The Whole Truth: A Novel (A DI Adam Fawley Novel, Book 5)

After 4 books I came to really like all the team and I was getting very anxious that it would all be destroyed. Very good book I hope it’s not the end of the series!

I have not read anything by this author before, but I thought this was a pretty good effort. There were a few story threads to keep things interesting and the reader guessing. I must confess that I struggled somewhat in not having read the prequels as the characters and relationships were not easy to come to terms with. Hunter could possibly have done a "Michael Connelly" by unobtrusively inserting back-stories into the narrative. A couple of smaller gripes too: there are too many detectives and I am not a big fan of characters being introduced at the last minute. And while there were no typos to speak of (I only spotted one), the formatting was a major problem — phone texts and messages were presented as images and impossible to read on the Kindle version. Still, I enjoyed the ride overall and will probably seek out more by the author.

Good stories with plenty of twists and turns, just how they should be. Love ‘em.

The only mistake I made was that I read this before the first four of the DI Adam Frawley series, really good book, I enjoyed it a lot, but I wish I had read in order as it does help, but honestly a phenomenal book, I went and read the first four (in order) after reading this one!

DI Adam Fawley and his team are assigned to a sexual assault case at one of the colleges of Oxford. A student has made a complaint against an influential professor, but the details of the case take Adam and his team by surprise. This investigation is complex enough on its own, but things get even more complicated for the detectives when another case comes up that hits closer to home. Loyalties will be tested in this case in which an old grudge against Fawley poses a new threat.This is the fifth book in the DI Adam Fawley series, but if you’re a new reader, there’s a helpful character guide at the beginning of the book. The assault case takes so many twists and turns that even the experienced detectives start getting confused, but it’s never boring. The story is made even more interesting by the inclusion of multimedia items such as police reports, newspaper articles, and online message boards. There are also several transcripts from a podcast whose goal is to overturn what they see as miscarriages of justice. This podcast plays a big role in the second case Fawley’s team must deal with. The direction that case takes almost derailed the whole book for me, but it gets back on track thanks to information the team receives from an unexpected source.I like this author’s writing style and found both cases to be tense and suspenseful. The story held my interest from beginning to end. Both cases are wrapped up in dramatic ways, but I was hoping for more information on how the aftermath affected the main characters. I’m hoping the next book in the series may address some of my questions. If you’re looking for a twisty, procedural thriller, The Whole Truth is the book for you. Be sure to read the epilogue for one final shocking revelation!~ Christine

Even though I knew Cara Hunter would give her readers a satisfying ending, the road to that ending was extremely unsettling. I was so nervous I had to take a couple breaks from the story to bring my blood pressure down. Highly recommended but brace yourself for a roller-coaster ride of a read!

The Whole Truth is the third DI Adam Fawley novel that I have read. Cara Hunter does a terrific job creating characters and plots and margin details that all work together to tell a story. The characters are the part of this series that speaks loudest. Even the most minor characters receive a deep dive into their motivations. Initially I was irritated at the narrative interruptions regarding the documentary, but then as I got closer to finishing The Whole Truth, I realized that those interruptions included one very important clue and that their purpose was essential to solving a significant mystery. As always in these Cara Hunter novels, all the clues are hiding in plain sight. Readers just have to recognize the clues when they appear.Although there is much to like about The Whole Truth, the ending happens too quickly. Readers want to know about Zoe and that crowd of vicious students and if the truth emerges. Missing from the novel? I guess there is no justice, but are the police really that inept? Moreover, readers are anxious to see at least one DS get his comeuppance. What about that documentary maker, who is so vested in the truth? So vested that she does not even recognize the truth when she sees it? Where is the reader satisfaction that we all need and want? The epilogue is not enough, especially since justice does not happen. We need the rest of the story.I do recommend this Hunter novel. 4.5 stars.

