In the Blood is the fourth installment in the Margot Phalen series, and against all odds, this series has completely won me over. Margot, the scarred daughter of serial killer Ed Finch, has managed to rise above the heavy stigma of her past and carve out a “relatively” normal life.

What really stood out to me in this book is the inclusion of scenes with Margot’s brother. Having always been a loner with almost no friends, it’s touching to see her slowly build a connection with someone who shared the same traumatic childhood, even though he hasn’t come through it as unscathed as she did. Their interactions added an emotional nuance to the otherwise unemotional detective & I'm here for it 100%. And I have to say—I’m glad Margot comes out of this installment with yet another friend I wholeheartedly approve of.

This time around, Margot is on the hunt for one of her father’s accomplices—someone who not only enabled him but actively took part in his horrific crimes. With each book, Wiley peels back another layer of the past, and that gradual reveal is one of the series’ most unique strengths. It keeps you turning the pages and leaves you eager for more.

On top of all that, I love the chemistry between Margot and her work partner, Wes. Their dynamic is sharp, grounded, and filled with potential—I can’t wait to see more of them working side by side on future dark, twisted cases.

Kate Wiley’s In the Blood is a razor-sharp, emotionally charged thriller that digs deep into the shadows of family legacy, trauma, and the thin line between justice and obsession. Book four in the Detective Margot Phalen series, it proves once again that Wiley knows how to keep readers turning pages long into the night.

Margot Phalen has spent her life trying to escape the legacy of her father, infamous serial killer Ed Finch—but when a string of brutal murders surfaces, she’s pulled back into his orbit. Called to investigate a particularly chilling case, Margot is forced to confront not only her father in prison but also unsettling questions about her brother, Justin, whose behavior raises dangerous suspicions. As the investigation widens, secrets emerge that blur the lines between past and present, inheritance and choice, love and betrayal.

Wiley balances relentless suspense with deep psychological nuance. Margot is a brilliantly drawn heroine—tough, wounded, and relentlessly human—while her evolving dynamic with Wes Fox adds a welcome layer of heart to the darkness surrounding them. The pacing is tight, the atmosphere electric, and the stakes higher than ever, building toward revelations that leave the reader reeling.

Though longtime fans will appreciate the continuation of Margot’s arc, Wiley also provides enough context for newcomers to follow along without confusion. Still, the emotional impact is strongest when you’ve lived through Margot’s past alongside her, making this series well worth starting from the beginning.

In the Blood is more than a police procedural—it’s a chilling meditation on what we inherit, what we choose, and how far we’re willing to go to break free. Tense, haunting, and utterly addictive, this installment cements Kate Wiley as a standout voice in modern crime fiction.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A must-read for fans of Tana French, Karin Slaughter, and anyone who craves thrillers that are as thought-provoking as they are pulse-pounding.

n the Blood is book four in the Detective Margot Phalen Series.

This is another fantast read from Kate Wiley! This book is written well, and the details along with the storyline had me hooked! I couldn't put it down! I also love how the books are so well written even if you didn't read the last one Kate has a way to give details, and slide the backstory in without it sounding redundant if you have read them. Looking forward to the next book!!

Detective Margot Phalen is doing her best to stay out of serial killer Ed Finch's orbit, but she keeps getting pulled back in. The FBI needs her to visit him to gather information about another possible Finch murder, and her brother wants her to join an upcoming documentary on Ed Finch. Is Margot ready for the world to learn her true identity and her deep connection to Finch?

I am working backwards through the series, having started with the most recent fifth entry. Margot is a strong female lead, and I enjoy spending time with her. She is often put in impossible situations, but she manages to persevere.

Advanced reading copy provided by Storm Publishing. All opinions are my own.

In The Blood by Kate Wiley is the 4th book in the excellent Detective Margot Phalen series and I have enjoyed reading all these book especially as they have you hooked from the very beginning till the very end. They are full of brilliant twists and turns that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and I just wanted to turn the pages over quickly to find out what happens next within the story..
All the characters with every book have been excellent and I just love reading and learning more about the main character Detective Margot Phalen and there is a lot to learn which has made her one of my favourite Detectives series.

This is a series I do not want to end, and I know the next book is the last book...... 😢

I highly recommend all these books within this excellent series. 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is a great series. I really enjoy Margot as a character, and I love Wes, the dynamic between them is a winning formula. I also like the concept, it isn't something we think about often but is fairly common.

3.5 stars.

