With a gripping plot and a cast of characters that you won't likely forget "A Killer In The Family" is a book that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good Mystery Thriller.
The author weaves together a well crafted tale of suspense and intrigue that will keep you turning pages until the very end.

Thank you Gytha Lodge , Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This was just an okay book. Characters, dialogue, mystery were fine. Nothing in particular really stood out to me. I wouldn't pick it up again.

A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge is the fifth book in the Jonah Sheens Detective series. I’ve read the first four books and absolutely loved them. So I had very high expectations for this one. Well, my expectations were met…it was everything I hope for in a Thriller. I really didn’t know the direction things were going held the time. When I thought I had guessed everything, I was oh so wrong! And that cliffhanger!!! Does that mean we’ll have more of Jonah?
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was just an okay book. I felt it was a very slow mystery but I still hung in there and the book got better about half way thru . The writing and the storyline were good . I would recommend this book just be prepared for the slow start to the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read "A Killer In The Family" by Gytha Lodge in return for a fair an honest review.
This is the fifth in the DCI Jonah Sheens thriller series, and boy is there a lot to unpack here!
At its core this one is about the investigation into a series of killings of women in one of the strangest ways that this reader has yet to encounter - burned upon a pyre out in the wilderness! And it's also about family - the one you're born to and the one you might not know you even have.
Who is Aisling Cooley? A mother and computer games creator, almost at the end of her rope: she's running out of money after having been deserted by her husband and paid less than she should have been for a game she created. But her past is something that's secret - even from her children.
Juliette Hanson, one of Jonah's team, seems to have acquired a guardian angel - one who leaves her little tokens at crime scenes. Just when she thought she'd gotten rid of her stalker ex.
Jonah and Michelle are trying to make a go of it with their daughter - conceived in less than optimum circumstances - even though their hearts might not be in it.
When it turns out that someone related to Aisling Cooley might be the perpetrator of these murders, she and her two sons are drawn in to the mystery - the aftermath of which will forever change their family dynamic.
Gytha Lodge has created - in my mind anyway - one of the most complex stories so far in this series and I for one cannot wait to see where she goes next with these characters. Absolutely recommended - and you don't even have to read the four other books in the series (but you really, really should).

Rating this 3.5 stars, but rounding down.
This was a great read full of in-depth police work and a surprising mystery. It was a bit of a slow-burn whodunit, but with short chapters and exceptional writing, it kept you guessing. I love how the author tied all the characters together in the end. It made for a wonderful plot twist. Most of the action happens in the last 25% of the book, and Lodge does an amazing job zig-zagging you between suspects.
My biggest issue was how I couldn't connect to any character and felt completely distant from the scene. I couldn't invest in any story, even Jonah's, whose side story was the most emotional. This mainly had to do with the fact that a lot of the DCI team's side stories are told in the previous books, and we aren't given much detail into their backstories. I have read the previous book in thie series, 'Little Sister', and yet still found myself either not caring about the side plots, or completely baffled as to why it was necessary.
Definetely a good vacation read, or if you're in the mood for a slow-burn mystery!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
This book has a lot of interesting facts about DNA.
The story is about a woman who sends her DNA in to see if she can find her father. Imagine her shock when DCI Jonah Sheens contacts her informing her that her DNA matches that of a serial killer: two women and a horse have been burned on a funeral pyre.
An intricate and absorbing mystery, it had my nose buried in the book for 2 days and at the end my mouth agape! Definitely recommended!

Great police procedural set in Ireland
This is actually book 5 in the Jonah Sheens series. It is not marked as such and I think this may confuse some. Once I started reading, I remembered many of the characters and was quickly immersed in the story, I love a detective procedural that includes the social dynamics of the station as well and situations at home!

It's an exciting premise - Aisling uploads her DNA to an ancestry website and is contacted by the Irish police - she is related to a newly minted serial killer. Aisling is afraid for her sons and wonders about her long lost father. Who could this be? As she half heartedly and guardedly works with the police the Bonfire Killer is still at large. Who will be next?
#RandomHouse #AKillerInTheFamily #GythaLodge

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Random House for my Advanced Reader Copy of “A Killer in the Family” by Gytha Lodge!

I requested this novel after reading the blurb, not realizing that I was picking up an installment in the DCI Jonah Sheens books! I breezed right through anyways, easily able to follow along despite characters already in development. There were definitely some story lines that I felt a little out of the loop with having not started with book one, but all that did was make me want to pick up Lodges previous works!

As for the story itself, I NEVER SAW THAT ENDING COMING! Lodge crafts some wonderful twists and turns that had me guessing right up until the big reveals. I also loved the banter with Aisling and her boys, as it felt believable and sweet. The ending tied up the main story line well and didn’t leave me feeling like anything was unfinished. Already looking forward to the next book, and seeing what happens to our detectives with the cliffhanger they’re left in.

