I have had this book for a while and picked up at least twice but for some reason I could not get into it. I am not a fan of slowburn anything and this book was slowww.. I would not say the writing is bad because that's not the case. I just found not only the book to be slow but the characters to be lacking depth. I know others have read and loved this book but it just was not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Holy twists and turns!! I enjoyed this book and liked that it was written from different characters POVs. I did find it more of a slow burn but still overall enjoyable

I’ve read books by Samantha Hayes before and have liked them a lot! I especially liked Date Night which kept me glued to the pages and was the first book I read by this author. I was excited to read The Inheritance and I am happy to report it is just as good as her other books.

I was not sure which direction this story was going in, but with a mystery or suspense, I don’t mind. I was just along for the ride.

Here’s the plot:

I thought I had safely buried the past – protecting my family from the secrets I’ve been keeping. But now my lies are exposed in my husband’s will, and one of us will pay for them with their life…

My darling husband, Ray, is gone. My three beautiful daughters and I have come to Scotland to walk the trails we once enjoyed together, hold each other, and cry over our loss.

But the awful thing is, I feel relieved. Because now Ray is gone, I’m finally safe…

Except for the terrible secret I tried so hard to bury–the real reason we’re here.

I pull one of my daughters aside and tell her the truth. Ray has left her nothing in his will. I see the shock, the pain, the confusion on her face.

I am terrified. My darkest secret is about to be exposed.

I could never have imagined that one lie would lead to this. Trapped in this house together, emotions spiraling, truths coming out at last. Everything I’ve worked so hard to protect unravels before my eyes…

I do not know what’s going to happen next, but I’m not sure my family can survive the fallout from all our lies.



Domestic suspense at its best! I loved the setting of Scotland; it adds to the drama of the story. This is out now!

4 ⭐️ what a story! So many twists that fully came together in the end. I honestly didn’t see it all coming but I loved it. There are a lot of characters, but they are all fairly distinct and easy to keep track of. Such a satisfying thriller!

The Inheritance was a bit of a slow burn. I typically prefer my thrillers going from 0 to completely unhinged rapidly. With that said, it does build momentum with tale of secrets, deception, and family dynamics that keep you on the edge until the jaw-dropping truths come out in the end. I enjoyed the multiple character perspectives which kept me engaged and wanting to dig deeper into each character's secrets and motives. With so many twists and turns, this thriller delivers a memorable and chilling tale!!!!

I really wanted to love this book like I did with Samantha Hayes other book but I was so disappointed, it was far too slow and I kept waiting for something to happen.

I enjoyed this book with all its twists and turns and liked that it was written from different characters POVs. I wasn't keen on the ending but did enjoy the epilogue. Definitely worth a read.

Another good solid read from Samantha Hayes.

This is a well written psychological family drama rather than a thriller, although the thriller side of it ramps up massively towards the end.

The story is based around the Hunter family who have all gathered for a holiday in Scotland. Ray Hunter, the father has died, and his wife Connie has been harbouring a massive secret for years.

Chapters are written from the pov of all the main characters which is a format I really enjoy. I think this really helped the storyline flow well.

The only downside for me was the ending. I'm not really sure about that.

This is only the second book I have read by author Samantha Hayes but having enjoyed ‘The Engagement’ decided to try another. This is a very good psychological thriller full of suspense making it a page turner.

Set against the backdrop of the picturesque Scottish landscape, this novel is a captivating story that explores the intricate web of secrets, lies, and the impact they have on one family’s journey of self-discovery.

I was hooked from the start and drawn into the world of a woman burdened by the weight of her past and the secrets she believed were safely hidden. Her husband’s will forces these long-buried truths to the surface, the story takes an electrifying turn. The novel is full of tension, suspense and excitement which made it difficult to put down.

Well developed characters, each with their own personalities, struggles and issues. Samantha Hayes excellent descriptions make it easy to visualise which helps bring the story to life. Beautiful settings which are a complete contrast to the struggles and turmoil of the family.

The story is well paced but the suspense is sustained throughout, which kept me reading far longer than I planned. This is a very good thriller, full of emotion that plunges into family turmoil, secrets and the impact made from their choices. Very good characters together with a well told plot with plenty of twists make this an excellent read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The description to The Inheritance had me intrigued and the book did not disappoint. It started off as a bit of a slow burner but it soon got going with all its twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

three Months after Ray’s Death, Connie, his wife, invites their three daughters and their families to stay in the Scotland Holiday home, but there will be secrets to be revealed as well as lies to tell and no one will leave feeling the same.

This domestic thriller was slow in places but I enjoyed the narrative which was gripping and at times tense. These characters had me questioning them as Hayes writes for you to be pulled in, to then having thought ‘I should never have trusted them.’

This was a great read by Hayes and for anyone who loves a gripping domestic thriller.

As she lays out the back story and ground work for the "big reveal", Samantha Hayes introduces us to the Hunter family. And like most families, what you see on the surface is not the true picture. The husband/ father has died and in his will he reveals all of the secrets that should have been buried with him. His widow and their three daughters must pull together to keep the family dynamic from shattering. Can they do it?
The drama and suspense were just right for the story line. Grief is not the only emotion present. Love, hate, jealousy, hurt, happiness, every emotion shows at one time or another. A stirring testimony of how a family drama can break them or bring them closer together.

