14 October 2026

Another of my finds at the Exclusive Books Warehouse Sale! I was convinced that I had read something by Cara Hunter before, but it turns out that this was my first time picking up one of her books. It is always fun discovering a new author, especially when the book turns out to be an enjoyable crime thriller.

Making a Killing revolves around the disappearance of eight-year-old Daisy Mason, who was never found, and a mother who was convicted of murder. The case has remained unresolved in many ways, but when new evidence comes to light, it raises questions about everything the police thought they knew.

When Daisy’s DNA is discovered at a crime scene, Adam Fawley and his team are forced to revisit the old case and reconsider what they might have missed. If Daisy’s DNA has turned up now, could it mean that she is still alive? This discovery opens up a whole new set of questions and makes the investigation even more intriguing.

I found myself curious to see where the investigation would lead and whether the truth about Daisy’s disappearance would finally come to light. There are plenty of things to question, and the story kept me interested as Adam and his team worked through the evidence.

Interestingly, Adam Fawley felt familiar to me, even though I had not read this series before. His wife, Alex, and their daughter, Lily, also rang a few bells. Perhaps I have come across references to the series somewhere along the way, or maybe I have simply missed something! Either way, it made me curious about the characters and their lives beyond this particular investigation.

One thing I struggled with was the inclusion of newspaper clippings, police reports and other documents throughout the story. While I understand how these elements add detail and help create the feeling of following a real investigation, I found them rather distracting at times. I even caught myself skipping some of them as I wanted to get back to the actual story. Fortunately, this did not stop me from following the investigation or enjoying the book.

Of course, this turned out to be another case of me jumping into a series somewhere in the middle! Making a Killing is the seventh book in the Adam Fawley series, and while I had no major problems following the investigation, I could tell that I was missing quite a bit of background information about Adam and his family. There is clearly a history here that would be better appreciated by reading the earlier books.

Overall, this was an enjoyable crime thriller that kept me curious about Daisy’s disappearance and the possibility that the original investigation had missed something important. Cara Hunter is a new-to-me author, and this book has made me interested in exploring more of her work.

Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you enjoy police procedurals and mysteries involving missing children and old cases that refuse to stay buried. However, given how much character history I seemed to have missed, I think it would be best to read this series in order. And, knowing myself, I will probably be adding the earlier books to my ever-growing TBR pile!