Yet again another gripping storyline jam packed with action. I especially liked how we got to know Justin/David a bit more in this book especially surrounding his relationship and feelings towards his dad. I liked how a story was included about their past relationship and Eds thoughts and feelings towards Justin alongside his 'parenting' abilities. I enjoyed Margot's character development as well and how she stood up to the local underground criminal had me scared for her safety but feeling proud of her power move.

I know the next book is the conclusion but i really hope we haven't heard the last of Margot and Wes. Here's to hoping and praying.

The cases for Margot and Wes keep coming and with horrific consequences. While concentrating on bringing closure for the victims, Margot struggles with family ties and finds herself leaning on Wes more than she wants to. An excellent read from start to finish.

Having read all of these books as ARC's, I was very excited to be reading this one and this did not disappoint! This was a fast paced book with several plot lines throughout! It kept on from the previous books and had me hooked! This would have been finished in no time had I not fallen ill around the date of release! This is a definite recommend!

Kate Wiley delivers a haunting and deeply layered psychological thriller in In the Blood—a gripping exploration of identity, inheritance, and the secrets that refuse to stay buried. With unflinching prose and razor-edged tension, Wiley draws readers into a story where the past is never quite over and the truth cuts deeper than anyone is prepared for.

At the heart of the novel is a protagonist whose search for answers collides with the shadows of family legacy and personal trauma. As the story unfolds, Wiley masterfully weaves suspense with emotional depth, crafting characters whose vulnerabilities and secrets feel as real as the danger surrounding them. The narrative pulses with dread and discovery, unraveling truths hidden in plain sight and asking how far blood ties truly reach—and how much they cost.

With atmospheric detail and a voice that lingers, In the Blood is both a taut thriller and a poignant meditation on what we carry within us. Kate Wiley proves herself a compelling new voice in suspense fiction, capable of both chilling and moving her readers in a single breath.

Perfect for: Fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, and Tana French—readers who crave emotionally intelligent thrillers with psychological bite.
Rating: ★★★★★

I am so sad this is next to the last book in this series. I love that her brother has come more into the mix in this book. There is definitely a lot of mystery and intrigue with him. I also am thrilled to see her open herself up more (especially to Wes), and I am here for the fact she is not only finding her voice with her father but also with those who continue to force her to interact with him.

I feel personally invested in Margot's journey and can't wait to see what is next. She is such a complex person and a brilliant detective.

|:: In The Blood 
By Kate Wiley
Chapter Forty - Seven Page 241
1993
Petaluma, California.
5/5  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

{ Justin sat next to Ed in the front seat of the family car, staring out the window, but not really seeing anything. He was focused on the middle distance, like he would rather just disconnect from the world instead of being present in it. 

Ed angled the car into the parking lot of a grocery store - their mission, in theory, was to go and collect some bits and bobs that Kim was missing to make dinner - but Ed had another reason for wanting to bring Justin along with him.

The boy’s behaviour since they'd returned from the trip was starting to make Ed uneasy. He didn't like how unreadable he had become, how he acted like he was sleepwalking through his days.}

Margot has always had a secretive side, it's always been there like a constant friend, always a companion that helped to wrap up her feelings, memories, and ghosts, and store them away for another day, for a time when she can unpack them all, maybe with her therapist. Margot only wants to move on with her life, away from her past, away from /him/ but it seems no matter what she does, it always comes back to the one person she has tried so hard to run away from.

No, she isn't running. She's choosing to walk away from him and put that part of her story behind her...  But how can she do that when he pulls a string, he knows she can't ignore, to engulf her in his.. mind games, mental games, cruel, intentionally planned games of attack, forced to cause her as much pain for his enjoyment only..

Her role as a police officer, in a way, was born from that fear of /his/ legacy, the family she thought she grew up in fractured, fantastical.. ripped from her by the one person who should have helped her feel safe.. her dad. Eric Finch.

This is about way more than Eric Finch however,  this is about a victim who was horrifically assaulted in the worst way and it seems that Wes and Margot are never going to solve this case when it seems like the whole world is fighting with them, hiding the pieces of the puzzle they need to find. As it slowly becomes more complicated and the past refuses to stay buried we see Margot struggle, blossom, overcome, sink, and handle situations any normal person would collapse from. She needs this more than she realizes it.. but can she do it?

Margot/Megan is so amazing to follow on her heartbreaking story of love, pain, trauma, darkness, struggle, and loyalty. I was captivated from the very first page and more than once found myself up late reading into the night with -just one more chapter. I loved Wes instantly and felt their relationship was so genuine. With Margot's past, you can tell Kate really understood the complexity of feelings revolving around romance and it was handled with care. 

