This was a pretty interesting police procedural, with a combination of stories about the personal lives of the detectives and one family's complicated history as they might be related to an active serial killer. It is part of series but easily can be read by itself. And it leaves the door open for the next book.

I was so excited when I heard that there was a new Jonah Sheens novel being written this year. I was even more excited when I was given an ARC of it! Gytha Lodge has done it again! I absolutely loved A Killer in the Family. This series is one of my favorites. Always such a good a good mystery that grabs you from the start. I really enjoy with each novel getting to know more about the lives of Sheens and his team. And as with the end of each of the previous novels I can’t wait to read the next one!!! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!!

DCI Sheens is back for a fifth installment. Is Aisling the killer or a damsel in distress?

If you’re a big fan of a detective procedural, in a small UK town, you’ll love this – handles all the tropes skillfully with believable characters. The DCI is growing on me and I found the main character relatable as a mother and a daughter.
Sheens is becoming my favorite police procedural series- if you haven’t read these before please check them out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an e-ARC of A Killer in the Family, available in August 2023.

In the latest installment of the DCI Jonah Sheens series, the Detective and his team are tasked with solving a series of brutal murders committed by The Bonfire Killer, a serial killer lurking in their midst. With little to go on at first, they're thrilled to find the murderer's DNA on one of the victims. While there's no positive match in their criminal database, they're able to successfully connect it to Aisling Cooley, a single mom with two teenagers, using an ancestry website. For Aisling, the DNA she uploaded was meant to reunite her with her long-lost father. For the police, they now have three potential suspects: two teenagers and a middle-aged man. When Aisling gets a call from the police, she's happy to help with the investigation. That is, until she realizes her help could incarcerate a family member. Can she really be related to a serial killer?

While I wasn't a fan of the previous novel in the series, I wanted to give this one a try since I've enjoyed the author's other books. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to call it on reading more novels in the series. Despite an intriguing beginning, the rest of the novel didn't keep my attention. There was too little focus on solving the murders and instead, focusing on the character's personal lives. Second, I thought the author tried too hard to squeeze in all the red herrings and twists and turns.

This was my first book by Gytha Lodge, but I have always heard good things about her series. This book did not disappoint! While it was a little slow at the beginning, the later half of the book made up for the slow start. I was also pleased to actually like the majority of characters for once (I haven't had great luck in finding likable characters lately), so I'm looking forward to revisiting some of them by reading more in this series. Originally, I didn't realize that this was book 5- but it works well as a standalone if you haven't read books 1-4 like me. Overall, this was a good, fast read and I'd definitely recommend it if you like police procedurals.

.Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed the series so far, hence why I requested this, the fourth book in the series. Wait, I'm being told this is the fifth book. Anyway, whatever number this is--the fifth--it's my favorite so far. The previous books weren't bad, of course, but something about this storyline grabbed me more than the rest.

My first Gytha Lodge book but definitely not my last! This was well written and kept me flipping pages. Lots of great tension and twists.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The last four chapters were the best of A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge to me.
To me the book just meandered along without catching my total attention until toward the end.
The ending just blasted away the slow storyline for me.

A police procedural involving the use of DNA to find a serial killer. It was a slow start for me, but once it got going I was totally hooked. Likable characters, lots of twists and turns, and good dialogue with smile provoking humor thrown into the mix. The only nitpick — intermittent diversions into the lives of a couple of the detectives that seemed to have no relevance.

Overall I really liked this book and recommend it to lovers of crime mysteries. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this advanced copy.

A Killer In The Family is Book 5 in the Jonah Sheens series, and as the title implies, DCI Sheens and his team are trying to find a serial killer using familial DNA testing. The first part of the book is a bit tedious, but the action (and interest) definitely picks up and turns the book around. However, due to all the intermingling players as a result of the DNA aspect of the plot, things can get a little muddled without a scorecard, and the resulting twists and turns feels a bit overdone. However, the characters on Sheen’s team shine through on this one, and that’s enough to propel the story and keep you hooked, and the ending ensures loyal readers of a continuation of this series. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Killer in the Family was a suspenseful, yet heartfelt read. Gytha Lodge kept me guessing til the very end. As soon as I "knew" who did it, she would prove me wrong and I'd be off on another wild goose chase trying to figure out who the killer was. She also explored the complicated feelings and dimensions that come with family past and trauma. I find using DNA in criminal cases to be absolutely intriguing and this was my first work of fiction seeing this used to catch a killer. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Posted to Goodreads, Instagram, and Amazon.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Super interesting premise but the execution was a little shaky for me. I think the idea of using DNA from an ancestry site to solve crimes will spark some great and passionate book club debates.

It was okay, but I had to force myself to keep reading on at times. Still, the concept for the story was pretty cool. I'd consider reading more from this author in the future.

I didn't realize this was part of a series and I have not read books 1-4. That said, I still found this really enjoyable! Great writing, compelling characters and a terrific story! I look forward to reading the ones I missed!

This was a bit of a slow burn with a little twist and satisfying ending. I didn't realize until after the fact that this is the fifth book in a series but it can be read as a stand-alone as I was still able to follow along, although it would of been better with a little more backstory. That said, this wasn't the book of the year for me but it was still entertaining and enjoyable, just a bit slow. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

This was a really fun read! I get very tired of police procedurals, but this made it interesting and compelling. I was invested in the characters and felt like I was there. She is such a great writer and I really enjoyed this story! It kept the twists coming!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley in allowing me o read this twisty, story Killer in the Family by Glytha Lodge..
Imagine loading your DNA on line looking for your father and instead a detective comes to your door. They are looking for the “bonfire killer” and your DNA happens to match the killer. There is panic looking for someone who kills and burns the body on a pyre. This is a twisty, nail biting story and it will keep you up all night reading. I did. You also might want to check out Ms Lodge’s Little Sister book. Another mystery and twisty story.

I devoured this so fast. I am so grateful to have been given this arc. I really loved it and will come back for more from this author.

Good British whodunnit 3.5 stars. I read this as a stand-alone book and just found out that it was a series. It probably would have made a little more sense if I knew some of the characters going in. I still enjoyed the investigations and potential suspects. I will have to read some of the previous ones. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

I actually had a copy and wasn't aware I read this until I started reading the kindle version. of the book. This book wasn't my favorite. Nothing kicked off until the remaining 25% for me. I think it would make a great movie, though! Other works are much better!