalidad claramente no es interesante porque no nos sorprenderá. Un inspector que no fue capaz de investigar nada por cuenta propia; sospechosos que ocultaron información importante en todo momento, y que incluso insultaron a la autoridad para luego comportarse como si nada hubiera pasado; usuarios de redes sociales indignados por cualquier noticia publicada; policías ineptos que se enteraban de lo importante de últimos, y que realizaban mil interrogatorios para confirmar lo que ya sabían... tantas, pero tantas situaciones sin sentido me hicieron tener permanentemente en mi mente la palabra «ilógico». Sin exagerar, la historia me pareció más una noticia de un canal amarillista que un libro de ficción. Y reafirmo esa idea porque casualmente aquí, en Colombia, en la fecha en que inicié a leer esta obra se presentó una historia similar de una bebé desaparecida en la que la familia daba versiones distintas y todo Colombia se «consternaba» por la criatura. No sé cómo sean las noticias en otros países, pero aquí cuando ocurre un hecho «terrible» los noticieros son tan amarillistas que empiezan a crear un drama impresionante recordando todos los sucesos similares que han ocurrido en el mes, en el año, en los últimos diez... se exagera tanto que en vez de provocar indignación en el televidente por la noticia reciente, lo que causan es hartar al televidente por su información reiterativa y extensa. En ese entonces yo estaba cansado por la repetición de esa noticia, y leer este libro fue como continuar con aquel drama que había sonado tanto durante los últimos quince días: La similitud es grandísima. Sin embargo, eso no ocurre en todo momento porque cuando se desarrolla la historia, y se le deja de dar tanta importancia a la reacción mundial de la noticia, el libro se vuelve atrapante e interesante.
De los personajes, naturalmente Daisy Mason fue la más destacada. El nombre de la saga hace referencia al inspector Adam Fawley, pero Daisy es el centro de todo, no el inspector. Todos los personajes del libro la conocen, cada uno tiene una historia diferente con ella, y asimismo hay facetas de Daisy que solo conocen ciertos personajes, por lo que más que resolverse un crimen, lo interesante es que vamos conociendo por completo a Daisy, y notaremos que tampoco es que sea tan inocente como aparentemente se pensaría de una niña. El padre, la madre y el hermano de Daisy también tienen historias interesantes, pero la historia de Daisy es el núcleo central del libro, y eso le ayuda bastante a destacar completamente sobre cualquier otro personaje. Es genial que sea así porque sinceramente su historia completa es uno de los mejores aspectos que encontraremos en esta obra. Los demás personajes sinceramente no me importaron y ni recuerdo sus nombres: Hablaban igual, usaban las mismas palabras, prácticamente ni los presentaron... el resultado lógico fue sentir indiferencia hacia ellos. Sobre el inspector pienso que pudo llamarse Adam, Jacinto o incluso no existir: Realmente no es un personaje necesario en esta historia.
Irónicamente, la parte final sí me ha gustado. Esas últimas cien páginas han sido muy interesantes, y el nivel de intensidad subió lo necesario para emocionarme en esa parte, a pesar de tantos disgustos e indiferencia que sentí en gran parte del libro. Por el nivel de intensidad, pensaría que la autora primero planeó el final y poco a poco fue construyendo la historia hacia la parte inicial. Gracias a esa sección, y a Daisy, siento que no perdí completamente el tiempo leyendo esta historia. Eso sí, ya he decidido que no continuaré la saga. Existen muchos autores y libros sobre el género por conocer, y solo tengo una vida, por lo que me parece más importante descubrir diferentes prosas, que buscar en un segundo, tercer o cuarto libro de esta autora, lo que seguramente no encontraré.
En resumen, una historia irregular que no cumple mis expectativas, pero que tampoco es un fracaso completo porque logró entretenerme por momentos, e interesarme por el final de esta obra, que si bien ya lo predecía, fue importante corroborar. Quizás, si fuera mi primera vez leyendo libros sobre detectives, thrillers o crimen me hubiera gustado mucho más, pero hay obras como Sherlock Holmes, o El cuarto mono que han puesto la vara un poco alta. Lo calificaré con un 2,9, pero internamente lo catalogaré como uno más del género.
August 24, 2019
I have wanted to get my hands on a book by Cara Hunter for so long now its not funny, so i thought i would take a punt & read Close To Home (DI Adam Fawley) i have just finished it and i must say what a start to a new series for me, the subject was dark & gritty with a bit of Psychological suspese. I could not stop turning the pages, the prose got me in & i just could not stoponly to get sleep.
Barry Mason & his family wife Sharon & children Daisy & leo were living a good life until one day their daughter goes missing after a party at their home DI Fawley & his team are brought in to investigate her disappearaance. Fawley interviews Barry & Sharon but both have no clue as to when they last saw her, so as Fawley goes deeper into the case he suspects Barry Mason knows more than he is letting on, lets just say Barry , Sharon & Leo dont have a normal family relationship i will leave it at that as i dont want to give away spoilers.
What we do find is that Barry & Sharons marriage was hanging by a thread & leo had problems of his own. DI Fawley is now looking at a murder investigation What are the Masons hiding & who is responsible for her murder!!
MY THOUGHTS
I loved this book it was a fast paced tghe prose was top notch & you never got bored the characters were well written although flawed, the ending had me on the edge of my seat It was definately a great start to a new series for me & am looking forward to how DI Fawley's character progresses, there was a major OMG moment that i am still thinking about.If you have not started this series yet WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? i have even bought the next in the series In The Dark.
