“A Killer in the Family” is the fifth installment in Gytha Lodge’s DCI Jonah Sheen’s series. A single mom gets more than she bargained for when she uploads her DNA to an ancestry service in attempt to discover her who her father is. Expecting to her back from her father, Aisling is shocked when a detective contacts her instead. It turns out Aisling’s DNA is a close match to the the much sought after Bonfire Killer. Is it possible her unknown father is a serial killer?

I haven’t read the other books in the DCI Sheen series, but this book definitely made me want to go out and read them. I loved the idea of an ancestry DNA site to catch a killer. This is something that I feel is really relevant to current news and forensics. I would happily recommend this novel to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this novel. “A Killer in the Family” publishes on August 8th, 2023.

I tried to get into this book but it just wanted drawing me in. I DNF’d it pretty early but the overall premise had seemed like it was right up my alley.

A Killer in the Family is another excellent book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series.

The team are working frantically together, racing the clock after a woman in found left on a bonfire.

Then another body.

Aisling Cooley a single mom has just uploaded a DNA sample to an ancestry site and shockingly there is a familial match.

It cant be her boys. Can it be her long lost dad.

The story picks up pace quickly, is well written and a fantastic police procedural that will have you holding your breath.

Highly recommend you get your copy of A Killer in the Family and settle in for a I cant stop reading session.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random Publishing House Group - Random House Trade Paperbacks for a page turning read.

A new author for me. While the premise of the story was good, I found it very slow reading , it took me 16 days to get through it. In had trouble following the characters, because the author frequently uses a character’s first name and at other times their last, requiring the reader to stop and figure out which one she/he was. I thought the plot was good, but spent too much time, going back to figure out who was who.
I found the characters interesting and it did keep me guess until the end, who the murderer was.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House for the ARC.
I’ll give it 3 1/2 starts, because the plot was worth it.

The synopsis hooked me right away and I loved the premise of using an ancestry website to work in a thriller angle. It’s a topic I’ve always been interested in and it brought something unique to the genre I hadn’t read before. The characters and their relationships felt very authentic to me and I enjoyed switching between POVs and timelines as it kept me engaged, turning the pages into the early hours of the morning. The descriptions were grisly without glorifying the violence, something I also liked. It wasn’t until after I finished reading that I realized this book is part of a series. The writing was so smooth it eased me into the setting and characters, making it an enjoyable read without knowledge of the other books before it. I found the pace steady and the dialogue flowed with ease, holding my attention as I pieced everything together. I would like to read the rest of the books in order to get a feel for all the characters properly. Not a critique on the book, just a personal preference.

3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy multiple POVs, twists, and dark subject matter.

Overall, I enjoyed the story line of this but the twist and turns gave me borderline vertigo and not necessarily in a good way. The premise was brilliant, but I thought the execution was too much and could have played out in a more concise/ less confusing way.

I had a bit of a hard time following the “family tree” presented. ( I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers). Things got a little convoluted and there were a few things that I found too “convenient” to make the plot work. I enjoy a good red herring but this had WAY too many!

Giving it 3 stars for creativity in the plot, and interesting suspense build up around the DNA and family dynamics, but some room for improvement in the mechanics!

I made it about 25% of the way through the book and I was bored. I did not connect with the characters and lost interest in the plot. The summary did really interest me I did not know it was a series so maybe that is where my problem lies. Maybe it just was not for me, thank you for giving me the chance to read it early I do appreciate it I just could not finish it, but I do believe if you are into thrillers and mysteries this is a perfect book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC.

The idea behind this novel was super interesting. Uploading your DNA to find family and then learning from the police you may be the key to some unsolved murders - yikes!

However, I did not know this was part of a series and that was a bit challenging to navigate at times. Plus, sometimes in depth police procedurals are difficult for me to get through.

Procedural thrillers are typically not my thing. This one wasn’t bad. Not bad at all. It’s a quick read full of twists and turns that - for me - are unexpected. And look forward to the ending - it is a doozy. Highly recommended to those that enjoy this sub genre.

In the latest installment of the DCI Jonah Sheen series, a woman uploads her DNA online, searching for her father—instead, she is contacted by the police. In recent months there have been two murders, and DNA from one of the crime scenes, may be from a very close family member of her's. This twisty crime novel follows DCI Sheen's and his team in the hunt for a serial killer, known as the "Bonfire Killer".
I really enjoy this series, and this may have been the best yet! Thank you to Gytha Lodge, the publisher, and NetGalley for the complimentary e-galley.

