The Agarwal family has gathered for a family reunion at a private island. Raj is the family patriarch and expected to step down, announce his plans for secession, and his three children are expecting an inheritance. They all three have secrets and want their father's money. This family is very toxic and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This is a vacation-gone-wrong with tons of family drama and a twisted ending. It's the story about a rich, dysfunctional family. The characters are unlikable and very interesting. One person is willing to kill to get with they want. Told in 2 POV by Myra and Zoe. You will be shocked by the darkness of the family!

Twisted, Greedy and a Slow Burn! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 1/21/25.

Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is another book where I should've checked the reviews before requesting/reading. It really was a slow read for me and unfortunately did not hold my interest.

My first completed read of 2025! And let me just say, what a ride 😭

This easily started as a 5-star read for me. I mean, family drama from the upper crust on a remote Scottish island? Sign. Me. Up. I got Lucy Foley vibes from the beginning and loved the tense, atmospheric tone throughout. And while some parts were a little repetitive, the suspense was enough to keep me on my toes.

But then, the climax + ending came and it just completely took the momentum out of everything. I also finished reading this at 3am, and I think the early hour amplified how much I truly despised how it ended. Although I had feelings about the ending, I highly recommend this for a tense thriller that will have you invested throughout.

This book was such a wild ride! I loved the isolated island setting and all of the family drama. I really can’t resist a family with dark secrets that they’d kill to keep! The Inheritance was moody, dark and complicated and contained so many surprises, including the unexpected ending!

Wow, talk about family secrets. THE INHERITANCE was a fast paced suspenseful story. I really felt for some of these characters. The ending wrapped up nicely. I highly recommend grabbing a copy.

My friend has a funny story about a time she and her husband took their nephew on a vacation to Hawaii. While driving around and seeing beachfront mansions, their nephew declared from the backseat, “Wealth is so disgusting.” You know, as he enjoyed the wealth it took to take him to Hawaii. Anyway, I kept thinking about that during this whole story, because, honestly, wealth IS disgusting in this book… but in a mysterious and murdery way, so it’s ok!

I really enjoyed this book, and a large part of that is due to the perfectly creepy setting of an isolated Scottish island peppered with wild storms and haunted by a violent past. The characters are wonderfully hatable, although the siblings and their spouses did grow on me as the book went on. I did NOT see the twist(s) coming, and audibly gasped out loud at the end!

If you like your locked room mysteries with a side of family dysfunction and rich people problems that make you thankful for your humble bank account, this book is for you. Highly recommend—especially if you enjoy rooting against the wealthy while sipping your $7 latte.

While it took me a bit to get into this, I’m glad that I picked it up. A true family drama with a mystery undertone. You know right off that someone bites it, but this one kept me guessing. There could have been a bit more depth to the characters and maybe delve a bit more into at least one of the substories, but, again, this one didn’t disappoint.

Initially, the synopsis put me off as I am not generally interested in wealthy families fighting over money, but this one blew me away! The Inheritance is such a well-crafted and atmospheric mystery. Though you will largely dislike the characters, this book was such a ride! It reminded me of Lucy Foley’s books in that way.

The Agarwals are a wealthy family with secrets. The patriarch and matriarch of the family live in Delhi, India, and run a seemingly successful petroleum company with their son, Aseem. Their children grew up in London and have settled nearby as adults. The perspective is largely told from the eldest Agarwal daughter, Myra, a former lawyer who has undertaken renovating a grand castle on a Scottish island; and Zoey, the wife of Aseem, who is an Instagram influencer who comes from a working-class family.

I loathed papa and mama in this! The hold they have over their children was ridiculous! It was such a fascinating look at the lengths we may go to protect our family. Money and past tragedy really shaped the direction of their children’s lives. The pacing is perfect, revealing more and more of each character’s background and motivations. The secrets that come out at the end are wild! This was such a riveting read.

I read the ebook and listened to the audiobook. The audiobook was deftly narrated by Avita Jay, Ellie Kendrick, Tamaryn Payne.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Viking/Pamela Dorman Books and PRH Audio for providing this ebook and audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

The Agarwals are a wealthy Indian family, but their members suffocate from an overemphasis on loyalty, appearances, and status, While gathering on a remote island in Scotland so the family patriarch can divide up his children's inheritance, the family is racked by the revelation of secrets that culminate in a murder. Saklecha creates a fascinating family whose members are very flawed but always elicit sympathy from the reader. The story (where we know a murder is committed, but we don't know the victim or perpetrator) becomes ever more suspenseful as secrets and past tragedies are revealed. Surprises abound, including up to the very last sentence,

Trisha Sakhlecha delivers a gripping and fast-paced family drama in The Inheritance, blending high-stakes business politics with dark, simmering secrets in a luxury island setting. The succession premise hooked me immediately, as the tension between the Agarwal family members escalates toward an explosive climax. Each character, from the fragile matriarch to the golden child on the brink of bankruptcy, is well-drawn, and their tangled relationships kept me turning the pages.

I’ll admit, I was a little upset by who got killed off—it felt a little too on the nose—but the epilogue and the way the story’s layers unraveled made it all worth it. Sakhlecha ties everything together in a satisfying, unexpected way that left me impressed. For fans of sharp, character-driven mysteries with family drama at their core, The Inheritance is a must-read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

The Agarwal family gather on daughter, Myra's Scottish island to celebrate their parents' 40th anniversary, expecting news about the sale of their father’s company and their inheritance. Beneath the perfect family facade lie secrets and rivalries, with greed threatening to unravel them all.

This locked-room mystery focuses on family dynamics rather than suspense, with clever, raw storytelling that kept me hooked. While the characters aren’t particularly likeable and it’s not a fast-paced thriller, the slow burn and engaging writing made it an enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for this ARC!