Barry Mason & his family wife Sharon & children Daisy & leo were living a good life until one day their daughter goes missing after a party at their home DI Fawley & his team are brought in to investigate her disappearaance. Fawley interviews Barry & Sharon but both have no clue as to when they last saw her, so as Fawley goes deeper into the case he suspects Barry Mason knows more than he is letting on, lets just say Barry , Sharon & Leo dont have a normal family relationship i will leave it at that as i dont want to give away spoilers.
What we do find is that Barry & Sharons marriage was hanging by a thread & leo had problems of his own. DI Fawley is now looking at a murder investigation What are the Masons hiding & who is responsible for her murder!!
MY THOUGHTS
I loved this book it was a fast paced tghe prose was top notch & you never got bored the characters were well written although flawed, the ending had me on the edge of my seat It was definately a great start to a new series for me & am looking forward to how DI Fawley's character progresses, there was a major OMG moment that i am still thinking about.If you have not started this series yet WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? i have even bought the next in the series In The Dark.
November 30, 2025
Stunningly impressive, stunningly original. I guess I will start by thanking the goodreads community for all the great reviews re this series. If it were not for those reviews I may have not discovered this gem of an author. Just love Goodreads, don't we.
I would like to start with the very original way in which this book was written. It is about an 8 year old girl who goes missing and quite quickly is presumed dead. For the most part it is written in the first person with DI Adam Fawley playing the lead detective and narrating much of it. Daisy the missing girl is 8 years old and we learn that Fawley's son who was 8 at the time also died about a year earlier. He and his wife are still grieving. Should he even be involved in this investigation due to all this. We are teased through most of the book re his sons death and how it impacts the investigation but we never really learn the details until the very end and the details were quite brief but very effective and very sad.
So Daisy is believed to have disappeared at a party her parents were throwing where kids were also invited. It was a neighborhood bbq party. The police are naturally quickly involved and when a crime like this happens it has to be solved asap! Yet there are very few leads and I loved the way Cara Hunter (author) brings us through the investigation. It is a frustrating investigation with so few leads and you know what - many times that is exactly the way investigations go. I should mention the originality of the writing when it often came to the police investigation. The font would change during the interviews with various witnesses and suspects and it was actually like viewing a real police interview in that it was basically written to be read like a real interview. I have never seen this done before and it was genius. You get the clues laid out first hand by whomever is being interviewed. You hear the police questions as well. It's all right there for you to absorb and deduce from. Also with regard to writing style Hunter incorporated the internet community with regard to a running commentary on the investigation both with regard to the police investigation as well as suspects and the like. Again the font changed and internet user handles used and commentary from the internet trolls and the like going on for several pages at a time. It was like you were viewing a computer screen and not a page in a book. So well done and so fitting for our times. Again I have never seen this done before and man Hunter really pulled it off!!!
Along with both those writing styles being incorporated Hunter also uses different timelines to back fill Daisy's story. She goes back months at a time introducing different characters, their importance in all this in a teasing innuendo kind of way. Not really spelling things out but giving you good honest clues as to what may have happened. All this originality and genius and in an easy to read, very informative format which abounds with so many twists and turns. Such a great read!!!
As the investigation progresses we are quickly steered away from feeling for the grieving parents. They quickly become suspects and there are some real issues with regard to both. Mom is suspected of killing her sister at a very early age - would she also kill her daughter? The father is quickly linked to some serious pedophilia issues. Through her writing style and the internet pages specifically we see how the general public turns on the parents and it is only natural.
So when it looks like things are going to wrap up I was drawn to a chapter of no more than 4/5 pages. It fit in with where the book was being steered and who was responsible but it also left a door open. This chapter is towards the end as well and it naturally fits there because it seems to be a kind of reinforcement with where things are heading overall. Yet I did see through it and knew who the real culprit was in all this. I don't really know how I knew but I did :)
So I finsihed the book as my wife came home with groceries so I naturally helped her. I told her I finished my book and it was excellent but I still had about 5 pages left, being the epilogue. We talked about it as we put away the groceries and I told her I really think the epilogue is going to really change things that I told you so far. I think its going to twist and twist big. So as I read the epilogue I started smiling as I did get the culprit right but what really happened to Daisy in relation to all this was way way off. Not as smart as I thought after all, lol.
Again this format of internet dialogue backing the story, the police interviews laid out so you can view them. The changing timelines with accompanying backfill story. Just so original, just so awesome. Thanks again to the many GR reviewers of Cara Hunter's Adam Fawley series. It is relatively new so I started with this one, the first in the series and am so glad I did.
An easy five stars. I wonder if she starts a new trend with this style as it is so realistic and appropriate for our time. Great, great book! Do enjoy 😎
I would like to start with the very original way in which this book was written. It is about an 8 year old girl who goes missing and quite quickly is presumed dead. For the most part it is written in the first person with DI Adam Fawley playing the lead detective and narrating much of it. Daisy the missing girl is 8 years old and we learn that Fawley's son who was 8 at the time also died about a year earlier. He and his wife are still grieving. Should he even be involved in this investigation due to all this. We are teased through most of the book re his sons death and how it impacts the investigation but we never really learn the details until the very end and the details were quite brief but very effective and very sad.
