A Killer in the Family is the fifth book in this series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. I only read the first in this series and now this one so now I need to go back and read the others.

There's a serial killer in the area being called the bonfire killer as he takes his victims and builds a bonfire to burn their bodies. At the latest bonfire site, blood is found, which gives the police DNA to submit. When a match isn’t found in the system, the DNA is uploaded to an ancestry site to find the closest relative.

Across town, a single mom Aisling, has recently sent in her DNA to an ancestry site in hopes of finding her father that abandoned her family long ago. Aisling never anticipated that investigators will show up at her door to inform her that the blood found at the latest crime scene is a close match to her DNA, meaning a male related to her is responsible. This can only mean that one of her sons or her long lost father is this notorious Bonfire Killer.

There were so many clever twist in this book and I was completely invested in getting to the bottom of this mystery. I definitely recommend checking out this series and look forward to reading books 2, 3 and 4. A Killer in the Family was published on 8/8/23. Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reading copy.

I received this book for free in exchange for a review.

This was my first book out of the DCI Jonah Sheens collection. I didn’t know the book was a part of a collection before I received the download. At first I was worried that I would need context for the story from the previous books, but I was glad to find out that wasn’t necessarily true.

Overall, I would rate this book a 3. It has a really interesting start that keeps you hooked but towards the middle I felt it dragged a bit. Would I read another DCI Jonah Sheens collection book? Potentially. It was an easy read, though there may have been a few too many characters and side stories to keep track of. It had a few interesting twists but it might have been one too many for me,

To be honest, this - the fifth book in a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens - just didn't grab me. I'm pretty sure much of that comes because it's the first in the series that I've read, and what background was included wasn't sufficient for me to be able to really "connect" with any of the characters. That the story was very complex, with quite a few people to keep track of, made it even harder to process.

That said, once I got the lay of the land, so to speak - with burning pyres topped by women murdered by what appears to be a serial killer - the story itself kept me turning the pages (well, okay, thumbing the edge of my e-book reader). Before I get to the murders, though, I'll mention that the aforementioned Jonah is experiencing some kind of marital upset; that, too, most likely was an issue in a previous book or books. But here, too, there wasn't enough explanation for me to say, "Jonah, you're an idiot - grow up!" or sympathize with what he's going through.

The murders, though, are the primary focus. Finally, detectives catch a break when human blood is found at a partially burned pyre and it doesn't belong to the victim. At that point, they decide to try a new-to-them DNA search to identify the owner - or very close relatives of - the killer. About the same time, local resident and single mother Aisling Cooley sends her DNA to an ancestry website in hopes of finding the father who left with no warning when she was a teenager some 30 years earlier. She gets more than she bargained for when the police come to say that she's a close relative of the so-called "Bonfire Killer." But the only relatives she knows about are her father - who may not even be alive - and her two mostly-grown sons. Could one of them possibly be a murderer?

The rest of the book follows the complex investigation, with leads that turn out to be dead ends even though they have a DNA link. The ending didn't thrill me because I'm not a fan of cliffhangers - and there are two gobsmackers here. I'm pretty sure most fans of this series will enjoy this one, though, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to become one by way of a pre-release review copy.

After gritting my teeth through the prologue I thought this would get better but no. Maybe I would have been more committed to the story if I'd read some of the previous books in the series.

This was such a great book! I couldn't put it down! I'm fascinated with the technology of solving crimes with family DNA and that was really interesting in this book. I didn't realize this book was part of a series, but didn't need to read the previous books to read this one. I will definitely be checking out the previous books and be looking for the next book@

This book was crazyyyyyy. Literally from the first chapter I thought I new what was happening and I was swiftly wrong. The plot twist that happened in this book never stopped. I never knew what was coming next. So glad that I got the opportunity to read this book.