I absolutely loved The Inheritance - picture Succession but with locked room vibes and you'll be in The Inheritance. What is better than rich people behaving badly? I will definitely be picking up more from Sakhlecha in the future!

I thought this was a great book. Reading about all the family dynamics and family secrets was what kept me hooked. It was a great suspense novel and fast easy read. The family decides to celebrate their parent's 40th wedding anniversary and talk about the terms of their inheritance. Things don't go as planned when all the family members are hiding stuff from each other. The book starts with someone dying, but you don't get the details until the end of the book. The book is full of suspenseful family drama and so many twists that it is hard to put down. I will definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you Netgalley and ARC for the advanced copy.

If you enjoy locked room mysteries and family drama, then look no further than The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha. This novel takes place on the private island of Kilbryde, located off the coast of Scotland. The Agarwals have gathered for a family reunion to celebrate their parents’ fortieth anniversary and their father’s retirement and succession plan for his billion-dollar Delhi-based company.

Ray is the business tycoon. Shalini is his somewhat fragile wife. Myra, the oldest child, owns the private island and is hosting the celebration. Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to his family. Aisha, the youngest child, is a party girl. Zoe is Aseem’s wife and has always felt like an outsider. She’s a social media influencer and Aisha is her best friend. However, everything is not perfect in this family. They’ve all got secrets that they would die to protect. Who will survive and what secrets will be revealed?

The author does a great job on characterization and world-building. It was easy to visualize each person and the island. Combining multiple mysteries, secrets, and family dynamics made this a fascinating story. Add to this, the island’s dark history and severe storms, and readers will experience a wild ride.

The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Zoe and Myra, with a few snippets from “now,” but most of the story is from “before” an event happens on the island. While this is not my favorite style of writing, it worked reasonably well. However, it did adversely affect the pacing of the novel.

It was fascinating to watch the conflicts unfold and readers learn the backstories and secrets of each family member. This gave a fantastic insight into their behaviors and actions towards the other family members. I enjoyed how the author brought in threads to the plot that hinted at things to be unraveled, but I did not see the ending come. That was a wake-up call surprise. Various themes are woven into the story including meddlesome and intrusive family members, loneliness, grief, obligation, guilt, strategy, murder, love, money, control, secrets, motives, protecting others, and much more.

Overall, this was a twisty and fascinating look at family dynamics and secrets between members of a wealthy but dysfunctional family. The book did a great job of giving the reader plenty of interesting, but not very likeable characters, and a rich storyline.

PENQUIN GROUP Viking – Pamela Dorman Books and Trisha Sakhlecha provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for January 21, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

So: Succession, but immersed in Indian culture, and it all takes place over a couple days. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally pro "Popular Thing, but an AU where (slightly different circumstances)" and I liked Succession a lot, so okay. You know? I picked it up, and I'm glad I did.

A story like this has to be populated by characters so wretched and troubled and actively participating in their own downfalls that you just want to shake them, and this book has that in spades with everybody living in their own stressful trap of a rich person life. It will actually make you feel sympathetic for most of them even as you want to beg them to leeeeeeeave, please, just get out. It really captures that feeling too of being in a social situation where most people are furious but everyone has to pretend to be fine. Agonizing!!

Overall a good quick read, I don't have any major complaints. Love a good Popular Thing AU!

My thanks to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the premise and the family dynamics. Thanks for the free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 1/21/25

Great, fast and twisty read! I really enjoy this book and the characters! Looking forward to ready more from this author!

Trisha Sakhlecha’s The Inheritance is a gripping and intricately woven family drama filled with secrets, lies, and the corrosive effects of greed. Set against the backdrop of a family gathering to celebrate their parents’ anniversary, the story takes a dark turn as buried truths unravel and long-standing tensions come to light.

Sakhlecha masterfully captures the dynamics of a family torn apart by ambition and entitlement. Each character brings their own layers of complexity, making their interactions fraught with suspicion and hidden agendas. The promise of an inheritance—and the assumption that their father is retiring and selling his company—serves as the catalyst for a cascade of revelations that keep readers hooked.

The pacing is taut, with each chapter peeling back another layer of deception. The tension builds steadily as the lies spiral out of control, culminating in moments of shocking clarity. Sakhlecha’s skillful storytelling ensures that readers are constantly guessing, and the blend of family drama and psychological intrigue creates a narrative that is both compelling and unsettling.

At its heart, The Inheritance is a powerful exploration of how greed and ambition can fracture relationships. Trisha Sakhlecha delivers a story that is as emotionally resonant as it is suspenseful, making this a must-read for fans of family dramas with a sharp, psychological edge.

This started off strong but if I’m being honest-it began to drag to the point I did consider DNFing. I’m glad I finished because it has a great ending. However, I won’t be telling people to rush to read this.

Family drama? check off the grid island? check atmospheric setting? check
This book is an atmospheric, Asian take on Succession on an island! The Agarwal family is meeting at oldest daughter Myra’s recently purchased Scottish island to hopefully learn how the patriarch plans to split his company shares and fortune among his three remaining children. We find out in early on that one of the family members does not survive the trip, and the tension, atmosphere, gaslighting and drama never stops! Each family member: parents, children, in-laws has an agenda that unfolds and secrets being used as forms of blackmail and control. I found myself disliking every single character for at least part of this book; HOWEVER, I also found myself siding with each family member for some portions of the book. The last five chapters were a RIDE, and I literally groaned during the epilogue: I should have seen that coming…TL;DR: You should definitely put this one on your holds list if you like rich people problems including the mental gymnastics and scheming of high family drama…that leads to a murder.Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!