As a birthday present from her cousin and housemate Andie, Liz receives a 23AndMe DNA kit. When checking her results she discovers that her genetics seem to be different from her cousin’s and that there is no mention of her Italian heritage. Confused she rings her mum who tells her that she and her father need to explain something they have kept from her. Liz was adopted as a baby.

Deciding that she wants to find out more about her adoptive family she shares her results to see if there are any DNA matches without much success. She then is advised to upload her DNA details onto a site called GEDMatch where she can check for any matches across all genetic DNA sites. There was a tick box on the joining form which allows law enforcement to access the DNA. Liz knows that her mother was in prison at the time of her birth so she ticks it.

Not long after Liz receives a message from an agent working for the FBI who wants to talk to her about her DNA results and a familial link to a multiple homicide case they have been working on.

The Family Tree is an absorbing and gripping tale of one woman who by checking her DNA for her heritage not only discovers devastating information about her life but also frightening information that someone she is related to is a serial killer.

The serial killer has been killing for over forty years, choosing two women at a time and killing every two years. I loved that the book had chapters from each of the double murders and shows you exactly how the killer abducted his victims and the victim’s thoughts and feelings. This was something I hadn’t come across in a novel before.

Whilst I rushed through the book, reading it in a couple of days, and thoroughly enjoyed the exciting plot, I can’t say I liked Liz much. Her attitude towards her parents that had raised her since being a baby was atrocious. I understand she was hurt for not being told she was adopted but she went over the top and was quite whinny too which made her feel a lot younger than she was.

The story is quite intense and dark at times. I loved the uniqueness of it and the twisty thrill of trying to fathom out who the ‘Tri-State Killer’ could be. If you are looking for a thriller that stands out from the norm, this would be the one to read.