A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge - 4/5
General Fiction (adult) - Mystery & Thrillers
Publication: August 8, 2023

For starters the cover of this book is simple yet eye catching and 100% made me stop and read the synopsis.
After sending off her DNA to find some family, Ainsley a single mom, was greeted with more than she set out to find. Having DNA that matches to an active serial killer, the Bonfire Killer, is anything but the warm, inviting family she was looking for. I did enjoy the authors writing style, interesting premise, and the characters were fun to following along with. This book really makes your stop and think what kind of family members we all have out there in the world.

Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

I was really excited to read this book but was a bit disappointed. I thought there would be much more about the science and procedure of familiar DNA matching, but found that to be glossed over. Other than that, strong story with a tightly woven web that kept me from figuring out ahead of time exactly who the serial murderer was.

Went into this book not realizing that it was the fifth book in a series but I will say it was easy to follow along without having to read any of the past books.

Felt like this books had a good steady pace with a good story/plot. Overall really enjoyed the story but it wasn't anything I would recommend because is not something I usually read but maybe if I was asked about a detective series, I can point them in this direct. After reading this, I may go back and start with the first book.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just when you think a town can’t get smaller, it does. After two murders with similarities occur, investigators begin trying to put the pieces together using a blood sample found at one of the scenes until truths come out one by one.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series, but it was written so could easily be read independently without confusion since I hadn’t read any others. I enjoyed the varying character storylines until they all reach the end. I also the detail used when describing the investigation because I could picture what was being done and the little details can make a difference.

A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge is the 5th book in a series, my first and I can’t wait to go back and read the first 4.
DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are trying to track down a serial killer, dubbed the ‘bonfire killer.’ The area of South Hampton is on edge, women are being murdered.
Aisling Cooley is a single mother of 2 boys. Her father left her when she was younger, so she decides to do a DNA test in hopes of finding him. This DNA was compiled via a UK-based ancestry website. Aisling DNA was the key and it led investigators right to her door.
Everything that happen next will leave investigators and Aisling scratching their heads. For Aisling, it’s too close to home and may not be what she expected when she set out to find her father. Could there be a killer in the family?
I felt so bad for Aisling bc she went through so much in her life, but I do love the relationship she has with her sons. The investigators did such a great handling the investigation, Gytha did such a great job at writing their parts and not rushing it. I really loved the relationship between Ben and Juliette. I enjoyed that I couldn’t figure out who it was until the end. I also learned a little about DNA. I want to say more but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for my honest review. I give it 4.5 stars.

A Killer in the Family sounded really familiar. I swear I've read this book before. The Bonfire Killer terrorized a community. There soon is the familiar "don't walk alone if you are female" reaction to his kills. Then a DNA test links one woman to the killer and a detective visits. The rest was a little over the top, but not unexpected. A good read if you don't want anything serious.

A Killer in the Family is the fifth in Gytha Lodge’s Jonah Sheens police series set in Southampton, but my first experience of the books and characters. I didn’t find it difficult to drop into their lives and a new, dangerous case that has the earmarks of a possible serial killer. The various police officers have ongoing back stories that add to their humanity and their work.

The case itself involves the apparently connected deaths of two local women, both in their 40s, found on pyres of wood, leading the prospective killer to be dubbed the “Bonfire Killer.” In a case that involves multiple levels of investigation, including eventual DNA evidence, there are twists and turns aplenty. And some points where I had to keep reading to know the answer. It’s interesting, complex, requires your attention, and has many sympathetic characters, throughout the wide cast.

Recommended for those who read police procedurals and mysteries.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the use of genealogy in the storyline. I think it’s so fascinating that it’s being used to solve cold cases. A Killer in the Family was overall a good book and the premise was very interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ARC. I love the idea of the government using DNA to link law breakers to crimes. It's genius. This book was a slow burn, and made you want to hurry up and know what was going on. It was a good plot, and I was surprised.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I requested this one because it uses the familial DNA matches, like how they recently caught the Golden State Killer in real life. It has a lot of narrative potential! I had imagined this story was going to go in a different way than it did when I first read the description, but I liked the way the author interpreted it. Overall, I thought the novel was well-executed. Perhaps a few too many coincidences towards the end, which did start to stretch the credulity a little in the last act for me.

