Clara’s Verdict
April Henry’s In the Blood is precisely the kind of thriller that the young adult market does particularly well and the adult fiction market often underestimates or overlooks entirely: tight, purposeful, and genuinely unsettling in ways that do not rely on graphic content. The premise – a DNA test that links an adopted teenager to a serial killer – is strong, but what makes this work is the way Henry grounds the thriller mechanics in questions that actually matter: what does biological family mean, what do we owe to the families who chose us, and how much does inheritance – biological or otherwise – determine who we become? Smart genre fiction with a moral core that feels genuinely considered rather than grafted on for respectability. Henry has been writing YA thrillers for long enough to know that young readers have no patience for condescension and a reliable instinct for the real – which tends to produce better thrillers than many adult market equivalents, because there is no space to hide behind false sophistication.
About the Audiobook
Tessa was adopted as a newborn and has always been curious about her biological parents. At eighteen, she takes a DNA test in the hope of finding some answers. Working alongside her best friend El and lab partner Victor, she begins building a family tree from the results – only to encounter more dead ends than connections. Her biological mother, who was raised within a controlling religious cult, has severed all ties with her family and is not findable. Her biological father remains a complete mystery, right up until the moment the police arrive.
For fifteen years, investigators have been attempting to identify a serial killer known as the Portland Phantom. The DNA evidence now points to Tessa as a biological relative – possibly the link they have been waiting for. What follows is a thriller that balances the procedural elements of forensic genealogy with Tessa’s much more personal reckoning about identity, choice, and what her biological heritage does or does not say about who she is.
Henry handles the blend with skill. The thriller mechanics are well-constructed – the pacing is effective, the Portland Phantom is genuinely chilling as a presence rather than a plot device – and the novel’s conclusion on the question of biological determinism feels earned rather than imposed. This is also a book about the families who choose us, which gives the thriller stakes an emotional dimension that sustains the story beyond its plot mechanics.
The forensic genealogy element – the specific mechanics of how DNA test results can be used to build a family tree and identify biological relatives – is handled with enough accuracy to feel credible rather than simply convenient. Henry has clearly done her research, and the plausibility of the DNA investigation gives the thriller a procedural grounding that makes the stakes feel real rather than notional.
The Narration
Tessa Netting narrates with a youthful immediacy that suits the protagonist well, capturing the specific quality of an eighteen-year-old who is more competent than she has been given credit for, navigating something that is considerably beyond her experience. She handles the thriller sequences with appropriate tension – the police procedural elements, the gradual tightening of the net around the Portland Phantom investigation – and the more emotionally complex passages with real sensitivity. The sections where Tessa reckons with what her biological heritage does and does not say about who she is require a different register from the thriller mechanics, and Netting handles the gear changes cleanly. At six hours and forty-nine minutes, this is a brisk listen that functions well at normal or slightly accelerated playback. The narration is clear and propulsive: you are never lost in a tangle of complicated plotting, and the forward momentum is maintained to the final chapter.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.5 out of 5 from sixteen listeners, with enthusiasm notably high. One reader who consumed the first five books in the Terminal List series in twenty-five days called the experience “the most exhilarating reading I have done – left on a cliff-hanger and immediately bought the next.” Others praised the explosive action, the detailed research, and the way the plot escalates without losing coherence. A more measured reviewer noted some sections dragged slightly, but the majority response is fervent: readers who find this series tend to read it fast and immediately want more of it.
Who Should Listen?
Ideal for teenagers and young adults who enjoy thriller-mystery crossovers, particularly those with an interest in genealogy, identity, and the kinds of questions that DNA testing raises about family and inheritance. Also a strong choice for adult readers who enjoy April Henry’s other standalone thrillers – When We Go Missing, Stay Dead, Girl Forgotten – and want a new entry point into her work. Best approached without too much prior plot knowledge: the DNA mystery is one to let unfold. This is a book that benefits from surrender to its momentum.