So Daisy is believed to have disappeared at a party her parents were throwing where kids were also invited. It was a neighborhood bbq party. The police are naturally quickly involved and when a crime like this happens it has to be solved asap! Yet there are very few leads and I loved the way Cara Hunter (author) brings us through the investigation. It is a frustrating investigation with so few leads and you know what - many times that is exactly the way investigations go. I should mention the originality of the writing when it often came to the police investigation. The font would change during the interviews with various witnesses and suspects and it was actually like viewing a real police interview in that it was basically written to be read like a real interview. I have never seen this done before and it was genius. You get the clues laid out first hand by whomever is being interviewed. You hear the police questions as well. It's all right there for you to absorb and deduce from. Also with regard to writing style Hunter incorporated the internet community with regard to a running commentary on the investigation both with regard to the police investigation as well as suspects and the like. Again the font changed and internet user handles used and commentary from the internet trolls and the like going on for several pages at a time. It was like you were viewing a computer screen and not a page in a book. So well done and so fitting for our times. Again I have never seen this done before and man Hunter really pulled it off!!!
Along with both those writing styles being incorporated Hunter also uses different timelines to back fill Daisy's story. She goes back months at a time introducing different characters, their importance in all this in a teasing innuendo kind of way. Not really spelling things out but giving you good honest clues as to what may have happened. All this originality and genius and in an easy to read, very informative format which abounds with so many twists and turns. Such a great read!!!
As the investigation progresses we are quickly steered away from feeling for the grieving parents. They quickly become suspects and there are some real issues with regard to both. Mom is suspected of killing her sister at a very early age - would she also kill her daughter? The father is quickly linked to some serious pedophilia issues. Through her writing style and the internet pages specifically we see how the general public turns on the parents and it is only natural.
So when it looks like things are going to wrap up I was drawn to a chapter of no more than 4/5 pages. It fit in with where the book was being steered and who was responsible but it also left a door open. This chapter is towards the end as well and it naturally fits there because it seems to be a kind of reinforcement with where things are heading overall. Yet I did see through it and knew who the real culprit was in all this. I don't really know how I knew but I did :)
So I finsihed the book as my wife came home with groceries so I naturally helped her. I told her I finished my book and it was excellent but I still had about 5 pages left, being the epilogue. We talked about it as we put away the groceries and I told her I really think the epilogue is going to really change things that I told you so far. I think its going to twist and twist big. So as I read the epilogue I started smiling as I did get the culprit right but what really happened to Daisy in relation to all this was way way off. Not as smart as I thought after all, lol.
Again this format of internet dialogue backing the story, the police interviews laid out so you can view them. The changing timelines with accompanying backfill story. Just so original, just so awesome. Thanks again to the many GR reviewers of Cara Hunter's Adam Fawley series. It is relatively new so I started with this one, the first in the series and am so glad I did.
An easy five stars. I wonder if she starts a new trend with this style as it is so realistic and appropriate for our time. Great, great book! Do enjoy 😎
March 19, 2018
For a debut novel I have to say that I am very impressed. This is book 1 in the DI Adam Fawley series and I look forward to reading more.
During an evening barbecue it appears 8 year old Daisy Mason vanishes into thin air. Even her own parents can't recall the last time they saw her that evening. Now DI Adam Fawley and his team need to put the puzzle pieces together in order to save Daisy before it's too late.
In interviewing the parents DI Fawley can't help but to wonder what they may be hiding. An uninterested mother who seems to care more about her appearance than the fact that her daughter has gone missing and a father who comes across as cold and hostile. All the while keeping his eye on Daisy's brother Leo who seems withdrawn and scared but of who?
This is an excellent police procedural and I was hooked on every word. The best part for me was the fact that the pacing never let up. No moments of boredom here. To be sure Cara Hunter is an author to watch out for. Highly Recommended!
I'd like to thank Penguin Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
During an evening barbecue it appears 8 year old Daisy Mason vanishes into thin air. Even her own parents can't recall the last time they saw her that evening. Now DI Adam Fawley and his team need to put the puzzle pieces together in order to save Daisy before it's too late.
In interviewing the parents DI Fawley can't help but to wonder what they may be hiding. An uninterested mother who seems to care more about her appearance than the fact that her daughter has gone missing and a father who comes across as cold and hostile. All the while keeping his eye on Daisy's brother Leo who seems withdrawn and scared but of who?
This is an excellent police procedural and I was hooked on every word. The best part for me was the fact that the pacing never let up. No moments of boredom here. To be sure Cara Hunter is an author to watch out for. Highly Recommended!
I'd like to thank Penguin Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 13, 2017
'Close to Hone' is the 1st book in the Oxford detective DI Adam Fawley series by author Cara Hunter.
This fast paced novel is certainly a page turner and features some great characters. 8 year old Daisy disappears from her Oxford home and both her parents are quickly identified as possible suspects. Daisy's mother doesn't appear to be concerned and her father is more concerned in keeping a low profile than helping the police to uncover the truth regarding Daisy's whereabouts. The book reveals more information to the reader by featuring flashbacks that explain the family history and open up more possibilities to the crime.
This is an excellent novel that keeps the reader interested to know more and serves up twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.
I would like to thank Penguin Books UK and Net Galley for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This fast paced novel is certainly a page turner and features some great characters. 8 year old Daisy disappears from her Oxford home and both her parents are quickly identified as possible suspects. Daisy's mother doesn't appear to be concerned and her father is more concerned in keeping a low profile than helping the police to uncover the truth regarding Daisy's whereabouts. The book reveals more information to the reader by featuring flashbacks that explain the family history and open up more possibilities to the crime.
This is an excellent novel that keeps the reader interested to know more and serves up twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.