I didn't realize this was a detective series. If I'd known that, I wouldn't have read it. Nothing happened for the majority of the book. It was boring and I didn't care about the characters.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 8, 2023
Gytha Lodge brings Jonah Sheens and his team back again with their newest adventure in “A Killer in the Family”. This is the fifth novel in the series, although I met Jonah back on book three (I have read three, four and five. Somehow, I missed one and two) and I was so glad for his return!
Aisling Cooley is a game developer and single mother of two teenaged boys. For years, she has been haunted by the disappearance of her father, who abandoned both her and her mother one night many years ago, never to be heard from since. Desperate for answers, Aisling submits her DNA and receives a familial hit- but not one she expected. Both of her sons are soon suspects in a string of gruesome murders, based on their DNA, and although Aisling knows, deep down, that her beloved sons couldn’t possibly be suspects, she does have secrets in her past that she will have to reveal in order to keep her son’s innocence. However, the truth will reveal a lot more than who the murderer is, and Aisling isn’t sure if she’s ready for the world to know who she really is.
“Family” is a typical police procedural and, like its counterparts, it’s not necessary to read all of the novels’ predecessors before trying this on one for size, but it’s highly encouraged. The Jonah Sheens series can be read as stand-alones, but the detailed character history and entangled relationships are laid out across the previous novels, and without this information the novel won’t be nearly as engaging.
The story is narrated by Aisling, of course, but also by Jonah and a few of his counterparts at the police department (all introduced in previous novels). The storyline is easy to follow and is told completely in the present day, so there is very little confusion. That being said, there is an enormous cast of characters and some of them actually become vital to the plot, so be prepared to keep track of siblings, half-siblings, estranged fathers, adopted fathers, police detectives and their teams of officers and suspicious teenagers. Obviously, there are enough characters to keep the reader guessing and Lodge adds the right number of twists and turns right until the unexpected end.
Jonah and his team are personable and honest, and I have been a fan since being introduced by Lodge two books ago. Although this plot was far more detailed and intricate than the other Sheens books I’ve read, I was just as entranced by Lodge’s writing prowess and character development in this novel as in her other works. More Jonah Sheens, please!

I made it 29% through and I just couldn’t stay awake. The story started off interesting but I couldn’t keep up. Maybe just not for me. Best of luck and thank you for allowing me the opportunity!

Aisling Cooley would have never dreamed that submitting a DNA sample to try to find her father would turn into a nightmare.

The Bonfire Killer was on the loose, and unknown to Aisling someone whose blood type matched blood at the newest murder scene belonged to a close relative of hers. It could be her father, brother, or son.

Aisling had two sons, but she told the police they are both mild mannered and would never have killed anyone, but could it have been her estranged father's blood?

A KILLER IN THE FAMILY has a bit of a slow start, but as the tension grows, as we wait for the results of the DNA samples from Aisling’s sons, and as surprises pop up, you will be glued to the pages.

Fans of Gytha won't want to miss this one...will you figure it out?

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Finding out about your family tree and family history can be fun, but what should you do if the family history you discover, is not at all what you anticipated.
On receiving her results back for her DNA, she tries to contact her father who has been out of her life for a long time, but is shocked when the call back she was waiting for,is not her father at all. but a police detective.
I did find this book interesting, but for me, it did seem to drag out..
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

This book I have mixed feelings about… I enjoyed it but could have enjoyed it more

Part 1 was way longer than it needed to be and felt awfully dragged out in some parts.
Part 2 was full of action and twists and I felt that some parts could have been more detailed or involved.

Over all a very suspenseful read with a lot of twists and drama. Would recommend this one even though it starts as a bit of a slow burn.

Also, this is a detective series and I would pick up the next book to see where they go from here as I became invested in their story as well!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A fun concept! While I enjoyed this book, I think at parts it was a bit confusing. However, I did enjoy the fun twists and turns throughout the book and loved the characters - especially the main character! A solid 3/5 book.

Aisling signs up for a DNA site to see if she can get in touch with family members, her estranged father in particular.  But, it's the police who contact her, saying her DNA is a close match for some blood found at a crime scene.  This means the killer has to be someone closely related to her. Her life is thrown out of balance as she tries to get to the bottom of this and prove her sons are innocent.

This story has an interesting premise.  Could someone related to you be a serial killer and you not even know it?  Should DNA be used in this way? It gives you some things to think about and made for an interesting story.  The first half of the book was slow and drawn out, but if you can keep with it, it really picked up in the second half.  There were quite a few bombshells and twists that kept coming right up until the very end.  I was also immediately drawn in by the first bit of writing (before chapter one), which is the POV of someone about to be murdered. Talk about an opening!

At first, I wasn't sure why we needed the POVs of those investigating the murders and their lives.  It seemed to water down the plot and make the book longer than it had to be. I then realized this is part of a series about these specific individuals, so it makes more sense if it's read in order. But reading it out of order didn't throw me off, and I was able to piece parts together with minimal confusion. Overall, it is a solid murder mystery. 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Let me just say I really enjoyed this book. Recently, I have come to really enjoy police procedural mysteries/stories. In A Killer in the Family, we follow DCI Jonah Sheens and his team as they try to solve the case of the “Bonfire Killer”. Leaving bodies of women burning on nearby pyres. We all know that even though most serial killers are smart, no one is perfect. This killer has left behind some DNA.
Now bring in Ainsley. Single mother, busy life with kids. Decides to upload her DNA to an ancestry website. Sound simple and innocent enough! Lol yeah, right! As someone who recently just gave in and did the whole “ancestry” thing I was drawn to the character because I too was very anxious to see what I would find out. Ainsley had no clue how this would change her life.
Lucky for me this series did not need to be read in order, though I am somewhat considering starting from book #1 now. From the very beginning, I was tuned in! Safe to say I don’t think I have experienced an opening quite like this one. The book had great pace and character development. The twists will literally make you forget you are reading! Awesome adventure, go in blind, I would recommend this title.
Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for supplying me with an ARC in exchange for a truthful review. I appreciate the experience!

4 stars!

#AKillerintheFamily #NetGalley

A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge is another suspenseful and fast paced read.
This kept me guessing all the way through. There were so many twists that I never had it completely right. This book is an easy read with an interesting storyline.
This book kept me absolutely hooked until the very end with a wild ending.
A page turner of a suspense novel that will suck you in quickly so sit down read, and enjoy the ride.
This is a well-written story with an absolute phenomenal ending.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!