Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Format Read: E- ARC
Number of pages: 304 pages
Publishing: May 12th, 2026
Source: NetGalley via Egypt Street PR
Opening Lines: "Happy Birthday! El sang out, bounding into Tessa's room."
For Tessa's eighteenth birthday, she receives an Ancestry DNA test kit, her chance to finally search for her biological parents. As a baby, she was left at a fire station and later adopted. Her best friend El has been by her side since third grade, even defending her when their substitute teacher assigned a family-tree drawing. The two have spent years speculating about Tessa's parents, and now that she's eighteen, she can finally take the test.
Initially, Tessa hesitates. Should she really look for her biological parents? What if they don't want to be found? Is she opening Pandora's box? Does knowing who they are really change anything? Could this hurt her adoptive parents? Despite her doubts, the need to fill in the missing pieces to the puzzle wins out, and she secretly submits the test
Meanwhile, Keisha, a twenty-five-year-old police officer, discovers Alida deceased during a welfare check. A calling card or driver's license belonging to one of the Portland Phantom's last known victims from two and a half years ago left behind. Why has he resurfaced now? Keisha vows to join the investigation, believing her similarities to Alida could help the team.
The narrative then shifts to Quentin, ruminating in a bar about "passing judgement" and satisfying his old familiar itch. As a bouncer, he snaps pictures of patron's ID's, learning where they live so he can follow them and study their habits. He's currently watching "Short Skirt" girl, but it's too soon for him to make his next move.
The story weaves together these three perspectives. Tessa, piecing together her family tree as her DNA results arrive. Keisha, canvasing the neighborhood and following up on every possible lead in Alida's murder. And Quentin, revealing his predatory mindset as he stalks his next victims and reflects on what led him on this path.
In The Blood unfolds through short chapters, journal entries and excerpts from the Lifetime documentary Chasing Shadows: The Hunt for the Portland Phantom. It offers an intriguing look at the complexities of using DNA testing to find one's birth parents. How tracing relatives often means sifting through cousins once or twice removed. There's a nice scientific tie-in with Tessa and her new lab partner Victor extracting the DNA from a strawberry. It grounds the story in some real-world biology and shows the power and limitations of using DNA in forensic science.
It's a fascinating read. Tessa's emotional struggle over what ancestry means, whether she's making the right choice, and what she's stepping into. Her insecurity and conflicting feelings feel authentic, especially as she learns that her biological mother was raised in a religious cult and severed ties after Tessa's birth. With more questions arising about how her mom became pregnant under such strict control.
Quentin's perspective adds tension and suspense. You're drawn in by the desire to see him caught, especially as the stakes rise near the end. The book fits comfortably in the middle-grade/YA crime-thriller space. It avoids graphic detail, doesn't linger on the victim's deaths, and keeps Quentin's inner thought processes from being too unsettling or gratuitous. The fast pace will hook young thriller fans.
**A huge thank you to NetGalley and Egypt Street PR for the review copy in exchange for an honest review**
