This book drew me in with the synopsis and had such an interesting concept. However, the writing felt inexperienced and I could not get myself to care for any of the characters. The main character was college age, yet seemed so immature and naive. Her best friend/cousin was really obnoxious and I just couldn’t stand her. This book was very disappointing.

Received e-arc from netgalley for honest review

"The Family Tree" is an exciting read that grabs your attention and then steadily builds up suspense. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the victims of the Tri-State Killer in chronological order and Lizzie’s story in the present day. This strategy makes for an highly entertaining page-turner and you just can’t wait to see what happens next.

The characters are portrayed very convincingly and it’s very easy to empathize with them. Both Lizzie and her cousin Andrea are very likable, and Lizzie’s drive to find out the truth about her biological family seems logical and relatable. In the chapters set in the past, I really enjoyed the nod to the clothes, food and drink, and popular culture of the respective decades. The fact that no matter the year, all the victims were young girls, full of life and hopes and dreams, who were then tortured so cruelly, is just terrifying and portrayed very believably. Another thing that adds to the power of these chapters is how we find out more of the killer’s cycle with every pair of victims we read about.

The story is full of twists, and most of them really make sense in the end, with the exception of one or two details that don’t really take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. Another particularly fun thing is the very modern setting of the part of the story set in the present: the use of technology is an integral part of the plot that works very well, from the DNA test results through FaceTime and all the way to Lizzie’s job in social media marketing.

Both the killer and the uncertainty of his identity are truly scary, and the way information steadily trickles in is very exciting; you find yourself responding to it along with the characters and enjoying the careful psychological portrayals.

It is obvious from the text that the two authors work great together and take great care to polish the details and stay in sync. It’d be great to read any future books they may work on together (perhaps a sequel to "The Family Tree"?)

The family Tree
By Steph Mullin and Nicole Mandy
Pub Date 10 June 2021
I loved this book you follow these victims how this serial killer kills them. Kept me guessing to the end and turning the pages over. Took me a week to read but it was worth it. This is a great thriller you love. There quite allot of victims in this story you learn from I felt so bad for these victims how they were killed by this serial killer. The horrid things he done to these women were terrible. It definitely keeps you on your toes you enjoy it I did x 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Just finished this book and am disappointed it has finished – it was a great book. It started fast and continued throughout the book and the ending – well that was not expected by me at all. Liz and Andie share a flat together and are cousins in a big Italian family in New York. Andie buys a DNA test for Liz’ birthday and the results were not what was expected at all. Liz’ world shook as she found that in the results of family members who are or are a percentage match did not name any of the family she grew up with. Once she spoke to her folks it came out that she was adopted from birth. Liz could not understand why she had never been told and her parents were mortified that this had come to light and felt guilty they had never told her – never the right time was their excuse. She put her DNA out to include police etc and she then got a visit from the FBI to tell her that she was related to the Tri-State Killer who had been operating for years but had never been caught. She was devastated to hear that the family she was so wanted to find were not what she wanted. Over a period of many years girls were abducted in pairs and after a period of time they were found deceased. Another set of girls had been taken and the FBI had reopened the cases. Liz started to meet with a grand uncle and his wife and eventually wondered if he could be the Tri-State Killer. The book carries on moving between the FBI, her adopted family and the new family she has met. She is caught between wanting to see her grand uncle and his wife and worried about putting herself in danger. She eventually finds by visiting her uncle and going through his brother’s stuff who died recently that there was a cabin the FBI did not know about. Against better judgement she sets out to try and solve this and we are taken through the drama of this. The book is written through the eyes of Liz and the eyes of the girls who have been captured. The part of the captured girls is quite harrowing and one wonders how anyone can do what was done to them by another human being. Gripping story and a MUST READ

*3.5 STAR, BUT ROUNDING UP*

Firstly, I want to say huge thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for my copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review, and also thank you to Avon Books for allowing me to be a part of the tour.

The story begins from the perspective of the killer, reading a newspaper article about himself, before quickly moving on to the introduction of Liz and her cousin, Andie. Andie has given Liz a ’23AndMe’ ancestry kit for her birthday, and this is where the Liz learns that she is adopted. It’s like a bombshell has been dropped on her life, turning her world completely upside down. It isn’t long before the FBI get in touch with Liz, and reveal that her DNA shows a familial link to a notorious serial killer, who has never been found. I really enjoyed the beginning of this story, it was gripping, and exciting, and makes you desperate to find out the truth.

