Sharon and Barry Mason are ripped apart as accusations fly, based on their demeanor, their words, what they are wearing, the emotions expressed. The case is discussed, with it’s own hashtag #finddaisy, and conclusions are drawn. We live in a world that is always ‘on’ and where everyone now has the opportunity to publicly express personal opinions as and when they wish.

How could Daisy Mason just disappear? Was she taken or did she wander off? How is it possible that no guest or family member saw anything untoward?Ĭara Hunter makes great use of social media in Close to Home, highlighting the impact of Twitter trolls on societal opinions and the affect it has on the case. He picks up on personality quirks and as a reader we get a great insight into his thought processes and his interpretation of actions and events.Īdam is very wary of all that were present at the party, as it’s soon very apparent that the facts don’t add up. The mannerisms, the clothes, the relationships. They know.’įrom the get-go, Adam is analyzing the behaviour of the family. Perhaps not consciously, and perhaps not yet. However distraught they look, however unlikely it seems, they know who did it. Family, friend, neighbour, someone in the community. Nine times out of ten it’s someone close to home. Fawley has plenty of experience in the area of missing children and his initial thoughts immediately set off an alert in the reader’s mind. A child is missing at night time so a full team is promptly called in. It’s 2am and at this point the house and garden have been searched. But at midnight, on the evening of the party, their lives change forever as it’s discovered that Daisy has vanished.ĭI Adam Fawley is called to the scene. It’s an opportunity for them to get to know their neighbours a little better and for Sharon, it’s a chance to make an impression. Sharon and Barry Mason live in Barge Close, a new estate, with their two children Leo and Daisy. Quite astonishing to think that this is a debut. It’s a very original twist, as it brings the public’s view into the plot-line, making it all feel very ‘real’. Selected as a Richard & Judy Book Club thriller pick for 2018, Cara Hunter has written this novel in a very up-to-date manner incorporating social media, specifically Twitter, into the story. These are the words running through DI Adam Fawley’s head as he embarks on a new case of a missing child in this debut novel by Cara Hunter.Ĭlose to Home was recently published by Penguin/Viking and is the first in a new series featuring Oxford based Detective Inspector Adam Fawley. National Emerging Writer Programme Overview.

Close to home a novel cara hunter