I would like to thank Penguin Books UK and Net Galley for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
December 13, 2017
Last night, 8-year-old Daisy Mason disappeared from her parents summer party. No on saw anything- at least that's what they are saying. DI Fawley is trying to keep an open mind. But nine times out of ten, it's someone the victim knew. Someone is lying and Daisy's time is running out.
This fast paced well plotted novel kept me on the edge of my seat, urging DI Adam Fawley and his team to find Daisy. There are lots of twists in this intense psychological thriller. I was constantly changing my mind about who the guilty party was. Even better eas the books satisfying ending. I loved it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and the author Cara Hunter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This fast paced well plotted novel kept me on the edge of my seat, urging DI Adam Fawley and his team to find Daisy. There are lots of twists in this intense psychological thriller. I was constantly changing my mind about who the guilty party was. Even better eas the books satisfying ending. I loved it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and the author Cara Hunter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2020
3.5 rounded up
“They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know”.
DI Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home.
And, DI Fawley is tasked with finding out where 8 year old Daisy Mason has vanished to in the first installment of this police procedural. (#5 is due out Jan 21, 2021)
I have been wanting to try this series since this debut was released in March of 2018, because of the many 5 star reviews it has received, but I am not a fan of police procedurals, as a rule, nor of reading series, so it kept lingering in my large unread pile! 📚📚📚📚🤦🏻♀️
After finally finishing this, I have confirmed a few things!
The first is that, I CAN see why it was popular!!
It’s light on the procedural with interview transcripts, a Find Daisy Mason Facebook page complete with comments, and a “Trial by Twitter” where Supporters and Trolls all weigh in on the guilt or innocence of Daisy’s Mom, Sharon and Daisy’s Daddy, Barry.
AND, it has an ending that is more psychological suspense, than “case closed”!
BUT- although I got to know DI Adam Fawley, I can not name all of his team, because, I wasn’t riveted and I found myself easily distracted!
SO- it confirmed for me that police procedural series, even the good ones, are STILL not quite my thing, and I will probably leave it to our favorite reviewers who love these, to review the rest of the series for you!
“They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know”.
DI Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home.
And, DI Fawley is tasked with finding out where 8 year old Daisy Mason has vanished to in the first installment of this police procedural. (#5 is due out Jan 21, 2021)
I have been wanting to try this series since this debut was released in March of 2018, because of the many 5 star reviews it has received, but I am not a fan of police procedurals, as a rule, nor of reading series, so it kept lingering in my large unread pile! 📚📚📚📚🤦🏻♀️
After finally finishing this, I have confirmed a few things!
The first is that, I CAN see why it was popular!!
It’s light on the procedural with interview transcripts, a Find Daisy Mason Facebook page complete with comments, and a “Trial by Twitter” where Supporters and Trolls all weigh in on the guilt or innocence of Daisy’s Mom, Sharon and Daisy’s Daddy, Barry.
AND, it has an ending that is more psychological suspense, than “case closed”!
BUT- although I got to know DI Adam Fawley, I can not name all of his team, because, I wasn’t riveted and I found myself easily distracted!
SO- it confirmed for me that police procedural series, even the good ones, are STILL not quite my thing, and I will probably leave it to our favorite reviewers who love these, to review the rest of the series for you!
March 30, 2021
Un thriller muy bien armado y muy bien pensado, que me mantuvo pendiente de la lectura, sobre todo en el último tercio, en que no me pude separar del libro hasta terminarlo.
Al finalizar una fiesta que organizó la familia Mason para vecinos y amigos, se dan cuenta que su hija Daisy, de 8 años, ha desaparecido. Aparte de esa premisa, es muy poco lo que se puede decir sin caer en spoilers, pero a medida que se va acercando el final, comienza a ser cada vez más plausible un desenlace que la autora va orientando con pistas muy sutiles. Me gustó mucho su estilo, muy ágil y lleno de giros y descubrimientos que van enreversando el argumento. Además, la inclusión de correos electrónicos, noticias de prensa y transcripción de interrogatorios, le da un cariz muy atractivo a la lectura. Por otra parte, los mensajes de Twitter y otras redes sociales sobre cómo la comunidad va siguiendo la investigación y se involucra en el caso de la desaparición de Daisy, le da un sentido de urgencia muy bien logrado.
Lo más seguro es que siga con la serie del inspector Adam Fawley, que le da su toque personal con una trama paralela propia, aunque él, en esta entrega, no deslumbra especialmente, pero sí me gustaron mucho algunos integrantes de su equipo de investigación.
En resumen, una novela muy, pero muy recomendable.
Reto #32 PopSugar 2021: Un libro cuyo título comience con Q, X o Z
Al finalizar una fiesta que organizó la familia Mason para vecinos y amigos, se dan cuenta que su hija Daisy, de 8 años, ha desaparecido. Aparte de esa premisa, es muy poco lo que se puede decir sin caer en spoilers, pero a medida que se va acercando el final, comienza a ser cada vez más plausible un desenlace que la autora va orientando con pistas muy sutiles. Me gustó mucho su estilo, muy ágil y lleno de giros y descubrimientos que van enreversando el argumento. Además, la inclusión de correos electrónicos, noticias de prensa y transcripción de interrogatorios, le da un cariz muy atractivo a la lectura. Por otra parte, los mensajes de Twitter y otras redes sociales sobre cómo la comunidad va siguiendo la investigación y se involucra en el caso de la desaparición de Daisy, le da un sentido de urgencia muy bien logrado.