Using DNA from ancestry websites to help with police investigations is such an interesting idea, and to think that this has actually happened in real life cases is fascinating. I am massively interested in true crime, so this is something that has really intrigued me, and I will definitely be looking in to case where this has happened. I have never seen this used in a book before, so I loved this aspect of the book.

I really enjoyed the chapters in between Liz’s story, which went back in time to each set of victims. It gave you a real idea of the killer, and how he works. I also liked that each chapter with a new set of victims stories seemed to pick up from the stage in the killer’s process that the last ones finished at, it gave you more of an understanding as to what these victims had to endure before their deaths. For me, these chapter’s were actually one of the best parts of the book.

To be honest, I didn’t like Liz very much. I understand that she was going through a lot, but she just didn’t seem like a great person. Firstly, she abandons her adoptive family… Yes, she was upset, with good reason, but she just didn’t give them a chance to explain, and if she had of she would have seen that they were just trying to do what was best for her. These people raised her, loved her, and gave her everything she needed, and I just thought the way she turned her back on them was really awful. Secondly, she openly discusses the case with more than one person, despite the FBI specifically telling her not to. She could have destroyed the entire investigation! She also actively and knowingly puts not only herself, but the people around her in danger. She made A LOT of questionable decisions throughout the book, and I felt that she behaved in a childish and selfish way.
But, then we have Andie, and her boyfriend, Travis. I really liked them both. They seemed like genuinely good people, who genuinely just wanted to help, and wanted what was best for Liz, and they didn’t stop trying despite the fact that Liz didn’t seem to be listening.

I do feel that the book slowed down in the 2nd half, and apart from the victim chapters, there wasn’t a huge amount happening. It became more of a slow burn, feeding you little bits of information, and pieces to the puzzle. I did love trying to piece them all together, and I had a couple of theories along the way as to who the killer was, and actually one of them turned out to be correct!

I was a little disappointed by the ending, as I felt it was a little anticlimactic, there was no overly exciting reveal or anything, but it was still all tied up nicely. And then you got the epilogue… It wasn’t needed, and if I’m honest, I really didn’t like it. I would have rather not had it, and that the story had ended without it.

As you can see from my review, I did have a couple of issues with this book which will be reflected in my rating, but as a whole, I found it to be an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it, especially if you enjoy a slow burn thriller.

Have you thought about doing a DNA testing kit to learn more about your family origins? If it’s a ‘YES’ you need to read The Family Tree first, it’s a harsh warning that you may just open the biggest can of worms imaginable! and once the imaginable is exposed, it’s not a case of packing those nasty worms back in their tin and moving on! As Liz the protagonist finds out! Anyone who reads my reviews knows I love crime fiction that veers to the dark side and I love it more when it also features a serial killer! The Family Tree is a dark tale that’s creepy and chilling in equal measures and made for such an exciting read.

The plot centres around Liz Catalano who discovers through a DNA test 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 keeping them captive for months at a time. Told in alternating chapters, the present concentrating on Liz’s journey of shocking revelations and those of the killer and their victims. The chapters relating to the killer’s victims were riveting, chilling, and remarkably original in there telling, It’s these chapters I read in fascinated horror. This is one of those books where the tension ebbs and flows depending on which chapters you are reading. I found those involving Liz didn’t hold my attention as much as those of the killer and their victims. All in all, I found this book to be an original and unpredictable crime thriller. Recommended

DEFINITELY A 5 STAR NOVEL! 🤗⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Family Tree is such a well-written & captivating book that on my birthday staycation last week at a luxury resort...I brought my kindle down to read poolside which is pretty common...well what isn't common is that I couldn't stop reading it! I took it INTO the pool - in the water - luckily it is waterproof but I WOULD NOT put it down. I had my birthday drink in one hand and my kindle in the other! 😆I had to finish it and I did! A little deeper tan that I was hoping for but SOOOO worth it! This thriller written by Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry was incredible! A complete roller-coaster ride of emotions leading to a fantastic ending! I am on Ancestry.com because I want to know more about my family and NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think that something like "that" could happen to everyday people who volunteer their DNA. A major "WOW" factor in this novel! A MUST READ for thriller lovers everywhere! 📖☺️🤩👍🏼

This is a good suspense novel that will definitely keep you reading. The characters are likable and realistic, making them easy to root for, and the adoption aspect and related emotions are well-done. The identity of the killer was a bit predictable, but that didn’t take away from the excitement of reading to find out exactly how it would be revealed and what would happen to the characters when it was, and the surprise twist in the epilogue might keep anyone awake at night for a bit.