I hadn't realized when I requested this that it was part of a series, but I still enjoyed it and would be interested in reading others by this author!

A serial killer is on the loose in the English town of Southampton. With little clues to go on and DNA that isn’t in the system, the police are at a dead end. Until one of the DCIs suggests uploading the DNA to a genealogy website. Within days, they get a hit. But when interviewing the woman, Aisling, they have more questions than answers and must comb through Aisling’s past to find the killer. But Aisling is hiding a big secret that she hasn’t told anyone. How is Aisling connected to the Bonfire Killer? Will the police crack the case before the killer strikes again?

British crime dramas/mysteries (both televised and written) are a guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoy reading about how the police over there investigate crimes. So, I agreed when Random House approached me to read and review A Killer in the Family. I am glad that I did. This book was a twisty-turny mystery that kept me guessing who the killer was.

A Killer in the Family is the fifth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series. You can read this as a stand-alone book. I suggest reading the first four books before this one. There were some references to relationships and previous books that I needed clarification on.

The main storyline of A Killer in the Family starts with the police search for the Bonfire Killer. From there, it breaks down into two main storylines. They are the police’s investigation into the killings and Aisling’s storyline. Both storylines were well-written and kept me guessing until the end.

The storyline detailing the police’s investigation into the killings was interesting. I liked that the author covered every aspect of the investigation and didn’t just keep the focus on the DCIs. She highlighted the CSI (not sure what they are called in England) and the lower-level investigators.

Aisling’s storyline was sad and a little confusing to follow. But that confusion has a point, and I believe the author intended to keep me off balance with this storyline. Everything that was revealed, from what happened to Aisling’s father, why she came to England, and what happened to her before her father left, took me by surprise. Put it this way, this storyline did not end as I thought it would, and I loved it.

Several secondary storylines seemed to have nothing to do with the main one. But, these secondary storylines are important in the second half of the book. They added extra depth and extra knowledge to the main storylines.

The mystery angle of A Killer in the Family was intense. The author kept me guessing who the killer was and how that person was related to Aisling. The author had red herrings everywhere in this book. I didn’t expect the killer to be who it was or the motive.

The end of A Killer in the Family was a little bittersweet. The author did wrap up the main storyline (the investigation and Aisiling’s) in a way I approved. But there were a couple of other storylines that weren’t ended. As for the very end of the book, I was shocked but not surprised. I saw what happened coming. I will have to read the next book to see how everything ended.

I would recommend A Killer in the Family to anyone over 21. There are no sexual situations, but there is violence and language.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Random House Trade Paperbacks, NetGalley, and Gytha Lodge for allowing me to read and review A Killer in the Family. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest in the wonderful police procedural series by Gytha Lodge - 5 stars!

The police have a serial killer on the loose, dubbed the "bonfire killer" for the pyres set to burn the two women's bodies. Tension is high in the community as well as in the police station. DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are working round the clock to find the killer, and get a match through a familial DNA database in the US. Lives are about to be turned over quickly when the team focuses their attention on a single mother and her two teenage sons.

This series keeps getting better and better - but if you haven't read the other ones, never fear, it's great as a stand-alone novel as well. But these characters and their interactions and history are so good and just add to the solid police procedural. This one is pulled from the headlines after a woman uploads her DNA into a database, only to find that she is related to a murderer. A must read that kept me guessing until the final page!

I didn't realize this was a series. You don't technically have to read the other four in order to enjoy the story, but I feel like it would've given me a bit more background and feelings for the character we're following. It was a slow burn, which I can really enjoy. The main character was so interesting and I wish I had known to have more background, but the plot wasn't exactly what I was looking for. This is the type of thing where its like, "If you've read this, you'll probably like the Will Trent series, but if you've read the Will Trent Series first, you might not like this as much.'

Gasp! A Killer in the Family was so good, so unbelievably mind-blowing, that I honestly don’t know if this review will be able to adequately describe its perfection. But let me give it a go, just the same. The fifth book in Gytha Lodge’s DCI Jonah Sheens series, it was, so far, my favorite. And, given that out of the preceding books only one was rated anything below 5 stars, that’s truly saying something.