4.5 Stars

Fantastic storyline- engaging and likable characters. The plot twists were believable and exciting. If you love the works of Frieda McFadden or Lucinda Berry, you will enjoy this story.

In this book, 2 women are murdered so there’s an investigation going on right from the get-go. Aisling is a mom of 2 who is looking for her long lost father through DNA testing and the police tell her she COULD be connected to the Bonfire Killer. It was S-L-O-W throughout but I still enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. To be published August 2023.

This book was a slow paced book. It is part of a series but I believe can be read as a standalone. I could not get into this story.

Thanks @netgalley for read 52 of 2023. I had some school and course commitments this week, which meant it took longer to finish this book than usual. There are a lot of characters and plot lines to keep track of here, so I wonder if it would’ve been easier to remember all of the details if I read this book over fewer days. I did enjoy the writing though and the shorter chapters. There were lots of cliffhangers and a few twists along the way. I did not predict how things would end up. There was quite the cliphanger at the very end and I kind of wish the things wrapped up a little bit neater. Still a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books.

I've always been fascinated by the stories that come from submitting you DNA for analysis and then what the company does with your DNA results. When I read the synopsis I knew this would be a good one!

Aisling Cooley uploads her DNA online in search of her father. What she gets instead is a detective showing up at her door to notify her that her DNA matches closely with that of a recent serial "bonfire killer". Two women on different occasions have been found killed and burned in a bonfire recently in the area. One of the scenes had some blood left and that DNA matches closely to that of Aisling. Aisling and the police each set out on their own endeavors to try to solve this mystery.

I didn't realize this book was a part of a series and this is the first one I've read. I struggled a bit with the characters not being well developed. This may be because the previous books have taken care of that. Otherwise it was a great read with lots of twists and turns and an unpredictable ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House Trade Paperbacks for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about a killer who leaves multiple victims dead. Women are frightened to go out. One woman is seeking her father and posts the results of her dna test. It is not her father that answers - it is a detective.

It appears that their is a killer in her family - just what does a family do to hide a killer?

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I debated requesting this, because I wasn't so keen on the last two in this series. This instalment however, is excellent. I like the characterization of the various police officers: the messy Domnall, the inscrutable but vulnerable Ben, and so on. I thought Jonah was strangely absent here - mainly musing on how good it is that his partner Michelle is going out every night getting drunk while he works late and their nanny (whom I hope they are paying double) raises their daughter.

The actual mystery was also excellent - twisty and turny in a logical way, although the DNA ramifications and the inter-relatedness (or not) of the characters made my brain hurt at times. I liked the relationships Aisling had with her sons - it felt real. The ending was sad but satisfying.

A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge starts out with a murder of two women. DI Hansen and DCI Jonah Sheens are investigating the Bonfire Killer and have little to go on except a small amount of DNA left at the scene.
Aisling Cooley is a mom of two, who is searching for her long lost father so she uploads her DNA to an ancestry website. When she is contacted by the police and told that her DNA is a familar match to the Bonfire Killer, her world gets turned upside down. Is her father the killer or her sons?
I was drawn into this story from the first page. It was interesting seeing how they used the DNA database to track their killer. I felt empathetic towards Aisling as she struggled through her doubts. I was surprised how it all turned out.
If you enjoy mysteries or police procedurals you will enjoy this thriller. It makes you want to keep reading and it is hard to put down once you start.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

When I first requested this I was not aware that this is fifth in a series. I don’t feel like I was missing anything but I do want to read the previous stories now. This story grabbed me right from the start. I love the short chapters! There was so much mystery and intrigue that kept me glued to the story. I liked that even though there’s a slew of characters we got to know each of them as the story went on.

I'm bummed. I really really liked the first book in this series. but they all seem to have fallen short for me since then. I had higher hopes for this one. It didn't do it for me. I didn't even finish it.

I honestly can’t get enough of the Jonah Sheens series! What makes this twisty, intelligent, heart-throbbing psychological thriller series so unique is the way Gytha Lodge delves into deep layers of characters, allowing us not only to connect with each of them but also become a part of their world.

This latest book in the series is well-crafted with perfect character analysis, polished structure, and a captivating storyline. Even with its slow burn, extra detailed descriptions portraying characters’ swinging moods, fears, flaws, hesitancy, the short chapters, and the twists leading you down different roads that take you on another journey, push you to make guesses about how things will wrap up. These are the main strengths of Lodge’s smart and incredible writing talent.

This time, the story revolves around Aisling Cooley, a single mom raising her two teenage sons in the sedate suburban of Southampton. Women are urged not to loiter alone on the streets when darkness comes. Aisling has a strong urge to find her long-lost father, so she uploads her DNA to an ancestry site. A few days later, someone knocks on her door, but unfortunately, the man who wants answers from her is not her father. It’s Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens who’s chasing the Bonfire Killer, who might be Aisling's father.

Overall, this is a dark, intense, and another well-written and unputdownable novel from the series that keeps growing on me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Random House Trade Paperbacks for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.