Even though I hadn't read the first 3 books in the series, I easily slipped into the storyline and it honestly felt like I hadn't missed anything. I still bonded with Margot and now I feel like I need to read the series to see how her journey began. I love it when you find authors like Kate, who make you feel included even though you haven't read the other books. There were enough clever details to let me believe this was the first book! 

I genuinely cried out in shock about Uncle Jimmy and I felt the weight of what happened after. I also felt a dip in my stomach when the book ended. I legit kept looking for more pages hoping there would be more but there wasn't. I need to know what happens next.

Will Wes and Margot ever become something? Will Margot become Megan again? How can they ever take down the powerful family? Will Margot have to honour the deal she made for Jimmy's name? Was it really paint? Who dumped the body in the trash? What is Eric's reaction when he finds out what Megan agreed to do with Justin? CAN WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DOG?? 

So many questions. I will be signing up for the next instalment. And reading the previous books that came before this one. I need my Margot fix. Amazing book. I absolutely loved it!

A huge thank you to Kate Wiley, Storm, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. ::|

I feel like I’m giving this book a disservice by only giving it 3 stars especially as I really enjoyed it and was hooked reading it! However, despite the gripping storylines there was no resolution to the storylines so as a reader I feel cheated, hence the score I’m giving it.

In The Blood was another great thriller by Kate Wiley! This book is a good combination of mystery thriller and Margot’s personal journey navigating being the daughter of a serial killer. I have enjoyed every book in the Margot Phalen series and book 4 did not disappoint! This is one of my favorite series that I always manage to finish in a couple days. I can’t wait to read the next one. Thank you to Kate Wiley, Storm Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to publishing.

Margot Phalen returns in Kate Wiley’s IN THE BLOOD. This is Book 4 in the Margot Phalen series and it proves to be just as good as the previous three.

Margot, the daughter of notorious and prolific serial killer, Ed Finch, continues to live a very controlled, isolated life. When her brother, Justin shows up wanting her to participate in a documentary about their father, Margot is reluctant to put her life and anonymity on the line for entertainment purposes. When she is called in to investigate a spurt of murders, she grudgingly returns to the prison to see her father, hoping to get information from him. When she learns that he had an accomplice who is still out there and then sees blood on her brother’s shoes, she is again confronted with the question of nature or nurture and the genetic link she has to a serial killer. Working with her partner, Wes Fox, and rolling around in the gutter with mob bosses and sex traffickers, Margot and Wes begin to put the pieces together.

I love this series. The slowly evolving relationship developing between Margot and Wes is interesting to watch, but that is merely an aside. Margot is one tough lady who has overcome many obstacles to make a life for herself. The fact that she needs to return to her father, no matter how reluctantly, is an interesting twist to the standard serial killer stories. The writing is clear and concise which leads to a very enjoyable read. I could feel my heart pounding as the tension rose and they got closer to the truth. I can’t wait to see where Kate Wiley takes Margot next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

A fast paced, edge of your seat read that had me hooked from the first page. Cleverly plotted and impossible to put down. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while, it really did have everything I'd want from a book. The split timeline and povs make it feel really fast paced and like its always moving forward. I also liked that it has not jist the crime, but also the investigation and a bit of police procedural and then also the MCs personal life which is a story in itsself! Really enjoyable

Margot is the daughter of a serial killer, but also a homicide detective in San Francisco. Now women are being found dead, seemingly related to the criminal underworld . Margot is an unusual person with her own problems and as the series progresses, you come to understand her more. Saying that the book is OK as a stand alone, though you appreciate it better if you have read more of the series.
The crimes are well described, the investigation is OK. Margot's personal life is complicated. Not sure about the ending (I won't say more) . This book is mostly fast paced and definately kept my interest.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

In the Blood is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that had me hooked from the start. Margot is a compelling character, and the tension between her past and present kept me turning pages. The twists were smart, the suspense was real, and the emotional depth made it more than just a crime story. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read more from Kate Wiley.

I have been greatly enjoying this suspenseful series! The concept of a woman who grew up to be a San Francisco homicide detective —after finding out only as a teenager that her father had been killing young women for years— is addictive. The fourth book of the series, In the Blood is best read after the earlier titles, in my opinion. Even as a standalone, though, this book has a great plot, full of emotion as well as thrills and mystery. I’m looking forward to the final installment, which I hope will be published soon!

I enjoy this fast paced series. I really like the main character and her partner. The way she works through her trauma seems genuine.


The pages move quickly with the back-and-forth between the timelines and the different points of view.

I really was intrigued by the addition of Justin to the story to explore his childhood and relationship with Ed and Margot. Also the surprise with Uncle Jimmy was wow factor !

I always look forward to another installment of this series.