Book Review
Title: The Family Man by Anna Willett
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Before I get into my review I have to say if you are a fan of shows like Cold Case Files or Criminal Minds then definitely go and pick up The Family Man right now because you are definitely going to love it. The Family Man begins with a young couple renovating their new house in Australia when they come across a box containing an old camcorder, this sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie and it had me hooked. The couple doesn’t think that the camcorder will work but they try it anyway and much to their surprise and horror it does work and the footage reveals things that have them immediately contacting the police for help. Honestly, this had to have been one of the best openings to a crime, thriller that I have read in a long time as it hooked me straight away which doesn’t normally happen with these sorts of books, it takes a while to become truly invested in the story but Anna Willett had no problem sucking the readers in from the very first page.
We are then introduced to Detective Veronika Pope who investigates cold cases, after seeing the tape she realises that it could several missing person cases but the faces are hidden in the tape. Veronika knows that without the faces there isn’t much within the tape to use in the hopes of solving these cases but she is going to try anyway. She begins looking into the past owners of the house where the tape was found but this doesn’t really lead anywhere but Veronika is determined to give the families of these people closure. Following the evidence, Veronika realises that this is part of a series of sadistic killing and while they speak to the perpetrator’s daughter who is very reluctant at beginning they are determined in their approach and eventually learn that the killer had an accomplice. This reveal comes just as another young woman goes missing and they believe that the accomplice is still at large.
Veronika and her team begin delving into years of report in the hopes of uncovering more and they team learn of more heinous things beyond what was on the team. At this point the case has ballooned into something huge and the pressure is put on Veronika and her time to find the truth before more bodies begin turning up. At its heart The Family Man is an addictive and suspenseful crime thriller with one of the best climaxes I have ever read. The cast of characters is small but they are fully fleshed out with realistic flaws and personal struggles alongside their professional ones. The Family Man definitely makes for an entertaining and exciting read that is fast paced and never lacks on the action side of things. I would personally recommend it to fans of crime fiction especially with a focus on police procedures and behind the scenes information. The Family Man was intense and engaging for the first page to the last and had some amazing plot twists scattered throughout. However, I would warn readers that it is dark and disturbing in places but overall, a solid book.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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