I look forward to each book by Gytha Lodge that features DCI Jonah Sheen and his team. The author does a masterful job of developing her characters, fleshing each one out completely and giving me a reason to relate to them and like them. The story itself is a well-written police procedural and whodunit, with plenty of relevant details and a lot of brilliant deductions among the team members. I thought that the pace was perfect and written with the signature style of the author that reveals the details of the case methodically and compellingly. I really liked getting to know each of Jonah’s team members better, but the book was a winner with me because of the tightly written plot. There seems to be a serial killer on the loose, dubbed the “Bonfire Killer” since he lays his victims on a pyre. There is also a hapless single mom as a major character when her DNA seems to be a familial match for the serial killer. Aisley Cooley has some secrets but she didn’t realize that one of them could endanger her and her sons. I thought that the writing style was nothing short of brilliant, with short chapters and clues given periodically throughout, along with the killer lurking in the background, just out of sight of the police. This is an edgy suspense that crackles with tension and that kept me reading as I tried unsuccessfully to guess the identity of the man targeting middle aged women and killing them in such a brutal way. I liked that the team was relentless in their pursuit of the perpetrator even as he continued to slip away from them stealthily time after time. I particularly enjoyed the clever way the author left bread crumbs and red herrings, capturing my imagination and the way that the characters were all richly portrayed with meaningful lives away from their jobs. This is a police procedural without equal, one that had me stymied and cheering on the team of investigators as they closed in on the killer.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This is book 5/5 in a series but I read it without reading the others first and it was a great read! Right from the start it pulls you into the search for the “bonfire killer” and had me questioning everyone. Definitely a book with lots of twists and turns that keep you turning the page!

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy, I voluntarily read and reviewed this book!

This book is quite interesting no, but it does take time to build up to the suspense which if you’re not willing to sit, there could make it difficult, but it is worth it and I would recommend this book but because of being so slow paced, I definitely struggled to continue my interest but I’m glad that I continued because it took me on a nice wild ride.

Lodge has written a fast paced, tense, realistic police procedural. She threw in enough red herrings that I had no idea how this would play out. And I thought the way Lodge wrote the resolution was perfect.
Her characters are real - not just the police team but the pool of suspects.
Heads up, for those of you that don't like cliffhangers, this one ends with a doozy.
This is one series I believe is best read in order. The books focus on the private lives of each of the team and reading them out of order will cause both spoilers and some lost context.

North American publication date 08 August 2023!
This story is as twisty as a double helix 🧬 which is fitting since it has everything to do with DNA evidence!
Jumping on the genealogy craze, Gytha Lodge takes us on a rollercoaster of a ride where the evidence doesn’t lie no matter how much it seems like it does!
Aisling is a struggling single mother of two boys in their late teens. She’s not on good terms with her ex, and her father disappeared from her life when she was a teenager. On a whim, she uploads her DNA in hopes of finding her father. But Aisling’s DNA will give her more questions than answers when the police show up on her door and let her know her genetic profile has led them to her house.
The bonfire killer might be one of her sons!! Aisling can’t believe it’s true, but who else could it be?
We also see the return of DCI Jonah Sheens and his crew. This might be the last book you can read as a stand-alone, that’s all I’m saying!
Another great thriller from Gytha Lodge and I can’t wait for the sixth book! I loved it!!
Thanks to @netgalley, Random House Canada and the author for an eArc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Aisling Cooley is trying to find her father through a DNA website in the latest British police procedural in the DCI Jonas Sheens series. The detectives are searching for a local serial killer when the crime scene DNA is linked to Aisley’s DNA. Could Aisley’s long-lost father be the killer? Is it one of her two teenage sons? Or could someone else be A Killer in the Family?

The hook of using a DNA website is a great elevator pitch. Unfortunately, the book is rather slow and perhaps slightly too long. Overall, it is a serviceable procedural. However, I hate books with a cliffhanger ending. I want to read your next book because I’m interested in the characters—not to discover the ending of the previous book. For those reasons, A Killer in the Family rates 3 stars.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Could round up to 3.5 just because I am invested in this detective group.

This book started off super solid and kind of creepy and unsettling. It slowed down a little and felt a little repetitive about 30-40% but the pacing picked back up towards the end. The ending has me STRESSING! I’m going to need the next book asap and with a happy resolution!! 😩😩

While not my favorite in this series and a little slower paced than i expected, I still enjoyed this overall !