Thank you for this ARC. This book was a great read - delving into DNA. The characters were great a real page turner. Would thoroughly recommend this book and look forward to more by the author.

I was very keen to read this book – partly because the blurb made it sound like a great thriller/crime novel – but more than anything else because of my own family history. I am adopted – and so, so many books featuring adopted children, have them as the psychopathic villain, their genetics (because only kids from criminal or deviant backgrounds get adopted out) supposedly taking over. Here was a heroine, who discovers that there could be a serial murderer in her genetic family, but who was ‘normal’, sane and most definitely not evil.
Lizzie only finds out that she was adopted as an adult, when – with her cousin – she does a genetics test to see where their family originated from. To find out they were not blood relatives was a complete shock.
“It just makes me so mad that Mom and Dad waited this long to tell me the truth. I feel like they stole a whole part of my life from me. Maybe I could have had a relationship with my bio-family all these years.”
I am sure that her parents really did think they were doing the best thing for Lizzie – but I am equally sure they were misguided. I have always known. My parents made sure I knew that I was wanted, and loved, and I never wanted any other parents. In fact, I did for a time have nightmares that my birth mother might take me back. Over the years I was told more about my birth mother. I was in the unique position that both my mothers were present at my birth – Mum was the midwife. I was her daughter 10 days after my birth, and my Mother did not hold me or even know what sex I was. Before you judge her harshly, I was the product of a rape. Another thing that drew me to Lizzie. She had a male relative who was a serial killer, I had a genetic father who was a rapist. As you might imagine, I am firmly in the Nurture camp, of the nature vs nurture debate.
Anyway, back to the book. Lizzie is determined to get to know her biological family, and in doing so, comes to the attention of the FBI chasing a DNA lead on a serial killer, who is still operating. Lizzie meets her great uncle around the same time as she is contacted by the FBI – and has to decide whether to continue to get to know her bio family – or to run away in horror, and let the FBI take care of the investigation alone. Her great uncle is a lovely old man – but appearances could be deceiving. For most of the book, you the reader, along with Lizzie, are completely in the dark. Did he? Could he?
Two more girls have been taken by the serial killer. Will the FBI and/or Lizzie identify the him before the girls die? Will Lizzie herself be killed?
Lizzie won’t leave things alone. She needs to know – both about her biological family, and about the kidnapped girls. Personally, I would have let the FBI get on with their job, coward that I am, and stayed out of things until the crime was solved and I could trust any new relatives I was meeting.
Even though my situation was so different to Lizzie’s, there were many things I could relate to, and understand where she was coming from.
“My whole life, everyone made comments that I looked like my mom and dad, … It’s all been just one big lie. They knew I wasn’t related, that I had these features that no one else had.”
“All the little lies that they told me along the way to prop up this enormous one. Like when my parents took me to the doctor as a kid, did they just lie on the family history section? Do I actually have high blood pressure and diabetes in my DNA that I should keep an eye on?”
I have met my Mother, once – when I was 28. She recognized me immediately, as I looked just like her when she was my age. I took a photo of her – and now I am the age she was then – and again we look so much alike. The only thing Mum and I have in common look-wise is we both have (had) brown hair. Thankfully, I apparently have none of my genetic father’s features. I was always pleased to not be Mum’s blood relative – as her family are riddled with cancer and arthritis. Only to find out my Mother had cancer, and her father too. We may never meet again. She has her life – and I have mine. But I am really happy to have had that one meeting.
So, this book was special to me for deeply personal reasons, but it was also a really well written thriller, that kept me enthralled, and desperate to know who the killer was – and the how and the why. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers, mysteries and/or crime novels.
To any one who has adopted or wants to adopt a child – LET THEM KNOW. And to all the adopted out there – we are not alone, we are overwhelmingly well-adjusted, have brilliant lives, have loving REAL (not blood) parents – and are 99.9% not evil! We are adopted out for so many different reasons, and not all our genetic parents want (or need) to be found.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author or publisher.

