It’s New Year’s Eve --- a joyous time, a time to celebrate, a time to look toward new beginnings. That’s what one woman is doing. She’s finally ready to break out and start living again. And what better time than New Year’s Eve? Unfortunately, she chose the wrong man with whom to watch the fireworks. Now local police ring in the new year investigating the second victim of the Bonfire Killer. They already recovered one body burned on a pyre back in October. They had tried to keep that discovery on the down low so as not to create a panic. But now the women in the area need to know so they can take extra care.

"The novel is a merry-go-round of delightful and delightfully evil characters who are oftentimes not what they seem."

One local resident, Aisling Cooley, stayed in on New Year’s Eve. Her two sons, Ethan and Finn, went out to party hearty, like normal teenagers. Now, with news of a second woman dead, Aisling turns wary. Serial killers usually have a “type” they tend to stalk, and Aisling fits the Bonfire Killer’s profile. However, she does not let her caution get in the way of day-to-day life. Aisling has video games to design and two young men to watch over. She will be careful, though. She understands how to care for herself, especially after the numerous losses she has suffered.

When she was very young, Aisling’s father abandoned her. And an uncle did unspeakable things to her that caused her and her mum to flee their home and change their names. More recently, Aisling and her husband divorced, which has left her scraping by. What she does have is the blessing of her special boys. In a fit of curiosity, she decides to do a genealogy test and sends off a DNA sample to Globalry.com. There are gaps in her past, and she hopes to find answers. The results, though, are more troubling than satisfying.

Meanwhile, the police are hard at work tracking the Bonfire Killer. With no eyewitnesses, they, too, have turned to DNA. They found blood at the second crime scene that did not belong to the victim. So when they hear that Globalry.com offers a forensic genealogy process, they decide to give it a shot. But the results are shocking. The DNA leads them to Aisling’s doorstep. There’s no question about it: Someone related to Aisling will be their killer.

What follows is, for Aisling, hours --- days, even --- of gut-wrenching uncertainty and fear. Did Ethan or Finn do something horrific on New Year’s Eve? Or has her father resurfaced and crept back into her life unseen, intent on killing women and burning their bodies? How could either one of those scenarios be possible? The unfolding clues lead to amazing surprises.

The clever employment of DNA used to track down the killer in this story borders on ingenious. Law enforcement has been handed a wonderful tool to aid in cinching cases against the most heinous criminals. A KILLER IN THE FAMILY takes advantage of the many ways that DNA figures into forensics, and then Gytha Lodge takes it and twists it around to truly baffle her readers --- right down to the big reveal.

The novel is a merry-go-round of delightful and delightfully evil characters who are oftentimes not what they seem. Every one of them has their own story going on, even as the big mystery is moving toward its resolution. No reader will find themselves wanting for action.