Enjoyed this one. I felt like there was something missing though, something I needed to love it. Well thought out plot and easy to read.

When I read the blurb for this novel, I knew it would be right up my street! A mystery thriller about Liz Catalano who discovers that not only is she adopted, but that a member of her newly discovered biological family might be a serial killer. A killer that has been active for forty years, abducting victims in pairs and holding them captive for months at a time.

The novel is well written and fast paced. The authors have also used alternating chapters, which provide viewpoints from both Liz Catalano and those of the killers victims. The storyline is gripping, with lots of twists and turns which makes it hard to put down.

The ending is fascinating psychologically.
Liz Catalano is given a gift of a DNA ancestry kit and when getting the results back she is contacted by the FBI to find out that her DNA means she has a connection to the Tri-State Killer who has been abducting pairs of young women for the past forty years, keeping them alive for a while and then killing them.

This book alternates between the view of Liz Catalano and the killer with different pairs and what he does to them when keeping them prisoner. This took a while to get going. I thought the sections from the killer's perspective was a bit repetitive. The enjoyable and best part of the book was the profiling and psychological motivation section at the end of the book. I think in the killer's section of the book it could have done with more of how the killer evolved into doing what they do as with putting the end result of the profile at the end it felt like it was rushed.

It is worth buying if you like crime novels but it takes a while to get going.

trigger warning
<spoiler> misogyny, being drugged, kidnapping, torture, drug abuse </spoiler>

A young woman is gifted a 23-and-me kit, and eager to see her results. The shock is great when she discovers she's adopted, but not as great as when the FBI knocks on her door to tell her her results got them a familial match for a wanted serial killer.

Concept is simple: You discover you know nothing, and futher you discover that your lack of knowledge might be dangerous.
Liz and her flatmate would fit neatly in the long list of victims, and said flatmate and best friend is afraid that Liz will draw attention to herself in the process of discovering more things.

Interspersed through the timeline in the present we have short snippets from previous victims, who always get kidnapped by two, and then locked in an undisclosed location, presumably in a cabin in the woods.
Since the killer always goes by the same routine, each pair of women shows how said routine progresses a little further from where the last pair left off, which was quiet nicely done.

The ending made me <i>very</i> anxious. It was like watching a horror movie and being annoyed by the characters who make all the wrong decisions, and you desperately want them to take a second to think about their plan, but they don't.
Not all issues that arose were solved, until the epilogue waltzes in to solve a bunch of them, hinting that the plot is not over and a second installment will follow.
Which, in my opinion, is bad writing. It didn't fit together. From the middle part to the ending there was a disjointed section that felt as if written apart from each other and not flowing into each other, as it should go. It left me feeling dissatisfied.

I'll probably not stay on for further events.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

When I got this book I just had to drop everything and read it. It was really really good and did not disappoint. The premise is really interesting - I remember a podcast re something like this recently. I loved the narrative device used it was very different.

These authors are definitely on my list now to watch out for.

It was so gripping that I read it all in one session.

I was given an advance copy by Avon and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books Uk for the arc of The Family Tree by Steph Mullin And Nicole Mabry.

5 star read- This has a very interesting premise and plot to it and something in which I haven't seen in a book before. This follows and goes on about DNA databases and ancestry, to find a serial killer, it circulates between Liz's POV and the serial killers POV. This was such a page turning, gripping book had me on edge of my seat.

Highly Recommend
5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing an advanced eArc of "The Family Tree" book exchange for an honest review.

Lizzie Catalano lives in New York with her cousin Andrea. When she gets the results of a Genealogy DNA Test she is shocked to discover she is adopted and even more shocked when the FBI get in touch to inform her that her DNA shows she is a related to the "The Tri-State Killer." Someone in Liizzie's new found family is a serial killer and has been murdering women for decades without capture.

For me, the book failed to live up to it's potential. The plot was extremely unbelievable in places and generally plodded along to a lacklustre end. The characters were uninteresting and lacked development.

A very disappointing read considering the premise promised so much.

This book is very creepy. When Liz went searching for her birth family, she never thought it would rock her world. I was quite terrified by the circumstances in this book. It disturbs me on so many levels. That being said, I was also strangely fascinated by how smart the serial killer really is and how he avoided capture. I could not put this book down. I was drawn to the story. I finished this book in a weekend. If you like disturbing crime than this is the book for you.

