Pages: 464
Published: 19th September 2023
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Content warnings: Injury detail, drugs, references to sexual exploitation
In October 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.
Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.
Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?
Or does the truth lie closer to home?
Can you solve the case before they do?
The truth will blow your mind.
It is fair to say that true crime is extremely addictive and that nobody can truly resist a good mystery which leads to the unravelling of a whole bunch of startling revelations. This book pulls out all the stops to take full advantage of that, and it succeeds with a well realised and brilliantly constructed plot that showcases a meticulous attention to detail, all told in glorious multimedia.
Taking the form of a television show called Infamous, which was featured in the most recent instalment of Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series, it centres on the re-examining of a notorious cold case by a panel of experts covering all aspects of criminal investigation. The whole story plays out over the course of eight episodes, written in the form of a screenplay, and the suspense just goes absolutely through the roof for this is no normal case. As the reader you are also the viewer, and that is what makes it so unique.
From the beginning it encourages reader participation, almost pitting you against the experts and making you feverishly wonder what skeletons might be hiding in their closets. If there is any book to get the pin boards and post it notes out for and attach things together with a piece of string, then it is this one. The amateur sleuths who populate TikTok and other speculative social media outlets would doubtless love it too.
The breadth and complexity of the case at hand takes the story in all kinds of tantalising directions, with numerous plot strands in motion all at once raising question upon question. None of these are neglected either, as the author impressively maintains a firm grip on absolutely everything and knows exactly when to deliver a knockout punch, strategically placing explosive twists at the moments where they will make maximum impact.
It focuses on the murder of Luke Howard, who was beaten to death one evening in 2003, in the garden of his rather luxurious house in a particularly expensive part of London. His stepson Guy is the show’s director and is desperate to get to the truth no matter what the consequences for himself and the close family members still affected by what happened, but as we soon find out, the members of the expert panel – not to mention the show’s producers – have an agenda of their own.
The investigation into Luke is wide ranging and veers into a lot of unexpected places, often wrong-footing the experts and turning him into a total enigma. Parts of his story may seem a little far-fetched to some, but the author really goes all out here to try and come up with a mystery like no other, so you must admire her for that. In many ways, she actually achieves it.
As regards Luke’s actual death, there are an increasing number of suspects and possible motives that enter the fray as the story goes on, and you are required to keep a very open mind. Although I had my suspicions early on about certain characters, it was very difficult to build a fully watertight case against any of them, and I soon realised there was more to the experts than what we were being led to believe.
It all served to muddy the waters and make every interaction more tense as the episodes drew to a conclusion and the web of deceit was finally untangled. But when the killer was eventually revealed, it was a tad disappointing. After all the drama of the case and the crazy, gasp-inducing revelations that came with it, this last one was an anti-climax for me and just stretched credibility that little bit too far. And also, it felt a little predictable. So that was a shame.
The panel of experts are an interesting set of personalities. Some are more egotistical than others and the on-screen relationship they have is a fragile camaraderie; working together and sharing the occasional joke, yet friction is never too far away. In particular the two police officers, Alan Canning of the Met and Bill Serafini of the NYPD, are engaged in a competitive battle of wits throughout.
Bill is fairly affable for the most part and his perspective is one of the most arresting, in that he is looking at a British criminal investigation from an American legal standpoint. Alan speaks far less frequently and spends a lot of the time stewing over things and choosing his words carefully, while the other four are more forward in throwing potential theories out into the open.
In what is a show full of accusations and damaging developments, Laila is there to provide a more sympathetic voice, as everyone else is much less compromising. Mitchell comes across as untrustworthy quite early one, Hugo is just that little bit too suave and full of himself, and for all of his insight, JJ is not the warmest of characters either. By the way, all the experts’ credentials are shown before the first episode, and these demand very close inspection.
And then we have the producer, Nick Vincent, who in many ways is the most fascinating character of all. As a producer, he does not half love being the centre of attention. In his world, everything is fair game if means box office television – no matter what impact it has on the wellbeing of the participants. By the end he is out of control, and we see the full force of his devious and manipulative methods during his increasingly regular appearances in front of the camera.
The format of the book is what makes it so thrilling. To feel the case unfold so gradually creates palpable suspense and leaves you on the edge of the seat, frantically turning the pages for any signs of a clue, with the promise of twists to come. Even the little bits and pieces inserted between the episodes such as the television review column on the online forum threads really add to the intrigue for what may lie ahead.
Reading over 400 pages of what is essentially a transcript does not sound very exciting, but in this case it truly is. The author may take the concept to extremes, but she creates an authentic feel with many aspects of the show and all the things that came with it. Even Nick Vincent’s character could be a nod to the very real issue of television show participants facing harmful consequences as a direct result of their experience during production.
But of course, the burning question is would Infamous make a great television show in real life? In the format shown in Hope To Die, then absolutely yes. For the format here, I would say the jury is still out. The cliffhangers at the end of each episode alone would be enough to tune into the next one and the case itself is gripping, but perhaps there is just a little bit too much discussion between the experts – not great for those with a shorter attention span. Its carbon footprint might need looking at too, as here the experts are travelling right around the world to meet witnesses.
Overall though, as a concept and a mystery this book is a triumph. It really does capture your imagination with all the ins and outs of the case, leaving you obsessing over various theories even when you are not reading. With a novel format, it deserves a big tick for showing so much ambition in this genre and for the most part, the execution is very strong indeed. The ending was not the best, but getting there was a total blast.
I had a great time reading this. It is addictive and just compels you to come up with all kinds of possible theories. The twists add huge excitement and tension, too. For me, the ending was a rare weak point.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stay tuned for my upcoming Q&A with Cara Hunter!
Stephen Reads Books 