This was a great psychological thriller with a huge amount of twists and red herrings throughout. The characters are all very well described and it is easy to relate to them, despite feeling that Liz was a little stupid towards the end taking chances that were so unwise.
The story line was certainly innovative and I did like the chapters alternating between the victims and Liz.
Although I took a while to get into the book once there I had difficulty putting it down as I wanted to see if i was right who the murderer was. Gripping read and very written

An intriguing book with an original storyline although I found the main character quite annoying and reckless.
I particularly appreciated how the flashbacks moved that part of the story on without repetition.
Some questions still remain with me at the end but overall a good read that kept you engaged.

3 for neutral, I just couldn’t get into this one, but am a moody reader. Will update if able to finish at a later date,

Did I like reading The Family Tree? Yes, overall I found it a well written suspense/mystery/thriller. I do have to say, there were many aspects of the story that just drew me in. But, there were some issues that I just had a hard time dealing with. Example would be the way the FBI were….the way they presented themselves was strange and somewhat unbelievable. At first, I thought they weren’t actually FBI agents. Then there was Liz and some of the unnecessary danger she put herself into. Hmmm, what was up with Adam? For all his weirdness, we never found out much about him.
To sum it up, I recommend reading The Family Tree. The story line is creepy and intriguing. Certainly kept my interest.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Liz receives a DNA kit as a gift. She uploads her data to the website and is stunned to discover she is adopted. While searching for possible relatives she is contacted by the FBI. Is there a serial killer in her birth family? Can you just imagine finding this out? The story is told through Liz and the many victims of the Tri-State Killer. Who is this killer? Can they really be related to Liz? Is it someone Liz has already met?
An original premise that kept me interested to the end. Maybe a little long but good all the same. And a little surprise thrown in at the end.

Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc.

I enjoyed this. It was well written and an interesting premise based on a true story. I'm sure more and more criminals from the past will be captured or revealed through the use of DNA from other family members. I though it went for too long though and could have been shortened. Nonetheless a good read.

I am not generally a fan of books written by two authors but this one was seamless. The Family Tree was so good I read it all in one day because I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Liz is very close to her cousin Andie and is thrilled when she buys her a DNA test kit but when it throws up a few suprises Andie is left questioning everything she thought was true.

Liz decides she needs answers and begins to look deeper into her family history but what will she do when she finds one of them could be a serial killer? Not just any serial killer, one who has operated for decades without capture.

I liked that the authors write The Family Tree from the point of view of Liz, the serial killer and the victims so the reader really feels plunged into their reality. I particularly liked the way they weaved each victim's stories to connect them.

"They were like sisters this group of stolen girls. Dead but not forgotten."

I thought the concept behind The Family Tree was highly original and made for a great psychological thriller. Great for fans of I'll be Gone in The Dark.

This story reminded of the Golden State Killer whose identity was discovered matching his DNA with those on an ancestry site.
That said this is a gripping story, well written and entertaining.
Liked the unusual plot and liked the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I absolutely love crime thrillers so I was instantly drawn to this book. It was absolutely fantastic. Plenty of suspense, twists and turns! What more could you ask for. If you love crime thrillers go for this book! This is all I will say as I don't want to give any spoilers!
Thank you to Steph Mullin, Nicole Mabry, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a ride!

Pros:
-I’ve never read a thriller like this one. The story line was intense, yet believable which was really cool!
-I loved the way the book was set up. The stories of the victims and then Liz’s perspective in the first person. I really was able to connect to both story lines and feel engaged no matter what perspective I was in
-the chapters were short and easy to get through and that made it fun to read. I didn’t feel like I wanted to skip any parts to keep the story moving along. It was nicely paced!
-the twists were pretty great! I had suspicions of someone, but I was wrong… and then the epilogue was really great!

Cons:
-I thought Liz was kind of annoying. I hate when books continuously bring up something that we already know. In this case, regarding Liz’s 23andMe results. It was CONSTANTLY brought up (seemed like every other sentence) so that started to really get on my nerves
-Liz is one of those characters that has EVERYONE around her telling her not to do something or to let others handle it that are more qualified, but she doesn’t listen. That seriously irritated the crap out of me to no end. Her internal dialogue was also saying “yeah I know this is dangerous, buuuuut I can’t help myself” and that truly truly frustrated me. I understand the authors were trying to lead the story where they wanted it to go, but I thought that was super frustrating and bumped my rating down a star.

Overall, a great read that had some twists I wasn’t expecting!