This time around, the storyline felt decidedly less like crime fiction and more like a thriller. While all of the others had this leaning as well, I honestly had to remind myself several times that it was, in truth, a police procedural. After all, with one hard-hitting twist after another and a climax that quite literally took up about a quarter of the pages, I had to yank my jaw off the floor more than once. That was, of course, even before I got to the conclusion, which had me shouting in horror and shock. I know I’m all about those nice, pretty, little bows, but this time I’ve got to give it to Lodge because even with a cliffhanger, it was simply flawless.

Next in the lineup in how this book couldn’t have been better were the ever consistent, well-drawn characters. Doubling down on the prior book, not only was the team genuine and true-to-life, but all of the other central characters were realistically flawed and complex to the point that they could have been plucked straight out of the real world. With troubles and worries that stretched beyond the plot, their backstories created thorough, three-dimensional individuals to whom I could relate. In my opinion, as with the rest of the series, they are where Lodge’s true magic lies.

The complex case, however, was also one to behold. A deftly interwoven masterpiece that was both full of blind turns yet easy to follow, I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out where it was all going to go. There were so many moving pieces, in fact, that it, in and of itself, felt wholly realistic yet also filled with nerve-shedding dread. Even better, just when I thought it had all come to a head there were more revelations yet to be had. Some, in fact, that will even keep me impatiently waiting for book number six.

On top of everything I’ve already gushed about, I was also thrilled to find just a dash of romance and a whole heaping helping of poignant themes. From a deep, dark secret that had been kept hidden for decades to family drama that was thoroughly hard-hitting, the impeccability of this novel is not to be overlooked. And despite my highest of high expectations, Lodge STILL managed to blow them all out of the water. All in all, it was a sharp, perfectly crafted story that spoke volumes about the virtuoso behind the keyboard. And shockingly to this avid fan, but her books just seem to be getting better and better. Can’t wait to see what brilliance the next one displays! Rating of 5+++ stars.

Aisling Cooley is a single mom of two teenage sons, who finds herself connected to the "Bonfire Killer", who is killing women and leaving them on a burning pyre. Aisling uploaded her DNA to an ancestry website to try to loacate her long lost father and find out why he left when she was younger.

When she gets a message, she is excited that her work had paid off, but she soon discovers that the person who contacted her is a detective who informs her that she is related to the Bonfire Killer.

With the help of the detectives, Aisling tries to find out if the killer is her long lost father or one of her sons.

Great story with a very twisty ending!

This was a good read. Lots of messed up families and people. It’s pretty fast paced and I recommend reading it straight through. It’s not a book to put down and pick up multiple times. To many characters and to many twists and turns that could be lost or forgotten.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 4⭐️

I enjoyed this book a lot and interested in reading more. The characters were not my favorite but I enjoyed them. Though it was a slow pace and repetitive in parts, other sections made me forget that and pulled me in. So it was a solid 3.5 to 4 stars

I read the first in this series (She Lies in Wait) and really enjoyed it, then I jumped to this one (the 5th in the series) when it became available on NetGalley. Although I am sure that I missed much that happened with DCI Jonah Sheens in numbers 2, 3 and 4, this did not disappoint at all and most likely can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. It was very well written with short chapters and plenty of twists and turns, and the multiple story lines are woven together quite nicely. All in all, a great police procedural that makes we want to read the intervening books that I missed very soon . . . as well as the next in this series when it is published.

This author never disappoints.

A well written edge of your seat thriller. A DNA test takes you through the most horrific thing ever. Could you be related to a serial killer? When your blood type matches look out.

This book keeps you hooked all the way through. You won't want to put it down.

Thank you #netgalley, #GythaLodge, #RandomHouse for this arc.

High 4⭐️
Another satisfying mystery thriller that I throughly enjoyed. It was book 5 of the DCI Jonah Sheens series. It completely stands alone for a great novel. The writing held me captive and every situation and every person had something to hide. Who was doing this?!! And why? Fast paced and good.
Gytha Lodge is one of my favorite writers and I really enjoyed this. I highly recommend this one.
Thanks Random House Publishing via NetGalley.