Though I wish for a lot less Michelle. Honestly, the Michelle storyline is my least favorite thing in this entire series… Jonah deserves a better individual storyline/arc than this.

I received an advanced copy of this ebook from the publisher for a honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book is set in the England. This book mentions Ireland. The style of the writing is great. It is very twisted like a great thriller should be. The story will have you on the edge of your seat, from the first page trying to figure out, who it was. I really enjoyed this book. This book will be in stores on August 8, 2023 for $17.00 (USD).

“𝑰𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅.”

The cover and title of this book had me intrigued right away (sometimes we should pick up a book from its gorgeous cover!), throw in a nicknamed “Bonfire Killer” and I knew I had to pick this one up.

Gytha Lodge is a new-to-me author, but this book is the fifth in a series about a team of British police officers of various ranks, with Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens, Detective Sergeant Domnall O’Malley, Detective Sergeant Ben Lightman, and Detective Constable Juliette Hanson. Not having read the other books was not a problem; the characters are well explained and references to other books are made in passing, more like Easter eggs for readers. I liked the team atmosphere (especially as they all seem to respect each other and work well together) and the glimpses into their personal lives, making me want to go back and spend more time with them through the first four books. I found myself very invested in the scenes without the detectives too; Ainsling, alongside her sons Ethan and Finn, added a different feel as they question why Ainsling’s DNA matched with some found at the scene and pull back the layers of secrets. Nothing is black and white - many of the characters (including the killer) fall in a grey area, highlighting how human beings are incredibly complex. This book is long, and I wanted it to move along a bit faster in places, but when it does, it flies (especially the last 25%)! Lodge placed some great reveals that I was pleasantly surprised at, changing where I thought the story was going.

A Killer In The Family is a story of secrecy, doubt, despair, the perspective of betrayal and the meaning of family. If you like police procedurals and Clare Mackintosh’s Ffion Morgan series, you should check this one out. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Police procedural thrillers are always interesting for me and this was an enjoyable story with some unique plots. I also love seeing how an investigation plays out. There were a few moments where the characters made silly decisions (a pet peeve of mine!) but I was able to get past them. This is the fifth book in the Jonah Sheen series but definitely can be read as a standalone as I haven’t read any of them and wasn’t missing any information.

DNF @ 25% - this one just really wasn’t for me. I wanted to love the crime aspects mixed with the popular DNA websites such as 23 and me, but the way that the concept was approached was just not working. it felt just rushed and not cohesive at all.

In my opinion this was a slow burn. Got interesting about 1/2 way through. Was sort of repetitive in the beginning. I have always been intrigued by online ancestry DNA. So that was a good story line.

Personally, it was not my cup of tea, but I would recommend to someone.

Loved it! I have read three out of the five books in the series, somehow I missed the second and the third book. This book definitely didn't disappoint. There were so many twists and turns. I was suspicious of so many people as the possible "Bonfire Killer." Would the police have been able to solve the crime if Aisling never uploaded her DNA to an ancestry website? Ailing wanted to find her father but ended up discovering so much more. Does anyone really want to be related to a serial killer? Aisling's family was full of secrets. She spent twenty-nine years never knowing the truth. I loved the relationship Aisling had with her two sons. Jonah and his detectives have a great dynamic together. Juliette and Ben seem like they would be perfect together. I hate how the book ended because I need to know what happens. It was so sad and unexpected. Some people never change and will always be an abusive psycho. I feel bad for Jonah, he tries his hardest with Michelle but nothing seems to help. He's such a wonderful dad. Michelle seems to constantly want to party with her friends.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Can't wait for the next book in the series, because I need to know what happens. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Random House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'd not read the earlier books in this series but that didn't matter. This is a complex and topical take on the use of DNA in crime solving, Det. Jonah Sheens surprises Aisling, who uploaded her DNA into a commercial site in the hopes of finding her father. Turns out her DNA was a match for a serial killer but is it her father or one of her sons who is the villain? There are secrets and lies aplenty here, as well as twists, I like Jonah and Aisling was complicated enough to make this all work. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A very good read (and now I'm going for others in the series!)