In the blood / April Henry.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this heart-pounding YA thriller, when an adopted teen takes a DNA test to find her biological parents, she unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer.



Adopted as a newborn, Tessa has always wondered who her biological parents are. After turning eighteen, she takes a DNA test in hopes of finding the answers. With best friend El and lab partner Victor, Tessa uses the results to start building her family tree. But they find more dead ends than answers. Her biological mother, who was raised in a religious cult, has cut all ties with her controlling family. And her biological father remains a complete mystery, at least until the police show up. For fifteen years, they've been trying to identify a serial killer known as the Portland Phantom. Tessa may be the link they've been waiting for.



April Henry delivers a twisty thriller about the families who choose us--and the ones we're born into. Biology does not have to dictate one's destiny.



And don't miss these other chilling thrillers from April Henry including:

Stay Dead

Girl Forgotten

Two Truths and a Lie

When We Go Missing

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--A suspenseful thriller told in three perspectives. Tessa, freshly 18, is gifted an AncestryDNA testing kit for her birthday by her best friend and fellow senior classmate, El. With her brown hair and eyes, Tessa has never felt as though she fit with the rest of her blonde-haired, blue-eyed family. In her hometown of Portland, an unknown serial killer has been linked to murdering at least six women in their homes over the past 16 years. When Tessa takes the test, the police receive a notification that there is a potential DNA match. Tessa, El, and Victor, a Latine boy in Tessa's biology class, are great representations of a loyal friend group. Beside Tessa's, the second point of view is Keisha's; a Black detective and police officer assigned to the Portland Phantom's case, she is shown to be driven and self-motivated. The last point of view is Quentin's, the Portland Phantom, who is presumed white. Quentin, an unsettling character, is a police officer who groomed a student as a school resource officer and targets young women to kill. Though it is not gory and his murders are all closed door, the inside of his mind could be unsettling to students who have not been exposed to crime books--though it could also be a good introduction. There are also components of grooming, cults, racism, and violence, as well as a closed-door reference to sexual encounters. VERDICT For mature students in libraries where April Henry novels are already prevalent.--Kaylee Hughes

Booklist Review

Tessa Lundgren couldn't ask for a better adoptive family, though she secretly wonders about her biological parents. For her eighteenth birthday, her best friend, El, gives her a DNA kit, and while she feels somewhat disloyal, Tessa submits a sample of her DNA anyway. El and new friend Victor help her interpret the results, and Tessa is on her way to finding her birth family. In a parallel story, her home city of Portland, Oregon, has been plagued for years by a serial murderer called the Portland Phantom. It doesn't take Nancy Drew to figure out that the killer is Tessa's birth father; the tension builds as readers see Tessa get closer to her father. The work is told from the perspectives of Tessa, the murderer, and Keisha (the police officer on the case), with interlude excerpts from a documentary on the murderer. Tessa is smart and plucky, surrounded by loving family and friends, and the supporting characters are well-drawn. Ultimately, the plot drives the novel, leaping from one event to another up to the exciting conclusion.

Kirkus Book Review

An Oregon teen embarks on a journey, determined to discover her identity--regardless of what she may find. Adopted as a newborn, Tessa Lundgren, who's cued white, has always wondered about her birth parents. For her 18th birthday, her best friend, El, who has a fondness for bright hair colors, offers her the opportunity to find them by gifting her an Ancestry DNA kit. In biology class they're studying genetics, and Tessa opens up to her new lab partner, Victor Lopez, about her history and the testing kit. Meanwhile, local authorities are tracking the Portland Phantom, a serial killer who's been on the loose for 15 years--and it seems that Tessa might be the link they need. Intrigue surrounds likable Tessa, who's complex and well developed. The story's multiple perspectives keep readers engaged as the tension builds. The serial killer plotline includes classic mystery and thriller genre tropes, but the killer's chapters present his abhorrent beliefs about women and other marginalized groups without additional context. This disturbing element meshes poorly with the novel's strong exploration of adoption and the experience of adoptees. Henry captures both the hope and idealism surrounding reunification. Seeing how Tessa and her family members engage with her adoption highlights the beauty and challenges of creating identity and family in an honest and emotional way. A sensitive and insightful adoption story that sits uneasily alongside a shocking thriller.(Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.