The Pruning Murders (Roots and Branches Guide to Building Your Family Tree with Research and DNA Genealogy Testing)

They're dying in order. And their only connection is blood.

When a librarian in Munich dies in a "gas explosion," FBI Agent Angela Reeves notices something disturbing in the cold case files: the victim's DNA links her to an unsolved murder from 1997.
Then another match dies. Across the ocean. Different method. Same genetic signature. Someone is hunting through family trees.

But why?

Forensic genealogist Dr. Dana Walsh has spent her career connecting the living to the dead through DNA. Now she's racing to map a killer's bloodline before the next name is crossed off—a twenty-year-old college student who has no idea she's being watched.

Texas Ranger Tom Salgado knows one thing: this isn't random. The precision is surgical. The pattern is deliberate. And the killer has been doing this for decades.

Sometimes the most dangerous predators are the ones you're related to.
As public DNA databases become the newest weapon in both solving—and committing—murder, three investigators must learn to hunt in the shadows of inheritance. Because some family secrets don't stay buried. They come back to kill you.

See what members of Goodreads has to say:

"The Pruning Murders isn’t just a thriller—it’s a warning. James Lefemine explores how tools meant to connect families can be exploited to destroy them, creating a story that feels chillingly realistic. Thought-provoking and pulse-pounding, this novel will appeal to readers who love dark thrillers that challenge both the mind and the conscience."
Hussain Al Meraj

"The Pruning Murders is a terrifyingly smart thriller that feels ripped straight from tomorrow’s headlines. James Lefemine takes the concept of forensic genealogy—something most of us associate with family trees and ancestry kits—and twists it into a weapon of obsession and control. The idea of a killer using DNA databases to hunt down his own bloodline is deeply unsettling, and Lefemine doesn’t shy away from the moral and psychological darkness behind it. This is a fast-paced, intellectually provocative thriller that lingers long after the final page."
Selina Dawson

"Relentless, Riveting, and Impossible to Put Down. The emotional currents running beneath the action elevate the story beyond a typical thriller. Fans of Jeffery Deaver and Karin Slaughter will be right at home."
Shmuel Yaccoby