Get swept away to the enchanting South of France with this “exquisite and shimmering” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone) suspenseful historical novel, where perilous secrets lurk under the glitz and glam of seaside wealth. She didn’t have an enemy in the world…until she inherited a fortune. London 1948: Eve Forrester is stuck in a loveless marriage, isolated … Eve Forrester is stuck in a loveless marriage, isolated in her gray and gloomy house when out of the blue, she receives a letter. A wealthy stranger has left her a mysterious inheritance but in order to find out more, she must travel to the glittering French Riviera.
There, Eve discovers she has been bequeathed an enchanting villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and suddenly, life could not be more glamorous. But while she rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, challengers to her unexplained fortune begin to emerge–challengers who would love to see Eve gone forever.
Alone in paradise, Eve must unlock the story behind her surprise bequest–before her unexpected twist of fate turns deadly…
With Rachel Rhys’s “thrilling, seductive, and utterly absorbing” (Paula Hawkins, #1 bestselling author of The Girl on the Train) prose, Fatal Inheritance is an intoxicating story of dysfunctional families and long-hidden secrets, set against the decadence of the Côte d’Azur.
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An exquisite and shimmering read. I completely lost myself in Rhys’s lovingly evoked 1940s French Riviera and was gripped by the slow-burn mystery. An essential summer read!
Picturesque, mysterious, and incredibly captivating!
Fatal Inheritance is an alluring, compelling tale predominantly set in the idyllic French Riviera during 1948 that takes you into the lives of the rich and glamourous Lesters. They are affluent. They are privileged. And like most families with money and power everything is not always as it seems and behind all the fame and fortune hides an abundance of lies, secrets, temptation, scandals, secrets, heartbreak and tragedy.
The prose is polished and lush. The characters are multi-layered, alluring, and materialistic. And the plot is a well-paced, sweeping saga filled with familial drama, love, loss, mystique, heartbreak, romance, rivalry, greed, red herrings and jealousy.
Overall, Fatal Inheritance is a beautifully crafted, exceptionally absorbing novel that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly in the decadence, lifestyle, luxuries, and scandalous behaviour of the characters you never want to put it down. It is a true guilty pleasure and undoubtedly one of my favourite novels of the year.
Rachel Rhys should be on everyone’s summer reading list.
/ 5 rounded up!
Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys is one of those books that has a slow, languorous feel to it, and I was in just the mood for that!
What it’s about: It is 1948 and Eve Forrester lives in London with her husband in a marriage that is more of a transaction than one built on love. So when she receives a letter saying a complete stranger has left her something in his will, but she needs to travel to the French Riviera to find out what it is, she is more than happy to oblige (much to her husband’s chagrin). But when she gets there, she finds more confusion than understanding. The stranger’s widower and children want nothing more than to get rid of her, and the longer she spends trying to unravel the mystery of why she was left a quarter of a villa, the more her life seems to be in danger. What does someone want to hide so much that they want Eve dead? She will need to find out before anything happens to her…
Fatal Inheritance is a book to savor, and I really enjoyed the experience of reading it. Rhys’ language reminded me of a heady summer day, which also happens to be the time of the year I think it should be read! This book is seriously a perfect one to read by any body of water; be it a pool, the sea, a lake, or the ocean. The French Riviera in the late 40s after World War II sounds like an interesting place to be, and Rhys really knew how to bring it to life.
I don’t think this will be a fast read for too many people, and it took me almost 6 hours to read, but I enjoyed every second of it. There is glamour, romance, tragedy, wit – all things which I like to see in a summer read. The mystery in Fatal Inheritance was a really good one, and I would say the end definitely surprised me. I didn’t know how things would turn out, didn’t even have any guesses, and the ending packed a punch I was not expecting.
The characters in this novel are some that will evoke plenty of emotions in the reader. They all seemed complex and fully formed to me, and I loved Eve. She transformed throughout the book like a flower in spring, and I enjoyed seeing her bloom.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Bed of Lies by Nicki Minaj & Skylar Grey
Final Thought: If you are ready for a slower read and to be transported to the French Rivera then I definitely recommend checking out Fatal Inheritance. The historical fiction aspect was enlightening, the mystery mysterious, and the setting breathtaking. This was a joy to read and I can’t wait to read all of this author’s other books including the psychological suspense novels under her own name. