No Way Out is the third installment of Cara Hunter's highly successful British crime thriller series featuring DI Adam Fawley. Having now read them all, this latest novel is my least favourite. Although the plot was good, I found it lacked excitement. I so much wanted to enjoy it as much as its predecessors but for me it fell a little flat. I hasten to add I'm in the minority here - other reviewers are loving it and currently extolling its virtues.

Set in Oxford, the reader is reunited with coppers Fawley, Gislingham, et al, who find themselves investigating a house fire - believed to be arson - in which a mother and child are killed. The story is told through events leading up to the tragedy and the present-day police investigation.

As with the previous books, newspaper reports and online comments are inserted into the story. To be perfectly blunt, I found them distracting and unnecessary. I think the book would work better without them.

Don't get me wrong, the plot is solid and there are plenty of twisty, unexpected developments as the police investigation progresses. The characters are exceptionally well developed; feeling both believable and real. It's not that I didn't enjoy the story; I did. I just didn't love it.

No Way Out is the third in the DI Adam Fawley series, I have enjoyed the first two immensely and this one kept me glued to the pages till the early hours.

The story opens with a house fire in which two young children are involved, this is such a heartbreaking start, but I was immediately immersed as we discover that it was deliberate and not some tragic accident.

The story moves along at a fast pace, with Fawley and his team trying to piece together the family's lives, where are the parents is the first of many questions going forward.

Interspersed with the investigation we're given glimpses of the family's life in the weeks and months leading up to the fateful fire, all it not as it seems, and I thought I knew where it was going but, of course, author Cara Hunter keeps the guessing game going with twists and turns.

Alongside the narrative, there are newspaper reports, together with comment tweets on the reports, enabling us to get a feel for the way the case is perceived by the general public and to feel involved. I really liked this style of writing and thought it worked really well.

Good characterisation, loved the interaction between the colleagues, there is mention of past cases but no spoilers, I was hooked after the first page, full of little teasers and clues along the way, lies and secrets, I thoroughly enjoyed this riveting thriller, and was kept guessing till the end.

Even though I ended up buying my own physical copy in the end, I would still like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for also providing me with a copy to read and review.

The Christmas holidays, and two children have just been pulled from the wreckage of their burning home in North Oxford. The toddler is dead, and his brother is fighting for his life. Why were they left in the house alone? Where is their mother, and why is their father not answering his phone?
Then new evidence is uncovered, and DI Fawley's worst nightmare comes true. Because this fire wasn't an accident. It was murder. And the killer is still out there...

What a read! A truly breathtaking, compelling read from start to finish! I loved Cara Hunter's last 2, and with this one being the third book in the DI Adam Fawley series, It is every bit as good, if not better!
The policework itself is very realistic and believeable. There are no quick silly finds, or magical 'lucky' evidence that just appears - instead brilliantly-written characters that do real policework. Nothing about this story seemed far-fetched or over-the-top.
Now the case/story itself..... shocking. I was completely shook right from the very start. After that very first chapter, I NEEDED to find out what had happened. The whole book kept me guessing and guessing, while feeling all sorts of emotion and empathy for certain characters. And that reveal?! Had me in tears.
A fast-paced addictive page-turner that I really do recommend!

Another gripping DI Fowley investigation. A good blend of police procedural and background of the main characters who populate the series. There are twists and turns aplenty on the way to finding out who set fire to a home with the family in it? Interesting method of interspersing the police records with in the storyline .

4.5
No Way Out is a realistic, gripping crime thriller that I couldn’t put down! I found myself hiding in the kitchen trying to read a few more pages and taking my kindle everywhere with me in the hope I could read a bit more.

Our house going on fire is one of my worse nightmares, especially if the kids were at home so I felt myself immediately drawn into the story. It led to lots of discussions with my husband about what we’d do if a fire started and led to us purchasing an escape ladder. I therefore read this book with a lot of anticipation and dread as my mind went through all of the scenarios that could happened.

The story is told from multiple points of view, which is a little confusing to start with but I soon got used to. It was great to follow the investigation as well as getting an insight into the drama happening in the detectives lives. This made the detectives seem a lot more real and meant I had a lot of empathy for them and all they were going through. They make a great team and it was lovely to see the interactions between them.

I’m normally quite good at guessing what has happened in a book but the many twists in this book made it impossible to figure out. Just when I thought I had figured it out something would happen which would have me scrambling in a completely different direction. The tension in this book slower increases as things get more complicated which makes the book hard to put down as I needed to know what was going on.

This is the third book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone, like I have done, as anything you need to know is explained. It might help to have read the books in order just so you knowing more about the background of the detectives but it doesn’t detract from the story not knowing everything that happened.

Huge thanks to Ellie from Penguin Books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

This is the third book in the series and perhaps my expectations were too high after the excellent first two, but I didn't think No Way Out was as good. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but it just lacked the sharpness and suspense of Cara Hunter's previous work. It was almost as if she tried too hard to shock and surprise the reader and it felt rather contrived. I found some plot lines predictable and the others unnecessary, the pace was up and down, even repetitive at times. I am still eagerly anticipating the next book though and have high hopes for it. Overall, an enjoyable but unremarkable police thriller.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the ARC.

Standing ovations for Cara Hunter....once again this author has blown me away with the third novel in the DI Fawley series.
It had me hooked from the first page right until that beautiful ending.
Heart stoppingly brilliant.

DI Fawley and his team are back in Cara Hunter's latest book No Way Out and what a gruesome case they have in store for them. A suspected arson where a toddler has died, his older brother is critically injured and it looks like they were home alone as there is no initial trace of either of their parents. But it's not long before the body of the mother Samantha is found amongst the debris which leaves the lingering questions 'Where is the father Michael?' and 'Could he really have torched the house with his family still inside?'

Slowly the team begin to piece together a picture of the couples life, their marriage and family dynamics, and it's almost voyeuristic as we soon discover how Samantha was struggling with the effects of post-natal depression, a case of sibling jealousy from 10 year old Matty towards 3 year old Zachary, and Michael is not without his own fair share of problems, professional, personal and financial, that he was struggling to deal with. But despite everything that unfolds it's still hard to believe that a father could do this to his family and disappear without a trace.

As with the previous books in this series interspersed within the narrative are media reports of the initial fire and subsequent discoveries along with the related reader comments, official police and pathology reports, as well as flashbacks to periods prior to the fire which gives us an insight into the mindsets of Samantha and Michael and certain events in the months leading up to that fateful night.

But as well as Fawley having to deal with another case involving young children, which is always a reminder of the loss of his own young son, we are also privy to the fact that he has recently separated from his wife which is something not many on his team know. Deciding to take a back seat he hands over to acting DS Gislingham to lead the investigation which creates tension within the team itself especially from recently demoted Quinn. At the time of reading No Way Out I had not finished reading book two In the Dark so wasn't completely aware of the history as to how this change of roles came about, although it is hinted at, but as you'd expect when these types of role reversals happen it's always hard to accept change so it's no wonder there's resentment by Quinn towards his now superior.

By now I've gotten used to the writing style of Cara Hunter and the absence of definitive chapters, which I will admit I found a little jarring at first, instead the story unfolds almost like scenes from a play as piece by piece information is discovered and the team establish the facts surrounding this tragic case. But of course it's not all plain sailing and there has to be some misdirection and a few red herrings thrown into the mix as otherwise it wouldn't have been such a gripping read for us readers. I had one theory worked out in my head as to what the motive was and on conclusion it turns out I was partially correct but I was still a little surprised by the eventual outcome.

And as for that finale I was so pleased that there was finally some good news for Fawley and something for him to look forward to so here's hoping there's no more surprises in store for him in the next book All the Rage which is to be published later this year. In the meantime I'm hoping to finish reading In the Dark this afternoon so hopefully I can review it later this evening or tomorrow.

This is the third in Cara Hunter's Adam Fawley series set in Oxford. I have read & enjoyed them all. Although this could be read as a stand-alone, I think they are best read in order so that you get to know what has shaped the police team up to this point.

Adam Fawley is having a hard time emotionally, so when a fire kills a two children & there is no sign of their parents he makes the recently promoted Gislingham as officer in charge whilst still being part of the team. This puts a different focus on the group dynamics & I found this a really good way to get to know the rest of the team better.

Part of Cara Hunter's style is to add press announcements & social media posts to add to the story. In previous books this did not bother me. This time I found these sections were disjointed, often broke off in the middle of a sentence & were downright annoying! That apart this was a good read that kept me guessing. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Michael and Sam live in a beautiful house in Oxford with their two son, Sam is suffering from post natal depression and Michael has been trying to keep everything together, but things start to fall apart and then there is a terrible house fire killing Zachary and leaving Matty in a critical condition. The police quickly start searching for Sam and Michael but cannot find them. A good book that keeps you turning the pages.

Very dark read with lots of twist and turns. Not an easy read what with the possibility of a man killing his own family. I had to put the book down a couple of times and remind me that this is just a story. I wanted to shake Michael and make him talk to Sam about his fears and what was going on in his life. Maybe, just maybe things would have been different. Same goes for poor Matty. He so desperately needed someone in his life helping him through the difficulties with his little brother. Brilliant story and highly recommended series.

Two young children are pulled from the wreckage of their burning family home, the toddler is dead, the 10 year old is fighting for his life, their parents are nowhere to be found. DI Fawley is called in to investigate was the fire an accident or arson?

