The Whole Truth

Cara Hunter

THE WHOLE TRUTH

Contents

Previously … in the Fawley files

Prologue

The Whole Truth

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark, No Way Out and All the Rage, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019. No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara’s novels have sold more than a million copies worldwide, and the TV rights to the series have now been acquired by the Fremantle group. She lives in Oxford, on a street not unlike those featured in her books.

What readers are saying about

THE WHOLE TRUTH

★★★★★

‘Mind-bending brilliance’

Kath, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Wow, what a book! This series just gets better and better’

Tina, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘A real page-turner’

Lucille, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Captivating: full of mystery, tension, moral dilemma … outstanding’

Peter, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Keeps you guessing until the very end’

Tessa, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘This book and this series is fantastic and I can’t wait for more’

Sarah, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Great characters and a fantastic storyline that will have you unable to put it down’

Tracy, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Definitely for fans of Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter and the like’

Fiona, Netgalley

★★★★★

‘Packed full of twists: impossible to predict what will happen next’

Gary, Netgalley

To Judith

A very special lady

Previously … in the Fawley files

This is the fifth book in the Fawley series, so if this is the first one you’ve picked up you might like a quick summary of the key members of the team, so you can hit the ground running. Starting, of course, with the man himself …

Name

DI Adam Fawley

Age

46

Married?

Yes, to Alex, 44. She’s a lawyer working in Oxford.

Children?

The Fawleys’ ten-year-old

son Jake took his own life two years ago. They were devastated and thought they’d never be able to have another child. But now Alex is pregnant again …

Personality

Introspective, observant and intelligent, outwardly resilient, inwardly less so. He doesn’t care that Alex earns more than he does, or that she’s taller than him in high heels. He’s good at lateral thinking and bad at office politics.

He’s compassionate and fair-minded, but it’s not all positives: he can be impatient and he has a short temper. He was brought up in a dreary North London suburb, and he’s adopted, though he only discovered that by accident – to this day his parents have never discussed it.

He doesn’t watch crime on

TV

(he has enough of it during the day); he listens to Oasis and Bach and Roxy Music (Alex once

told him he looks like Bryan Ferry, to which he replied ‘I wish’); if he had a pet it would be a cat (but he’s never owned one); his favourite wine is Merlot and his favourite food is Spanish (though he eats far too much pizza); and surprise, surprise, his favourite colour is blue.

Name

DS Chris Gislingham

(recently promoted from

DC

)

Age

42

Married?

Yes, to Janet

Children?

Billy, nearly 2

Personality

Chirpy, good-humoured, hard-working, decent. And a serious Chelsea fan.

‘Always described as “sturdy” and “solid”, and not just because he’s getting a bit chunky round the middle. Every CID team needs a Gislingham, and if you were drowning, he’s the one you’d want on the other end of the rope.’

Name

DC Gareth Quinn

(recently demoted from

DS

, after getting involved with a suspect)

Age

36

Married?

No chance

Personality

Cocky, ambitious, good-looking. Fawley describes him as ‘sharp suit and blunt razor’.

‘Quinn took to DS like a dog to water – zero hesitation, maximum splash.’

Name

DC Verity Everett

Age

33

Married?

No. But has a cat (Hector)

Personality

Easy-going personally, ruthless professionally. Lacks the confidence she should have in her own abilities (as

Fawley is well aware).

‘She may look like Miss Marple must have done at thirty-five, but she’s every bit as relentless. Or as Gis always puts it, Ev was definitely a bloodhound in a previous life.’

Name

DC Erica Somer

Age

29

Married?

No. But she’s just started seeing a

DI

in Hampshire Police, Giles Saumarez.

Personality