Lo más seguro es que siga con la serie del inspector Adam Fawley, que le da su toque personal con una trama paralela propia, aunque él, en esta entrega, no deslumbra especialmente, pero sí me gustaron mucho algunos integrantes de su equipo de investigación.
En resumen, una novela muy, pero muy recomendable.
Reto #32 PopSugar 2021: Un libro cuyo título comience con Q, X o Z
November 24, 2025
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#1 Close To Home - ★
Close To Home is, I believe, the first mystery/thriller book I have given one star to. I had very high hopes for this one. And it crashed my hopes quite hard.
Close To Home is the first book in a series called DI Adam Fawley. The books are not related to themselves and can be read as standalones. They all feature the detective Fawley, therefore the series solution. Something similar to Dan Brown's series. I listened to the audio book, and I think that the format might have a little blame on my rating.
In this book, the 8-year-old girl Daisy Mason disappears from her parents's summer party. No one in the neighbourhood saw anything, not even the parents, and the detective is trying to keep an open mind in this whole situation, as someone is clearly lying.
The story begins with an interesting premise, and I loved the initial interviews that are happening, right after the disappearance. And after this initial moment, everything goes downhill.
There are many twists in this book, and they all are happening based on dumn luck or weird circumstances.
I would understand if this happened once or twice, but they have solved the whole mystery with coincidences happening one after another as well as random plot lines being added in the middle of nowhere, just to keep the story going.
Oh - we're running out of clues. Let's add a secret random second family the dad has. Oh - we're running out of clues again. Let's add a suspicious background for the mother. And now, let's make both these events come up at them at the same time, right when we're trying to solve an investigation. And now, let's add a mental issue with the brother. (Despite receiving all doctor's reports at the beginning)...
Too many events that came up afterwards and that I still have trouble to believe could make sense.
And on top of all this, I need to mention that the book doesn't have chapters as such. The parts are split with excerpts from social media. Something which I truly believe I would have enjoyed if I read the book. But instead, I was listening to it. And it is so annoying.
The below excerpt is not a quote, as I don't have the paperback copy. However, it does represent the true format of how this sounded in the audiobook:
Twenty-ninth of October, nine twenty five.
Angela G Bettaton at angela dot g bettaton. I hope they find the person that took Daisy. Hashtag Daisy Mason. Hashtag Find Daisy.
Mike eighty seven at mike dot eight seven The person that did this should take responsibility. Hashtag Find Daisy. Hashtag Missing Girl.
The ending - it just wasn't worth the wait, and it was the most unsatisfying ending I have ever encountered in mystery novels.
I regret picking this book up and I regret reading it. I really wish I love it, as I was looking forward to Cara Hunter's new novel, but now, I am not so sure anymore.
If you think you might enjoy it, please pick it up! Perhaps you might love it, who knows!
Thank you to the team at Penguin Random House, for proving an audiobook for me listen to, in exchange for an honest review.
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#1 Close To Home - ★
Close To Home is, I believe, the first mystery/thriller book I have given one star to. I had very high hopes for this one. And it crashed my hopes quite hard.
Close To Home is the first book in a series called DI Adam Fawley. The books are not related to themselves and can be read as standalones. They all feature the detective Fawley, therefore the series solution. Something similar to Dan Brown's series. I listened to the audio book, and I think that the format might have a little blame on my rating.
In this book, the 8-year-old girl Daisy Mason disappears from her parents's summer party. No one in the neighbourhood saw anything, not even the parents, and the detective is trying to keep an open mind in this whole situation, as someone is clearly lying.
The story begins with an interesting premise, and I loved the initial interviews that are happening, right after the disappearance. And after this initial moment, everything goes downhill.
There are many twists in this book, and they all are happening based on dumn luck or weird circumstances.
I would understand if this happened once or twice, but they have solved the whole mystery with coincidences happening one after another as well as random plot lines being added in the middle of nowhere, just to keep the story going.
Oh - we're running out of clues. Let's add a secret random second family the dad has. Oh - we're running out of clues again. Let's add a suspicious background for the mother. And now, let's make both these events come up at them at the same time, right when we're trying to solve an investigation. And now, let's add a mental issue with the brother. (Despite receiving all doctor's reports at the beginning)...
Too many events that came up afterwards and that I still have trouble to believe could make sense.
And on top of all this, I need to mention that the book doesn't have chapters as such. The parts are split with excerpts from social media. Something which I truly believe I would have enjoyed if I read the book. But instead, I was listening to it. And it is so annoying.
The below excerpt is not a quote, as I don't have the paperback copy. However, it does represent the true format of how this sounded in the audiobook:
Twenty-ninth of October, nine twenty five.
Angela G Bettaton at angela dot g bettaton. I hope they find the person that took Daisy. Hashtag Daisy Mason. Hashtag Find Daisy.
Mike eighty seven at mike dot eight seven The person that did this should take responsibility. Hashtag Find Daisy. Hashtag Missing Girl.
The ending - it just wasn't worth the wait, and it was the most unsatisfying ending I have ever encountered in mystery novels.
I regret picking this book up and I regret reading it. I really wish I love it, as I was looking forward to Cara Hunter's new novel, but now, I am not so sure anymore.
If you think you might enjoy it, please pick it up! Perhaps you might love it, who knows!
Thank you to the team at Penguin Random House, for proving an audiobook for me listen to, in exchange for an honest review.
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February 19, 2018
I’m going to say this now, before we get started. You won’t like it, but trust me, I’ve done this more times than I care to punish myself remembering. In a case like this - a kid - nine times out of ten it’s someone close to home.
