Strong family ties lead to murder. A family reunion with greedy family members that are willing to do anything to inherit the family fortune, even lie, cheat, kill. Three children controlled by their parents estate and a history of lies. You won’t expect the story twists and greed.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was an entertaining, fast-paced thriller filled with mostly unlikable characters. I wasn't always sure exactly what was going on - in a (mostly) good way. I didn't really feel anything for the characters, but the story kept me guessing. It was a solid, popcorn kind of book.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I'm not sure if I went into this one with the wrong expectations or was mixing it up with a different newer release, but I found this one to be just okay for me. I don't always love the intense focus on family dynamics and while this was written while, it didn't hold my interest as much as I was hoping.

This was such a fascinating exploration about a toxic, wealthy family, with a complicated and dark history. I could not put it down. To be a fly on this particular family’s wall had me truly glued to my seat. The Agarwals are equal part fascinating and terrifying.

Not only is this little family reunion set on an exclusive, private island off the coast of Scotland and owned (yes the whole island) by one of the Agarwals daughters, but the history of the island itself will send shivers down your spine. The patriarch has gathered his three grown children and their partners to announce his succession plans for his multi-million dollar company based in Delhi. Each member of this family has their own secrets buried while trying to convince themselves and each other that family is everything. And oh the lengths these people will go to protect their own. The ending was truly shocking.

I loved the authors note, where she revisits themes such as greed and desire, unforgivable choices and how those choices shape us, and family loyalty. She poses the question, “when faced with the impossible choice what would you choose to protect? Your conscious or your family?”

I can’t recommend this enough!
Thank you so much to Penguin, Pamela Dorman Group, NetGalley for my gifted ARC!

DNF - I attempted to start this book and it just did not hold my interest. This may be a book I come back to in the future but for now even the audio did not hold my attention.

This book was a wild ride! It took me a little to get into it but I ended up loving it. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. This book was filled with twists and turns. 4.5 stars

I loved this family drama, locked in thriller. The isolated island gave it the perfect atmosphere. If you think your family has issues, read this book and I’m certain you will be grateful! Lies, deceit, manipulation, guilt, cold blooded murder.

Zoe married into Aseem Indian family. As an American and someone who doesn’t have proper status, she struggled to be accepted.

Aseem put his dreams on hold to help the once very successful family business after his father suffers from a serious health issue. Prepped to sell the company and gain the proceeds, Aseem and Zoe plan to move out of the family home in India to start their own life in London.

All the family members come together on Myra’s private island to celebrate the parent’s anniversary and finally hear how the money from the sale will be split. Nothing goes as expected.

Lots of good twists and anticipation built up throughout had me devouring every word!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for an advanced copy.

I cannot believe howe good this is. I thought it would be one of my little simple reads that entertain me for a bit and then I kind of move on. I am not moving on from this one. Well done!

Oh my goodness what a book!!! 5 stars for this twisty thriller that had more secrets than I thought imaginable!!!

An ultra-rich Indian family meets on the private island of one of the daughters to celebrate their parent’s anniversary. Each family member has a deep, dark secret they are desperately trying to hide. The father is set to sell the company and the children are all anxious to get their share of the inheritance.

I absolutely devoured this book and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for the chance to read and review this amazing book!!!

I went into The Inheritance with false expectations, and thus, was left with a disappointed feeling at the conclusion. The blurb read to me like a locked room mystery. A family has gathered on a remote Scottish island and someone will end up dead. The setting, the atmosphere, it sounded like my kind of book. What it turned out to be was a fraught family drama.

The Argawals are a rich Indian family and the father is thinking of retiring. How will the inheritance be divided between his three children. On the surface this family looks flashy perfect. Underneath they are severely dysfunctional.

The first ninety percent of this book was family drama, and it was interesting enough, just not what I had expected. Then in the final pages there is a murder, but the conclusion was a big no for me.

SPOILER ALERT
I don't usually do spoilers on reviews, but I can't really write this one without saying how appalling I found the ending. In the final frames, time has passed, they've brushed a murder under the carpet and framed someone else, and I'm supposed to care whether Myra is finally going to be a mother? Or what happened to any of the rest of these horrible people?

The author's note softened me a little. I was going to rate this 2, and I'll give it a 3. Her premise was interesting. There were horrors during the pandemic in India (and elsewhere), where people were not allowed to see their dying loved ones, where people thoughtlessly infected others, and where people would do anything to get their loved ones the help they need. So the premise, how far would you go for your family, is an interesting one, but in the case of this story, my conscience would definitely win out.

I suppose it was interesting in that it provoked such a strong reaction from me. However, I felt it took way too long to get to the action at the end, and then it was disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I can see why others might enjoy this, with its twist at the end. It just wasn't for me.

Whoo boy, this is a real friggin' moody book. I was anticipating a locked room mystery, and I guess it fits that bill in the end, but it's really a lot more about the super dysfunctional family dynamics. I was intrigued, once I worked out all the family members and their various situations/motives, but I wasn't enjoying any of them. I was rooting for Zoe to extricate her husband from the family, but also wishing for her to just walk the fuck away from them. I got a little tired of the many red herrings in so many chapters that turned out to be overly dramatic set-ups that led nowhere. Then ending, though - it is not unexpected, but it still packs a punch. I can appreciate the craftsmanship of the writing and plotting here, but the darkness of the book is not my cup of tea.

