Part thriller, part family drama, The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha is unputdownable!

The Agarwal family is privileged and very wealthy and they are on the verge of the reveal of their inheritance as their father is set to sell the family business. The three siblings, parents, and significant others meet on a remote private Scottish island and tragedy strikes.

Told in the view points of the two sisters and sister in law, Zoe, this story unfolds and backstories are told. I highly recommend The Inheritance! The story is fast moving and I never guessed the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman books/Viking for an advanced copy of this book!

I read this over the holiday season and I was hoping for something to grab me, but unfortunately - I felt like this wasn't as suspenseful as I expected it to be.

There was literally a lot of build up and ultimately it took me out of the story. It could've been just me though.

On a private island off the west coast of Scotland, the Agarwals gather for a much-awaited family reunion...

Raj, the patriarch and business tycoon, who has six weeks to decide how to split his fortune between his three children. Shalini, the fragile matriarch, who longs to see her family healed. Myra, the eldest daughter and golden child, who, unbeknownst to the family, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Aseem, the son and assumed heir, who must choose between his wife and his family. Aisha, the fun-loving youngest daughter, who is tired of being treated like a child. And Zoe, the outsider whose #Instaperfect life is built on a foundation of lies. They've all got secrets that they would die to protect.

But only one of them is capable of murder.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

This story is told in two POVs, just days before the murder. We don’t know who is dead or who’s done it, as the story takes place in the days leading up to the crime. It’s a “locked room” mystery as the book is set on a remote island.

I wouldn’t say this is an “edge of your seat thriller,” but a book about family dynamics and how far one will go to protect their family. The setting, the background, and the “players” in this book are what give you the chills and make you want to keep reading.

Overall, it was a very interesting book. Everyone seems to be harboring secrets, and the secrets are slowly revealed throughout.

The Inheritance is full of family drama, toxic relationships, and greed. This makes for a great plot that is full of twists and turns. The storyline alternates between the now (someone is murdered) and the events leading up to a murder. The author does a great job at building the tension until the explosive ending. The ending was quite surprising and satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Pamela Dorman Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a murder mystery. It involves this family. Mother Father Myra, oldest daughter.Aseem middle son and youngest daughter Aisha. It was a long book and at times tedious to read. They are a wealthy family from Delhi and are all at Myra’s house because their father is planning to retire. Aisha’s boyfriend Gabe is there as well Zoe, Aseem’s pregnant wife. It goes on and on about their struggles and who is going to inherit what. And them towards the end someone is murdered. No spoilers here. I did enjoy this book but it was a little too long. There is a major twist right at the end of the book. Personally none of the people in this book were likeable but all in all it was a good book but to long. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for this ARC I received for an honest review.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha is a clever and twisty read that features one of my favorite tropes, the rich people's family reunion. This one is about the Agarwal family, who gets together off the coast of Scotland to hear the succession plan for the future of the family’s business.

I love the greed, the backstabbing, the lies, the secrets in this book. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.

Synopsis:

Meet the Agarwals, who have gathered on a private, luxury island off the west coast of Scotland for a much-anticipated family the patriarch and a business tycoon, is about to announce to his wife and three surviving children the succession plan for his billion-dollar Delhi-based company. Shalini, the fragile matriarch and protector, is ready to have her husband to herself after years of sacrifice to the family business. Myra, the golden child, owner of the island, and host of the reunion, is, unbeknownst to her family, on the brink of bankruptcy. Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and duty to his family. Aisha, the youngest, a party girl whose antics are legendary, can’t pass up an opportunity to wreak chaos. And then there’s Zoe, Aseem’s wife, the outsider whose #Instaperfect life is built on a foundation of lies.They’ve all got secrets that they would die to protect. Who will survive this high-stakes reunion, and who will become a victim of their own greed? One thing is this family gathering will shatter more than just their illusions of unity.

This is a story focusing on the toxic relationships of a close knit family. The only rule is family first and they all go above and beyond to adhere to this, even if it means putting their parents and siblings before their partners.

Set on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, we see the family come together to celebrate their parents' 40th anniversary. There's a lot of mysteries teased throughout the book that really help to understand the dynamic with the family once they are revealed. 

The ending of this book was crazy! I thought I had it figured out, but I really didn't see it coming. However, I did feel like the ending was rushed, and it was over within 2 chapters.

When this family gets together, talk about drama. Not only does ultra-rich business family have its nose in everything each other does - from the parents to the three adult children - but they are all keeping secrets from each other. Secrets that are enough to traumatize and ruin each others’ lives if revealed. It’s like the most messed-up version of the Brady Bunch you can imagine. Send guess what? They’re all reuniting for their parents’ anniversary party on a remote Scottish island. Also on the agenda? The announcement of Papa’s retirement plans, and the contents of his will. What could possibly go wrong….