Close to Home is a good start to a new police procedural series. The characters are complex, strong and well-portrayed - some might even say unlikable. The mystery here is certainly intriguing with an 8 year old who goes missing at a family BBQ, although it takes hours for anyone to notice. The police know something isn't right from the start with each family member suspicious in their own way and certain details not adding up. Can DI Fawley find Daisy before it's too late?
Interwoven throughout are tweets, articles, police interview transcripts, emails, facebook posts, etc. This is a nice addition to the format because it shows how things develop throughout the case, how information is released to the public and how the public reacts to the case as it unfolds.
My biggest issue is with Daisy. Not in the way you may think, but it bothered me how she came across when she spoke. There were times she seemed her age, but more times than not she sounded like an adult. My other issue is the final reveal. I felt it came out of nowhere and wasn't particularly necessary.
I see myself reading the sequel because of DI Fawley. Plus, the twists and turns throughout were entertaining.
September 28, 2021
17 de septiembre de 2021. 10 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Termino El sótano de Oxford (segunda novela protagonizada por el inspector Adam Fawley) y mi amiga Zai me habla bien de ¿Quién se ha llevado a Daisy Mason? (el primer libro de la saga). Lo apunto como “want to read”.
***
23 de septiembre de 2021. 4 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Zai envía un “Aitor, ¿cuándo te lees el primero?” que me hace consultar mi calendario de lecturas. En octubre estoy apuntado a seis LCs. Quiero leerlo… y tiene que ser ahora.
***
24 de septiembre de 2021. 3 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Comienzo la novela con las expectativas por las nubes y enseguida me veo intentando averiguar quién se llevó a la pequeña Daisy de la barbacoa que organizaban sus padres.
***
25 de octubre. 2 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Estoy atrapado. Cara Hunter me hace dudar del padre de Daisy, de su madre, de su hermano, de los vecinos, de sus amigas del colegio y de todos los personajes del entorno familiar que van apareciendo en escena para ofrecer su testimonio a la policía.
***
26 de septiembre. Un día antes de escribir la reseña.
Con interrogatorios por aquí y muchos comentarios de Twitter por allá las páginas vuelan. La crítica al juicio popular paralelo en las redes sociales me parece muy actual y todo un acierto. Llego al punto final de la historia después de varios giros en la investigación y un epílogo de esos que te deja un buen rato la cabeza loca pensando hacia atrás. No suelo ser de los que adivinan los finales, pero en esta ocasión hubo una parte que sí intuí… La otra, la resolución a la pregunta que plantea el título del libro, es sorprendente. Quizá incuso demasiado.
***
27 de septiembre. La reseña.
Ahora sí seré muy breve: Me gustó más El sótano de Oxford, pero la búsqueda de Daisy Mason también ha sido intensa.
***
28 de septiembre. 1 día después de escribir la reseña.
La subo a Goodreads... ¡Muchísimas gracias por la recomendación, Zai! 🌼
Termino El sótano de Oxford (segunda novela protagonizada por el inspector Adam Fawley) y mi amiga Zai me habla bien de ¿Quién se ha llevado a Daisy Mason? (el primer libro de la saga). Lo apunto como “want to read”.
***
23 de septiembre de 2021. 4 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Zai envía un “Aitor, ¿cuándo te lees el primero?” que me hace consultar mi calendario de lecturas. En octubre estoy apuntado a seis LCs. Quiero leerlo… y tiene que ser ahora.
***
24 de septiembre de 2021. 3 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Comienzo la novela con las expectativas por las nubes y enseguida me veo intentando averiguar quién se llevó a la pequeña Daisy de la barbacoa que organizaban sus padres.
***
25 de octubre. 2 días antes de escribir la reseña.
Estoy atrapado. Cara Hunter me hace dudar del padre de Daisy, de su madre, de su hermano, de los vecinos, de sus amigas del colegio y de todos los personajes del entorno familiar que van apareciendo en escena para ofrecer su testimonio a la policía.
***
26 de septiembre. Un día antes de escribir la reseña.
Con interrogatorios por aquí y muchos comentarios de Twitter por allá las páginas vuelan. La crítica al juicio popular paralelo en las redes sociales me parece muy actual y todo un acierto. Llego al punto final de la historia después de varios giros en la investigación y un epílogo de esos que te deja un buen rato la cabeza loca pensando hacia atrás. No suelo ser de los que adivinan los finales, pero en esta ocasión hubo una parte que sí intuí… La otra, la resolución a la pregunta que plantea el título del libro, es sorprendente. Quizá incuso demasiado.
***
27 de septiembre. La reseña.
Ahora sí seré muy breve: Me gustó más El sótano de Oxford, pero la búsqueda de Daisy Mason también ha sido intensa.
***
28 de septiembre. 1 día después de escribir la reseña.
La subo a Goodreads... ¡Muchísimas gracias por la recomendación, Zai! 🌼
April 28, 2018
Daisy Mason inexplicably disappears during her parents costume party at their home. She’s only 8-years old so the case is given high level importance and captures the attention of the media, as well as everyone within their reach.
Detective Inspector Adam Fawley is the lead on the investigation, which is one of the book’s superlatives. Everyone carries their weight and the procedurals are highly interesting, causing me to have a tough time finding a breaking point. The clues took me on the most puzzling journey but it prepared me for the big twist in the epilogue. The story is well paced and both narrators delivered two fine performances. It’s a large cast but each was given distinction both in voice and design. The primary suspects kept me off balance for most of the book. And, the inclusion of social media commentary added a layer of reality, no matter how unfortunate.