You can rely on Samantha Hayes to deliver a good family drama! Really good read, as are all her books. The story of three sisters whose father Ray has recently died, their mother Connie has gathered them together at the holiday home in Ayrshire to finally discuss the terms of his will. However, many things happen before she has the chance to do so!
Some nasty characters here which always leads to a good domestic drama! What a sad childhood some of the family had. A couple of minor criticisms but won't give any spoilers, I can't believe that one of the sisters would have kept quiet about the hideous actions of one of the other characters. Also no-one in Scotland calls someone else duck. But these are minor points, I love this author and all her books!

Three months after the death of her husband Ray, Connie Hunter has invited her 3 daughters and their families to stay at the family holiday cottage in Scotland. They all need some time together following the loss of Ray. However there is more to this gathering than that and Connie has something important to tell them about their dear Father.

Well Samantha Hayes has never let me down in any of the books I’ve read by her. And I can honestly say that she still hasn’t. The Inheritance is a tense and very gripping domestic thriller. I did find the pace a bit slow to start with but it actually suited the story, helping me to get to know the characters and the slow but tense build up made it even more gripping in the second half. This was a read that I didn’t want to put down and after finishing a chapter I was straight onto the next one. Nearly all the characters have some sort of secret and I truly didn’t know who I could trust. Another tense and gripping read from one of my favourite authors, 5⭐️

Well.. I wasn’t expecting that! Hayes gives you whiplash in this book. There are the twists, characters you thought you could trust but really can’t, and other characters that are simply just surprising. The author reveals pretty early on one of the “twists” and I thought that was going to be it. It’s a twist that the reader finds out before the character. But that is NOT it, there is so much more to this family. So many more secrets that they are hiding from one another. And that ending! Wow, I wasn’t expecting that at all! I would love and extended epilogue to find out more about this family moving forward from the events that unfolded in the book and the reveal at the end.

Another great story from Samantha Hayes. The book starts out a bit slow but WOW the last 100 pages or so just flew by with all the twists! This is a book I definitely recommend .
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

I am so tired as I couldn't put this book down. Loved the twists and turns and certainly didn't see that end come. Really worth a read.

The Inheritance
By: Samantha Hayes
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

By 2nd novel by Hayes and she has become another MUST read author for me.

When a family is gathered around to hear the reading of a will there are always surprises. After her husband dies Connie wants her family around her to reconnect.

Connie is shocked when her husband has shared stuff in her past which affects their three girls. A secret comes out which can destroy her relationship with her girls and their families.

Will this strengthen them? Will they question everything they thought was true? What secrets will come out from her or her husbands past?

You won’t want to miss this one!
Thank you Bookouture and Samantha Hayes for this copy. Out now in multiple formats.

The patriarch of the Hunter clan may have passed, but the rest of his family is determined to see Ray’s legacy live on. All but his widow, Connie, who can’t bring herself to share what Ray left in his will with her three daughters. Some secrets are just too dark to be told—Connie would know that better than anyone. But with the arrival of an old acquaintance of Ray’s and the tower of secrets in the Hunter family now too tall to ignore, Connie knows she needs to confess before time runs out—or someone else tells her daughters the truth.
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I’m really disappointed to say this was a miss for me. I was really looking forward to this as I’ve heard good things about the author but sadly this didn’t do it for me. I didn’t like how there wasn’t any build-up in the suspense—everything was revealed too early on which made it too easy to see the climax coming. I also felt what was going on with Theo and the family drama was absolutely unnecessary and took away from the point of the novel, aka Ray’s inheritance—which **SPOILER ALERT** never gets officially revealed. Lastly, I didn’t like the majority of the characters, especially Connie, and felt like there wasn’t anyone to root for. Sucks this was a bummer but I’d like to give Hayes another try sometime. Not for me but maybe someone else will enjoy it better.

"How had their family holiday turned into this horror? How had none of them seen this coming? Like the storms that lurked behind the mountains - one moment cascades of sun lighting up the heathered moors, the next shards of lightning stabbing at the drenched hills - life had turned on a dime."

Connie Hunter has been hiding a secret for forty years. One that she thought her husband, Ray, had taken to his grave. Instead he revealed all in his will, threatening to destroy the family he left behind when his three daughters discover the truth. What is Connie’s secret? And can her family survive the fallout after all is revealed?

Wow! What a crazy rollercoaster ride! Gripping, atmospheric, mysterious, and sizzling with suspense, this book had me holding on for dear life through its many twists and turns. Samantha Hayes is an author I can always rely on to write heart-pounding psychological thrillers. And that ending! It left my jaw on the floor and I’m still trying to pick it up.

It started out strong with a sinister and intriguing prologue before jumping back to a week earlier when the Hunter family are all coming together at their Scottish cabin for the first time since the death of patriarch, Ray. And with family drama, resentment, tension, suspicion, secrets, and lies all bubbling under the surface, it’s a question of when, not if, it all boils over. The story is told from multiple points of view, allowing us to really get inside the psyche of all the characters. This also ramped up the tension and allowed me to really get a feeling for who was a reliable narrator and who wasn’t. Although, as things became increasingly layered and complex I found myself not knowing who to trust, beginning to question everything I thought I knew and suspecting red herrings everywhere. I was on the edge of my seat and raced through the pages to get answers.

Well-written, cleverly plotted, fast-paced, and addictive, The Inheritance is an outstanding thriller you need on your TBR.