Somehow I've managed to stay on top of this series despite the fact that the library hasn't gotten any of the books since #2. I ordered 3, 4 and 5 from The Book Depository via Amazon and will probably do the same for #6 which is due to be published in July 2022. All the books have been 4 and 5 stars for me.My enjoyment of this book was kind of erratic at first. The print seemed small in the paperback and it felt like there were too many words crammed on each page. As in the previous books, there are no chapter breaks and the narrative is peppered with copies of police reports, transcripts of interviews, diagrams, etc., even a podcast script, which I normally enjoy but some of the items in this one were so faint I had to use a magnifying glass to make them out. I think it must be time to visit my optometrist! The author was kind enough to include a chart at the beginning listing all the major players, their ages, marital status and personality traits. So helpful.As far as the book itself, it was excellent with a couple of interesting storylines to follow, one involving a male student who has accused his female professor of sexual assault and one involving the murder of an adoption services worker who is also a friend of DI Adam Fawley's wife. The recurring characters feel like old friends and occasionally Adam Fawley would say something like, 'If you know me, you know I ...', and I really felt like I knew him. Once I got past some of the small print, it went pretty quickly and I'm already looking forward to the next book. This was such an engrossing well-written book that I'm giving it the full 5 stars in spite of my quibbles.I was pretty excited to read in the author's acknowledgements that the novels have been picked up for a tv series adaptation but who knows when it'll get made or when it'll get to Canada.

The Whole Truth is the fifth instalment in the DI Adam Fawley series, which has become a firm favourite for me. I loved the quick summary of the characters’ backstories at the start of the book. This really helps readers who are picking up the series, without having read the previous four.A new case presents itself to the team. A complex, sensitive case, where the truth is only known by two people. The case proves to be extremely tricky, the sand seems to be constantly moving beneath their feet.The book highlights the indignities suffered by victims of such crimes, who have already endured so much.There is so much to unravel in this book, apart from the live case being investigated. The Gavin Parrie situation raises its ugly head again. Adam’s home life, and other complicating factors add a huge additional layer of stress for the team, and for the reader too.As you would expect from the author, the characterisation is fabulous.The plot is intricate, well planned and executed wonderfully. The book is fast paced, gripping and makes for addictive reading/listening.Cara Hunter, I am very firmly in team Fawley. The plot made me so incredibly stressed at times, you made my blood boil. I love and hate in equal measure, the suggestion of Adam being an unreliable narrator, keeping secrets from the reader.The Whole Truth reads well as a standalone, but I would advise reading the series in order, so you don’t miss out on four fabulous books, and the gripping ongoing backstory. I can’t recommend this book, and the whole series highly enough. If you are thinking of trying audiobooks, this is the perfect place to start. This series, and the perfectly pitched narration by Lee Ingleby and Emma Cunniffe, have me completely hooked.

I quite like this series, Cara Hunter is a good writer and the stories are usually suspenseful and interesting. However, I can’t relate to any of the characters in the books. None of them seem very likeable, not even the ones who are clearly meant to be. Hence only 4 stars instead of 5.

Fifth book about DI Fawley. Two separate storylines : one about a professor accused of sexual assault, the second a sequel of the previous book, when someone tries to exact revenge against the DI. I won't say that I didn't enjoy the book because Cara Hunter knows how to tell a story. But I zapped all the parts about The Whole Truth podcasts. They were no more than reminders of the previous book, unuseful to the story and more like a way to reach the number of words expected by her publisher. So, even if the characters of this police team are quite lively and interesting, I'm not sure, I'll buy the next one...

The Whole Truth is an entertaining and thought provoking crime mystery/thriller with some procedural elements thrown in. It has two narratives running through it that take up equal page time; the first that of the blurb, a sexual abuse claim from a male student about his female professor and the second being a current murder case that have more to do with a far older case of the lead detective.I found both narratives interesting, but the murder mystery was fairly predictable. Even not having read the previous novels in this series, I could see right from the beginning where it was going and there were very few twists and turns. I did like the additional character development that came from it and truth and lies unravel. The podcast detailing the old case was well done as well, giving a different perspective view into what was going on.The real meat of the novel was in the sexual assault/abuse case though and I liked how well Hunter distorted and flipped the narratives depending on who you were speaking to. It made it very difficult to figure out who was actually telling the truth until the very final pages. In comparison to the murder narrative, it was full of unexpected twists and turns, with every side being full of unreliable narrators.All in all, an interesting and well written thriller. There is a level of tension and threat throughout the pages, even with the murder mystery which I was fairly confident from the word go as to how it would resolve. I haven't read any of the previous novels in the series, but may have to go back and correct that in the future.Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this title.