I’m really looking forward to more in this series as the procedurals were so well done and I liked how each character was developed. This was an incredibly interesting story that could have taken predictable paths but fortunately offered something different.
(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
Detective Inspector Adam Fawley is the lead on the investigation, which is one of the book’s superlatives. Everyone carries their weight and the procedurals are highly interesting, causing me to have a tough time finding a breaking point. The clues took me on the most puzzling journey but it prepared me for the big twist in the epilogue. The story is well paced and both narrators delivered two fine performances. It’s a large cast but each was given distinction both in voice and design. The primary suspects kept me off balance for most of the book. And, the inclusion of social media commentary added a layer of reality, no matter how unfortunate.
I’m really looking forward to more in this series as the procedurals were so well done and I liked how each character was developed. This was an incredibly interesting story that could have taken predictable paths but fortunately offered something different.
(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
May 28, 2019
Having recently come across and enjoyed the 2nd book in the DI Adam Fawley series ‘In The Dark’, I hastily checked out the debut novel by Cara Hunter from my local library.
There’s something so distinctive and unique that has made me obsessed with this series!
Eight-Year-Old Daisy Mason has not been seen since a BBQ in the family home in Oxford.
With DI Fawley and he’s team starting to investigate its instantly apparent that doubt surrounds both parents Sharon and Barry’s accountability, they soon appear to be the prime suspects.
I really like the storytelling of this series with the inclusion of tweets and Facebook group chats entwined in the narrative adds a true sense of real time jeopardy as the clock is ticking.
Seeing how the public keeps reacting to the case certainly nudges a reader down certain avenues of suspicion, I kept changing my mind on who was the guilty part throughout!
The fact that I was still left surprised by the novels conclusion is testament to how great the writing is.
This series is extremely addictive!
With no individual chapters I found myself keep turning the page, before I knew it I’d finished it.
I’m keen to start the third book now!
There’s something so distinctive and unique that has made me obsessed with this series!
Eight-Year-Old Daisy Mason has not been seen since a BBQ in the family home in Oxford.
With DI Fawley and he’s team starting to investigate its instantly apparent that doubt surrounds both parents Sharon and Barry’s accountability, they soon appear to be the prime suspects.
I really like the storytelling of this series with the inclusion of tweets and Facebook group chats entwined in the narrative adds a true sense of real time jeopardy as the clock is ticking.
Seeing how the public keeps reacting to the case certainly nudges a reader down certain avenues of suspicion, I kept changing my mind on who was the guilty part throughout!
The fact that I was still left surprised by the novels conclusion is testament to how great the writing is.
This series is extremely addictive!
With no individual chapters I found myself keep turning the page, before I knew it I’d finished it.
I’m keen to start the third book now!
October 7, 2020
The detective literary market place is a plentiful one these days and I didn’t think this particularly stood out from the crowd. This novel centres around a missing school girl Daisy Mason and her utterly dysfunctional family which is investigated by DI Adam Fawley , who is an interesting character with a sad personal history which became clearer as the book unfolded. The story was easy to read although I became very irritated by the constant backwards and forwards through time which didn’t always have much logic and it did not arise naturally through the storytelling. The story was interspersed with social media entries which was fairly interesting as the family was trolled in the public domain - in this instance with justification. The ending was surprising to say the least and seemed to come totally out of left field. It didn’t strike me as being very believable as there were far too many lucky coincidences to make it possible. I would probably read books by this author again but I’m not in any great rush to do so.
Totally changed my mind about this series as I’ve read on!!!
Totally changed my mind about this series as I’ve read on!!!
September 2, 2023
When Daisy Mason disappears during a family party, literally everyone seems like a suspect. But who is really responsible and what really happened to her? This was an intense, well-paced psychological thriller, with lots of red herrings, family drama and backstory, interesting side plots, and twists and turns all the way up until the last page. I will definitely be checking out more in this series!
April 16, 2021
Sorprendente.
May 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this one! The mixed media in this is nothing like I've read before and it really made it a stand out for me - there are interview transcripts, tweets, media articles, letters and all in differing texts and styles and that is a win!
The plot is 👌. Original, fast paced, chilling at times and addictive. This was hard to put down and from early on in the book it felt like the little twists and misdirections started and I was thinking but wait, there's so much more left in the book. Also, the cross examination toward the end was fab! I was really engrossed in it.
The characters were well developed and had you questioning things all along and also considering issues related to psychology. I loved learning about facial responses to trauma situations too.
I have two gripes with this book though, first the unnecessary epilogue when the book had already ended so well, and second that there are no chapters. I stop reading anywhere in a book - any sentence, chapter, whatever and it's fine but I had this constant feeling of like holding my breath where there's so much to go and no chapters. A me issue, I get that, but I am sooo hoping this isn't consistent with her other work because I am DEFINITELY getting book 2!
Would recommend to all those who love police procedurals and especially if you love use of mixed media.
Thanks so much to Pink for the awesome PP rec and to Anne for the quasi buddy read and awesome chats 💜
⚠️ Check TWs online ⚠️
The plot is 👌. Original, fast paced, chilling at times and addictive. This was hard to put down and from early on in the book it felt like the little twists and misdirections started and I was thinking but wait, there's so much more left in the book. Also, the cross examination toward the end was fab! I was really engrossed in it.