This story is told from both “Now,” where we know something terrible has just happened, and “Before,” which chronicles the events leading up to the presumed tragedy. It’s also told from different perspectives, though mostly Zoe’s (wife of Aseem) and Myra’s (daughter of Papa). It sounds more complicated than it was. I didn’t have a hard time following it.

Yeah, so as I said above, this is a domestic thriller about a family that is so enmeshed and dealing with some big issues that could indeed be worth killing for. Like $300 million reasons. And everyone is hiding something. Something big. These secrets are as big as their bank accounts, and it’s not like they won’t hesitate to throw each other under the bus if they need to, despite playing happy family on the outside.

Trust me, it was both glorious and frustrating to watch this family fall apart. And it really doesn’t take much to start the downward slide. If they had tried any communication, things could’ve turned out differently, but that’s the irony of secrets: the more you keep them, the worse the get, until they’re out of control.

And the ending is really pretty juicy. It’s quite good. That’s all I’ll say there.

Trisha Sakhlecha did a great job creating a great story in this one and I’ll definitely look for more of her work in the future. She’s got some amazing talent for sure!

The Agarwal family meets on a luxury island in Scotland for the patriarch to announce who will take over his billion dollar company. This reunion becomes high stakes, not just because of the money.

If you like stories about rich, dysfunctional families, give this one a try. I did not really find any of the characters interesting or likable. The point of view changed between female characters, but it was hard for me to tell the difference in their voice and personality. I waited a while for this one to kick off, but in the end it wasn’t my favorite.

“The tint of my glasses was so rosy, so full of hope, I never thought to ask what we needed protection from.”

The Inheritance comes out 1/21.

When I saw this book cover I knew I had to read it without even reading the blurb. I was not disappointed as the story is thrilling, action packed, and kept me reading until the very end. A family from India that holds on to Indian traditions but the significant others to the children are not as happy to follow them. Each sibling has a secret and none of them want to let their parents down. The setting is a remote island that one of the children is fixing up. The island has a history all of its own. If you love secrets and characters that are cut off from the modern world (for the most part) and family drama, you will enjoy this book!

A deviously addictive story with one of the most unhinged families I’ve read in a while… who are stuck on an island for a “fun” family reunion. They await the announcement from the patriarch about his pending retirement and their sizable inheritance, all fighting for their piece of the pie. A locked room mystery of sorts with plenty of despicable characters, but some more redeemable than others. I enjoyed the family secrets and those of the island and its gruesome history. That last sentence had my jaw on the floor.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha is a recommended family drama following the highly dysfunctional Agarwal family. This is a locked-room mystery where a wealthy family gathers on a private, luxury island off the west coast of Scotland.

The Agarwal family includes: Raj, the patriarch, Shalini, the matriarch, Myra, the oldest and owner of the island, Aseem, the son, Zoe, Aseem's wife, and Aisha, the youngest. Also present is Gabe, Aisha's boyfriend. The plan for the weekend is that the family will celebrate their parents anniversary, but more importantly for the children, Raj is going to announce the succession plan after the sell of his multimillon-dollar Delhi-based petroleum company. Nothing goes as planned for the weekend.

Every single character is unlikable. Every single character has secrets. Every single character is deceptive. They are all planning and scheming in various duos behind each other's back while presenting a privileged picture of wealth and simultaneously genuflecting to their equally scheming parents.

The narrative is told from the point-of-view of Myra and Zoe. Myra is broken, both her heart and financially, while still grieving the loss of her twins. Zoe is pregnant and frustrated with her life being controlled by Shalini. She and Aseem plan to move to London after they receive their inheritance.

The quality of the writing is good and the setting is interesting, but the familiar plot moves at a glacially slow pace. Combining the pace with not a single character to support weighed this novel down for me. I did keep reading, hoping for a huge family fight and cataclysmic breakup. There were a few promising story lines presented that fizzled out into nothing. I felt like I slogged through all the complaints and secrets of this family with no real pay off until the shocking ending.

Mostly this novel is about a wealthy but miserable dysfunctional family who keep secrets. Thanks to the Penguin Group for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Whew, that was a tough read. I actually thought about DNF'ing the book a few times. I just felt that the book moved slow, and I didn't get the rich plot that everyone else seemed to get from the book. I will definitely read more by this author in the future. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

BIPOC Mystery set in Scotland following two sisters-in-law joining their family for a high-stakes reunion; with millions on the line and a family who have secrets they'll kill to protect, who'll survive.