The Inheritance is a slow burn thriller full of Indian culture, dysfunction and guilt, filial duty, and an absolutely insane pace in the last quarter of the novel.

The majority of the novel is spent on the family dynamics, but the twist is a delicious payoff.

I really liked the writing style of this book! and the plot kept me interested! Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick read

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story moved kind of slow for awhile but really sped up and came to a head at the end. I think the slowness was necessary to make you feel a certain way about the characters in order for the ending to completely shock you. Some parts seemed to be a little inconsistent l, but overall a pretty good story.

3.5 rounded up

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

A clever, well-written thriller. I enjoyed this atmospheric story of a dysfunctional family with well-developed characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I stayed up all night, happily wrecking my already mangled sleep schedule, to finish this propulsive and absolutely diabolical page-turner of a thriller!

The Agarwal family are rich, successful and remarkably tight-knit. Patriarch Raj, fondly known to the younger generation as Papa, built up his petrochemical business from nothing, as he never hesitates to remind his children. Now on the verge of retirement after a health scare, he’s gathered his globe-trotting family here on Kilbryde, the remote Scottish island owned by his eldest daughter Myra. Ostensibly, it’s for a family holiday, but everyone knows it’s really to announce the distribution of wealth that will come from selling Papa’s company for an eye-wateringly large sum:

QUOTE
Three thousand crores. Roughly three hundred million pounds, just fifty million shy of the King’s estimated net worth. The King.

It’s a number that would have seemed completely unfathomable to me just a few years ago.

A number that still gets my heart racing.

And judging by how quickly everyone agreed to this trip, I’m not the only one. Ever since Papa announced his retirement, we’ve all been waiting for him to reveal his inheritance plan.

I let my gaze drift back to the window, to the amber sun slanting across the snow-capped Munros. Once the sale is complete, Aseem won’t have to play by Papa’s rules any more.

We won’t have to play by Papa’s rules.

We’ll finally be free.
END QUOTE

The “we” in this perspective is Zoe Agarwal, the social media influencer married to middle child and only son Aseem. It’s taken her a long time to be seen as anything but an English interloper, but now that Aseem has taken over running the company, she and her husband have finally been able to start making their own plans for the future. It’s been stifling enough for her, having to live with her in-laws in Delhi, subject to the iron rule of her fragile-seeming mother-in-law Shalini. But a few more days on the island will hopefully help her secure everything she needs for her freedom.

Myra, meanwhile, is worried about hosting her family for the first time. The Agarwals’ golden child gave up her former life in order to transform Kilbryde from an abandoned island with a haunting past to a glamorous luxury resort. Her younger sister Aisha, meanwhile, travels the world seemingly on a whim, partying it up with a string of unsuitable men and coming home only when the leash tightens.

As the getaway weekend progresses, the suspense of what Raj will decide practically forces the Agarwal family’s secrets to come to light. Disagreements turn to arguments, but that’s almost to be expected from fractious family gatherings. What none of them expects, however, is murder.

Trisha Sakhlecha writes like a house on fire – perhaps fittingly, since a house fire does play a part in this gripping narrative. I was so interested and invested in all these characters’ lives and motivations that I simply could not put the book down. A large part of that may be due to the fact that the story she’s telling is both compelling and a fresh take on the usual succession drama. The Agarwals, unlike most families riven by money, genuinely do love one another, which makes the murder mystery narrative that much more shocking. As Zoe narrates:

QUOTE
When I first met them, it was this closeness that struck me the most. The whole family seemed to move as a single organism, connected even when they weren’t together. [...] They consulted each other on everything, but what surprised me the most was the fact that not only did they know exactly what was going on in each other’s lives, they cared.

I’d never seen anything like it.

It took getting married and living with my in-laws for me to realize that the closeness I so envied cloaked a vein of darkness that ran so deep it was embedded in their DNA. My husband’s family uses love as a shield, an excuse to justify everything from their insecurity and nosiness to outright intrusion.
END QUOTE

The Inheritance explores the ways in which that familial love can take a desperately wrong turn, switching between multiple narratives to ensure that the pace never flags. This is genuinely one of the best reads I’ve enjoyed this year so far, and a must-read for anyone who enjoys propulsive crime fiction.

If you like domestic thrillers, you may enjoy this one. The story is mainly centered around the family dynamics and drama. I found it engaging enough that I wanted to finish it, but nothing memorable. Would make for a great easy-read, palate-cleanser, type of book. I enjoyed my time while reading it, just nothing spectacular.

Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed reading about a rich family who is waiting for their dad to retire so they can split their inheritance. So they meet for a family celebration on one of the children's island all together again. Yet there are many secrets hiding in the siblings lives and one just might be capable for murder to get what they want. So good.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free arc of this novel.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this book at 25%. I initially was interested in reading the book because of the family reunion turns into murder plotline. However, I felt that the opening lacked some tension that would have kept me reading. While there's much emphasis on the family's interaction, I wasn't getting very much "mystery," which is why I was initially interested in reading the book. Additionally, I wasn't very connected to the characters, who didn't seem overly distinct in my mind. I would've liked more distinction in their personalities to make them more personable. I'm sure those more invested in the characters would be willing to wait for the mystery to unfold.