The characters were well developed and had you questioning things all along and also considering issues related to psychology. I loved learning about facial responses to trauma situations too.
I have two gripes with this book though, first the unnecessary epilogue when the book had already ended so well, and second that there are no chapters. I stop reading anywhere in a book - any sentence, chapter, whatever and it's fine but I had this constant feeling of like holding my breath where there's so much to go and no chapters. A me issue, I get that, but I am sooo hoping this isn't consistent with her other work because I am DEFINITELY getting book 2!
Would recommend to all those who love police procedurals and especially if you love use of mixed media.
Thanks so much to Pink for the awesome PP rec and to Anne for the quasi buddy read and awesome chats 💜
⚠️ Check TWs online ⚠️
February 28, 2019
Before you start, you'll want to put Do Not Disturb and Keep Out signs on the door!
She can hear noises in the undergrowth, the rustling of small animals and a heavier movement coming steadily closer, step by step. She wipes her cheek, where tears still linger, and she wishes with all her heart she was like the princess in Brave. She wouldn’t be frightened being in the forest all alone. But Daisy is.
Daisy is very frightened indeed.
‘Daisy?’ says a voice. ‘Where are you?’ More steps, closer now, and the voice is angry. ‘You can’t hide from me. I’m going to find you. You know that, don’t you, Daisy. I’m going to find you.’
***
I’m going to say this now, before we get started. You won’t like it, but trust me, I’ve done this more times than I care to punish myself remembering. In a case like this – a kid – nine times out of ten it’s someone close to home. Family, friend, neighbour, someone in the community. Don’t forget that. However distraught they look, however unlikely it seems, they know who did it. Perhaps not consciously, and perhaps not yet. But they know.
They know.
********
The first book in the DI Adam Fawley series, Close to Home by Cara Hunter, is one dandy of a debut novel and had my nerves fizzing from the start!
The storyline is easily conceivable and all the characters were genuine, well defined, and rich with emotion. Fast paced, unputdownable , and addictive, the twists begin early on with no end in sight! It's one of those rare books when you don't even notice the how much of it you've read until you find yourself turning the last page! I read this book in one go!
The further into the story I read, more and more alarm bells were going off in my head as to who took Daisy, especially Dasiy's parents, both of whom I greatly disliked. But does that make either of them guilty of doing something to their daughter? ......
I'm very glad I already have the second novel in this series, In The Dark, on my bookshelf at home!
She can hear noises in the undergrowth, the rustling of small animals and a heavier movement coming steadily closer, step by step. She wipes her cheek, where tears still linger, and she wishes with all her heart she was like the princess in Brave. She wouldn’t be frightened being in the forest all alone. But Daisy is.
Daisy is very frightened indeed.
‘Daisy?’ says a voice. ‘Where are you?’ More steps, closer now, and the voice is angry. ‘You can’t hide from me. I’m going to find you. You know that, don’t you, Daisy. I’m going to find you.’
***
I’m going to say this now, before we get started. You won’t like it, but trust me, I’ve done this more times than I care to punish myself remembering. In a case like this – a kid – nine times out of ten it’s someone close to home. Family, friend, neighbour, someone in the community. Don’t forget that. However distraught they look, however unlikely it seems, they know who did it. Perhaps not consciously, and perhaps not yet. But they know.
They know.
********
The first book in the DI Adam Fawley series, Close to Home by Cara Hunter, is one dandy of a debut novel and had my nerves fizzing from the start!
The storyline is easily conceivable and all the characters were genuine, well defined, and rich with emotion. Fast paced, unputdownable , and addictive, the twists begin early on with no end in sight! It's one of those rare books when you don't even notice the how much of it you've read until you find yourself turning the last page! I read this book in one go!
The further into the story I read, more and more alarm bells were going off in my head as to who took Daisy, especially Dasiy's parents, both of whom I greatly disliked. But does that make either of them guilty of doing something to their daughter? ......
I'm very glad I already have the second novel in this series, In The Dark, on my bookshelf at home!
January 2, 2023
After putting this down, I closed my eyes for a good 10 minutes and tried to take everything in. This was a heavy one to get through. For some reason, it made so sad. I just felt that my heart is breaking for these characters.
Eight year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family home during a children's party. Everyone is suspicious, everyone has secrets, everyone is guilty of something.
I loved this book. I loved how every character was given a significant part in the story, I loved the unorthodox personality of the mother, although, I really want to give her a piece of my mind most of the time merely because of how annoying she is. You'll get a glimpse of how everyone tries so hard to be normal on the outside and completely act different behind closed doors.
For me, the characters were well-written—even the annoying ones. I just had a tiny little problem with the ending, I wanted to know more. The motive of the culprit is righteous if you think about it but the execution was lacking just a little bit, I needed more.
This is my 100th book this year! I am proud of myself. I need to double up for 2023. Haha!
Eight year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family home during a children's party. Everyone is suspicious, everyone has secrets, everyone is guilty of something.
I loved this book. I loved how every character was given a significant part in the story, I loved the unorthodox personality of the mother, although, I really want to give her a piece of my mind most of the time merely because of how annoying she is. You'll get a glimpse of how everyone tries so hard to be normal on the outside and completely act different behind closed doors.
For me, the characters were well-written—even the annoying ones. I just had a tiny little problem with the ending, I wanted to know more. The motive of the culprit is righteous if you think about it but the execution was lacking just a little bit, I needed more.
This is my 100th book this year! I am proud of myself. I need to double up for 2023. Haha!
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