1/5 stars: This is Sakhlecha's stand-alone BIPOC Mystery. Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder. Meet the Agarwals, who have gathered on a private, luxury island off the west coast of Scotland for a much-anticipated family reunion. Raj, the patriarch and a business tycoon, is about to announce to his wife and three children the succession plan for his multimillon-dollar Delhi-based company. Shalini, the fragile matriarch, is ready to have her husband to herself after years of sacrifice to the family business. Myra, the golden child, owner of the island and host of the reunion, is, unbeknownst to her family, on the brink of bankruptcy. Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to family. Aisha, the youngest, a party girl whose antics are legendary, can’t pass up an opportunity to wreak havoc. And then there’s Zoe, Aseem’s wife, the outsider whose #InstaPerfect life is built on a foundation of lies. They’ve all got secrets they would die to protect. Who will survive this high-stakes reunion, and who will become a victim of their own greed? One thing is this family gathering will shatter more than just their illusions of unity. Written in multiple POVs, Sakhlecha's writing and character work are nicely done. Sakhlecha touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 9%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Pamela Dorman Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

There is nothing groundbreaking about this book, but it is a solid 3.5 star thriller.I liked the fact that the family centered in this thriller was an Indian family, a really, really rich Indian family. I liked the fact that the inheritance piece was at the center of the story but done in a really modern way. I also like the fact that each one of the siblings and one of the siblings in law had different points of view and spoke into all of the drama that came in to play as they waited for the father to make his final decision on their inheritance. There was nothing overly cliché here and I really appreciated that because the story very much could've gone down that road.

I also really loved the Scottish island setting. I happen to be reading another book at the exact same time that was also set on a Scottish island and it makes for an extraordinarily creepy place for family drama to happen.

A mystery on a Scottish Island? Yes, please. A twisty story about family, loss. murder, wealth and survival. There was a lot going on in this book and that is what kept me interested.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an electronic ARC of this book.

A perfect little thriller. Nothing crazy or life changing. Enough of a twisty turny mystery to keep me on my toes. "Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder." Tells you everything you need to know.

The Agarwal family harbors many secrets, but which one are they willing to kill to protect?

Trisha Sakhlecha's novel, ‘The Heritance’, explores the complexities of family dynamics and hidden agendas. The story centers around Raj, a powerful patriarch and business mogul recovering from a recent stroke; Shalini, his fragile and manipulative wife; and their children: Aseem, Myra, twins Aisha, and the deceased Ishaan. The family gathers to celebrate Raj and Shalini’s 40th wedding anniversary on a Scottish island owned by their eldest daughter, Myra.

The novel is narrated from the perspectives of Myra and Zoe, highlighting the family's dysfunction and ulterior motives. While the characters are intriguing, they often come across as unlikable, each driven by their own desires and resentments. The slow pace, while building suspense, can sometimes feel tedious. Aseem, a "mommy's boy," took over running his father’s company when Raj had his stroke, yet he still lives with his parents. I often found myself wishing he would take charge; he can manage a company but struggles to manage his own household. Myra's estrangement from her husband left me questioning the reasons behind it, and even when revealed, I was still puzzled. They are wealthy and have options—did she really need to push him away? Additionally, who is cyber-harassing Zoe? Is it an outsider or a family member?

The family is not welcoming to outsiders and is far from close-knit. Each member has their own agenda, and all of them could benefit from counseling as they grapple with grief over their brother’s death and their individual issues. However, by the end, we discover a surprising loyalty among them.

I found the title misleading; the overall story was not primarily about money or greed. Yes, the children felt entitled to their father’s wealth and company, but my takeaway from the story revolves more around their "mommy issues." Though Shalini has minimal dialogue, her manipulative nature creates a strong allegiance among her children.

Overall, I thought it was an okay read. I enjoyed how the book provided answers to my questions over its 352 pages, but it felt drawn out at times, leaving me eager for the thrilling parts. The breadcrumbs the author sprinkled throughout kept me engaged, and while the climax toward the end was brief, the shocking twist made the journey worthwhile.

Woah. This took me a minute to get into but once I did I couldn’t put it down! So many twists and turns I swear I have whiplash. I loved not knowing who was going to die until the end so I could guess that but also the killer!

I don't think this is the book for you if you prefer likable characters. The whole family was pretty awful which makes it a little hard to care about what happens to anyone. That said, I love a Scottish island setting and she kept the story moving. There were a lot of characters but she did a good job of reminding you who everyone was. That can be tricky in these books about family dynamics!

I don't think it was a thriller, it was more of a family drama with some mysterious elements. I liked how you don't really know who died until quite later on which did add to some mystery and the payoff.