Imagine sending off for an ancestry kit with your cousin, only to find that she's not your cousin, at age 27 you discover you're adopted and theres a serial killer in your family. Well this is what happened to Liz. Can Liz trust her newly found Great Uncle and his wife? Is he the decades old Tri State Killer? Liz turns sleuth to try and find out.
A really enjoyable page turner
Received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

Gripping book from start to finish!
Really enjoyed this book, loved the twists and turns in it, kept me guessing throughout the book as to who was the serial killer...great style of writing and also liked the way it went from past victims and back to the present, looking forward to these authors duetting again hopefully soon!

A scary and innovative thriller showing the effects of nature vs. nurture. Just how ready are we as a society for the sudden revelations of DNA kits is the question I kept asking myself throughout the course of this book.

Innovative twist on a common "DNA" focused trope. The author executes an edge of your seat crime thriller with The Family Tree. Well written and engaging, this story will keep you guessing to the very end.

I liked this, it's one of those books that you have to carry on reading to get to the bottom of what's going on.

Liz's cousin and housemate Andie buys her a DNA testing kit for them both just for some fun, they want to learn more about their family origins. But the test comes back with a big shock.... They're not actually related, this causes a lot of upset as Liz finds out she was actually adopted as a baby and her records are sealed. Liz is the sort of person who needs to know everything about everything and so she starts researching as much as she can, but when the FBI get in touch and say they've found her DNA is a match for a notorious serial killer she's worried. Could the new family she has finally found be capable of this?

The story is a good one, and I liked the entries from all of the victims then Liz's story. It's definitely worth a read.

This is a really gripping, fast paced and exciting psychological thriller!
Topical, current and so relevant to the increasingly more common way that killers are being found these days, using familial DNA as a topic is genius!
I raced through the 400 pages and relished every chapter.
A great read!

As i am currently researching my family tree i was drawn to this book and also by its stunning cover. DNA testing has become very popular recently and is used widely now as a way of tracing your roots. The main protagonist, Liz Catalano, is given the test as a present by her cousin and best friend Andie, who has already done one. What follows is a rollercoaster of emotions for Liz as at 29 she finds out she was adopted. She sets out to find out the truth about her birth mother and family, when the FBI gets evolved the story becomes darker and even dangerous for Liz. I really enjoyed reading this novel, although towards the end i found myself getting annoyed at the bad decisions Liz was making especially knowing there was a serial killer at large. It was an usual storyline with plenty of red herring along the way and an intriguing ending.

Interesting premise for a book - seemed to be something different from usual criminal fiction books.
My biggest problem with this book was the main protagonists Lizzie and Andie. They acted like teenagers for large parts of the story, particularly Liz who is searching for her birth mother. She recently found out she was adopted, from a dna result. She storms off like a child, contacting potential family members willy nilly and ignoring her adoptive parents who had brought her up.
She finally finds a great uncle in Connecticut and they head off to meet him.
Liz then finds herself in the middle of an FBI investigation as one of her birth family is a serial killer who has been abducting pairs of women for forty years.
The story switches between Liz’s story and the killer’s.
A great idea for a book but didn’t live up to what it could have been so was left disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
3 Stars

To summarise is one word: wow! Loved this book. Liz Catalano has a DNA test as a gift and the results reveal a family secret - that she is adopted. While searching for her birth family, Liz is contacted by FBI as her DNA links her to the Tri State Killer, a serial killer active for last 40 years. Liz is determined to get to know her new family and discover who could possibly be the Tri State Killer.
I enjoyed how the story was told by Liz, interjected with the victims experience. A great whodunnit. 5 stars.

A quick easy read,that at times stretches the believable.
But,its entertaining.
A fairly likeable main character,and a definite hook to pull you in,as adopted or not,you just dont know who you might he related to.

I could not put this book down!

I read this within a few days and was captivated and interested from the get go. I really enjoyed the storyline and it really kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the twists and turns that the story offered, especially at the end although slightly disappointed that who I thought was the bad guy was actually someone else. My investigating skills must not be up to scratch.

It's a relatable story and could easily be something that could happen in real life, so I would think twice about undertaking a DNA kit!

The story was dark, inviting and captivating as I went on the journey with Liz. Her best friend Andie gave a light and humorous feel to a dangerous situation.

I loved this book and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

This book did not disappoint. I found it quite intriguing and a definite page turner. Thank you Avon books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book! Excellent!

Pub Date: June 2021