This novel is has a great plot hooking you in from the start. I love the way Hunter entwines the mixed media formats from news reports and the online comments to police interviews into her stories to give it more a sense of the events unfolding in real time. DI Fawley and his team are a fascinating, slightly flawed but ultimately endearing bunch to investigate this case with. It did lose a bit of pace in the middle but it soon picks up again with superb twists leading to a terrific ending.

This is the third DI Fawley thriller, you certainly don't need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one (but you would be doing yourself a disservice!). I for one can't wait for the next one!!

Thanks to Penguin Books UK & Netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fast paced and good characters. I read quickly.

I could not really enjoy this book as it kept skipping to different times and I was loosing the storyline.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is the 3rd book in the DI Adam Fawley series by this author. A house fire on Southey Road, home to the Esmond family, arson is suspected, one dead 3 year old and a 10 year old pulled from the destruction with severe burns The mother and father are both missing., DI Fawley and his team need to find answers quickly, but it’s the Christmas holidays, there is a lot of evidence & cctv to trawl through,
Where are the parents, the fire officers know the fire was started deliberately, the team dig in to Michael Esmonds life, he was under a lot of pressure, his wife Samantha suferring from depression.
A tricky case for DI Fawley and his team with a few twists and turns as the case opens up.
This wasn’t my favourite book in this series, but I like the characters and would definitely read more.

I devoured this book, sweeping through it like a meerkat on skates it was so compelling and action-packed. This novel has an inventive format incorporating official fact-finding reports, telephone transcripts, missives and social media comments. The characters are well defined, and the dialogue is exceptional in reflecting them in complete synchrony. There’s a lot of wit, and I particularly liked the friction between Quinn who’d been demoted but needed to snipe at his successor Gislingham which he suitably ignored. Genius. It starts with a horrific house fire which appears on the surface to be a family annihilation or parental neglect leaving the children home alone. The parents are missing. Michael so reminded me of Jacob Rees-Mogg. Social media buzzes with self-righteous comments. But, the plot races on with new facts emerging pushing everything in a different direction of enquiry. One fact-finding mission is at an unlikely source. A message springs out at me about the dangers of making rash judgements until all the facts are through and established, especially aimed at the self-righteous folk on social media. I recall that shocking case of family annihilation in Oswestry, Shropshire only too vividly. It struck a chord. I pondered at the time that the man’s situation was dire and that he had guts to perform the dastardly deeds, but that he would have shown more guts to stand firm, face the shame and fight. But, I didn’t walk in his boots for ten miles, so I can only lightly speculate. There’s an incidental dire warning about online games. I’m outside that orbit, but at a glance, some seem violent which could affect a vulnerable personality. I know of Minecraft but didn’t realise how sinister it could be in the wrong hands. Most interesting. The games are often the fault of the user than the designer. I’m cursing that I missed the second book in the Fawley series. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK.

No Way Out is a compelling police procedural set in Oxford. DI Adam Fawley and his team investigate the deaths of a family after a house fire. Rich in detail and believable characters, this a fast moving read.

This is a gripping detective story. The police team interact very well with each other and the reader gets just the right amount of background information about their personal lives. It’s very much a mystery, with a missing person suspected of setting a fatal fire but with alternative theories emerging as the story develops.

I was unaware that this was the third in a series but it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all. It’s perfectly good as a stand alone.

My only negative comment is I found the context of the crime more distressing because children were victims.

This very thrilling police procedural starts with a firein a house in North Oxford and it become apparent that almost all of the occupants have died but was it arson? DI Adam Fawley and his CID team are sent to investigate and as the book is told in the first person you get to see all the documented evidence as the story develops which I found very absorbing and I could not put the book down!!

This book by a new author to me was exceptionally well written and I was totally absorbed and gripped whilst I was reading it. I note that this is not the first of the highly talented authors books and I will mot definitely look out for her earlier titles and those that she writes in the future. I recommend this police procedural to all who may want a new book to read.
Best wishes,

Terry Halligan

(to be published on eurocrime in due course)

No Way Out is the third book in the DI Adam Fawley series and is a worthy sequel to its brilliant predecessors. Cara Hunter most definitely has a place in my list of top authors as she never fails to deliver hard hitting storylines along with hugely relatable characters.
No Way Out starts with a house fire with appalling consequences, including the death of a toddler (always extra hard to read). What initially seems like a tragic but simple case soon develops into much more with the usual twists and turns you would expect to find in one of Ms Hunter’s novels.

I did find it a little more of a slow burner than the previous two in the series but that doesn’t take away from its readability. My only criticism is that the usual format the author uses of interspersing media snippets throughout didn’t work quite as well here and made the reading a little choppy at times, but this is a small criticism of what is a great read and one I certainly recommend.

My thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of #NoWayOut in return for an honest review.