I discovered Oxford author Cara Hunter last year when she visited my local indie bookshop for a Crime Panel Event. It was fascinating to hear her talk about the genesis of her detective, DI Adam Fawley, and about the way she includes social media and transcripts in her texts. I went on to read the first in her series, Close to Home (see here), which features a child abduction, and I was gripped by the immediacy that the Twitter trolls and news reports gave to the unfolding events.
Which brings me to All the Rage, the fourth DI Adam Fawley book. While there are events that obviously occur in the previous two books, which I haven’t had the chance to read yet, that would appear to come back into play, particularly in the backstory of DI Fawley and his wife Alex, it wasn’t a problem. Indeed, it’s left me wanting to know what I’ve missed even more.
It begins with the abduction of and attempted assault on seventeen year old college student who gets away. At first, the girl didn’t want to report it, but was persuaded after the first twist of many in this plot is revealed. An old case, and the man who got put away for it will return to haunt DI Fawley as a second girl goes missing, and the red herrings pile up as each new line of investigation leads the team down a different path.
What is particularly evident from both the books I’ve read in this series, is that DI Fawley operates a great team. What’s more, he has a supportive boss, so there is no tension there – it’s rare to see this in a police procedural. There is some banter between colleagues, but the team usually rises above that to work together. Even without added complications from office politics, the sequence of events and the investigation are complex, and the chatter from the internet trolls which hints at a hate crime is distracting to the team. Fawley is faced with the possibility that the man he jailed all those years ago may be released too…
Once again, Cara Hunter, uses social media, blog posts, interview and court transcripts, and more to great effect, putting the reader in an uncomfortable place now and then. Fawley’s own life has developed significantly from the first book too, so as I said before, I’m very keen to fill in the gaps as he is an interesting man. However, that shouldn’t stop you from starting this series here at the fourth book, should you wish. All the Rage is a fine addition to this great crime thriller series. (9/10)
Source: Publisher – thank you.
Cara Hunter, All the Rage (Penguin, 23 Jan) Paperback original, 442 pages. BUY at Amazon UK or Blackwell’s (via affiliate links)
