Close to Home: A Novel (Di Adam Fawley Novel, #1) (DI Fawley)

by Cara Hunter

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A brilliantly plotted psychological crime novel about a missing child and the scandal that erupts in the aftermath with a shocking twist

They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know.

When eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family’s Oxford home during a costume party, Detective Inspector Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home. And Daisy’s family is certainly strange—her mother is obsessed with keeping up appearances, while her father is cold and defensive under questioning. And then there’s Daisy’s little brother, so withdrawn and uncommunicative . . .
 
DI Fawley works against the clock to find any trace of the little girl, but it’s as if she disappeared into thin air—no one saw anything; no one knows anything. But everyone has an opinion, and everyone, it seems, has a secret to conceal.

With a story that feels all too real, Close to Home is the best kind of suspense—the kind that sends chills down your spine and keeps you up late at night, thrilled and terrified.

• ISBN10: 0143131052
• ISBN13: 9780143131052
• Publish Date: 6 March 2018 (first published 14 December 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780143131052

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

Well wasn’t this a little rollercoaster of red herrings, deceitful people and a lot of unlikeable people! My head is spinning now that I have finished listening to this. Part of me wonders what did I miss, and another part thinks wow what an ending! A bit conflicted I know.

I am finally introduced to DI Adam Fawley and it wasn’t the best case for him, when an 8-year-old girl goes missing presumed dead it’s enough to hit anyone hard, but when the leading guy has lost his own child so brutally and recently too, you do wonder how this will affect him and if he can perform on the job.

At times, although you are meant to feel for Daisy, I mean she is missing/dead, but when we see her in the past she was not a nice little girl, but it doesn’t mean she deserved it! She has awful parents with Barry and Sharon, Barry playing around is only the beginning and Sharon, well she spends more time on focusing on perfection.

I didn’t know who I was to suspect and to be honest, I gave up trying, even though I was half right. And that half well it was so far removed from the truth it’s unreal, looking back and thinking about what I heard things now start to make sense. Little conversations, little things we see, all lead up to the ending that I DID NOT see!

I did love the interlude with the social media aspects, with Twitter and Facebook, yet people are so bloody awful! I think sometimes I was shouting in my car at these people on Twitter condemning everyone before any evidence has been found! The trolls were out in full force that is for sure!

I listened to this book and Lee Ingleby and Emma Cunliffe have done an immense job and I do hope they carry on the series. Must admit, I was egging Lee on to keep reading because he had a lovely voice you could listen too! ……anyway! Where was I!

This is a clever and twisty ride and I love to see someone try to unravel this book for sure! The evidence is damming but I feel no satisfaction at all! It will now be interesting to see how Fawley and his team cope with the next task. What I did love was the interjection of personal lives with the team and we see them outside of the team and the case. Little touches like this make the characters feel more real and encourage me to carry on with them and their story.

I don’t even know if this review makes sense, still spinning from the conclusion!! I can’t say anymore without ruining everything. This may be at times an uncomfortable read with the subject matter but boy is it worth it!

[Leah]

This was an interesting read with a ridiculous ending. I wasn't a fan of the lack of chapters, it's tricky to put a book down when it doesn't have a natural stopping point and while I understand it was a unique way to tell the story, I prefer chapters.

The mystery itself was interesting but if I'm honest, the ending made the 300+ pages before it completely useless??? Like it came out of nowhere and i just didn't get it.

Will definitely read the next book - it has a prologue, which points to chapters (phew) and I actually really like the police especially Everitt and Fawley.