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In the glitzy, gritty underbelly of 1980s Los Angeles, a chilling series of murders left the city gripped with fear. Six small-time actors and actresses met brutal ends; their bodies grotesquely posed in scenes from the films that had given them their fleeting fame. The Hollywood Strangler evaded capture, leaving behind only a trace of DNA and a legacy of terror. Decades later, the case remains ice-cold, a favorite for true-crime aficionados but a nightmare for detectives. The LAPD Cold Case Homicide Unit, desperate for a breakthrough on this case, turns to Venator, an elite investigative genetic genealogy company headed up by Madison Scott-Barnhart. Knowing the media storm that the case will attract, Madison reluctantly agrees to take on the investigation, where she and her small team must use their forensic genetic genealogy skills to identify one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history. But only if the remaining DNA proves sufficient to test…
This is the third novel in the Venator Cold Case series, although it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. We will be discussing with Nathan Dylan Goodwin how this book was helped and influenced by “I Know Who You Are” by Barbara Rae-Venter.
October 2025
Nathan Dylan Goodwin is a writer, genealogist and educator. He was born and raised in Hastings, East Sussex. Having attended school in the town, he then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Film and Television Studies, followed by a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing at Canterbury Christ Church University. A member of the Society of Authors, he has completed several local history books about Hastings, as well as several works of fiction, including the acclaimed Forensic Genealogist series, the Mrs McDougall Investigates series and the Venator Cold Case series. His other interests include theatre, reading, running, skiing, travelling and, of course, genealogy. He is a qualified teacher, member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and the Society of Genealogists, as well as being a member of the Sussex Family History Group, the Norfolk Family History Society and the Kent Family History Society. He lives in Kent with his husband, son, dog and an assortment of chickens.
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