Title: Close To Home
Author: Cara Hunter
Publisher: Viking

[Synopsis]

Someone took Daisy Mason. Someone YOU KNOW.

Last night, 8-year-old Daisy Mason disappeared from her parents’ summer party. No one in the quiet suburban street saw anything – or at least that’s what they’re saying. DI Adam Fawley is trying to keep an open mind. But he knows that nine times out of ten, it’s someone the victim knew. That means someone is lying. And that Daisy’s time is running out…

Introducing DI Fawley and his team of Oxford detectives, CLOSE TO HOME is a pulse-pounding race against time and a penetrating examination of what happens to a community when a shocking crime is committed by one of its own.

[My Review]

I have definitely, definitely found a new favourite crime writer (and new crime series) in Cara Hunter! As soon as I read the first few pages of Close To Home I was hooked. It’s a riveting read set in Oxford, which effectively combines elements of police procedurals with those of a gripping psychological thriller -this ticked all the boxes for a riveting read!

The characters in this novel are really complex and convincing, from the mysterious/ strange Mason family – do they have anything to hide? – to the smart Detective Inspector Fawley who has his own issues to deal with on top of trying to find out what’s happened to little Daisy Mason! No character is completely ‘good’ or ‘bad’, they all have their own quirks and faults, and on the whole it does feel like you’re reading about real people, something which isn’t always applicable to other novels in this genre.

The pacing is just right, opening with a bang and warning the reader that these kind of child ‘disappearances’ are often linked to someone close to them (don’t worry, it says that right at the start so I haven’t spoilt anything) – which makes you think throughout that it must be someone in the family… or is it?  I love the sense of unease and doubt that comes with novels like this, and Close To Home hits it right on the head.

There’s definitely some uncomfortable parts of the story, but that kind of goes with the territory and I didn’t feel like any of the story was unnecessary. Like the police, I had various ‘suspects’ in mind and the tension of the story builds until… that ending!!

I won’t say any more, just read this if you love your crime / police procedural novels (or even if you don’t!) because it really is an entertaining, gripping and well-written read!

[Rating: 5/5]

Many thanks to the publisher, Viking, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review. 

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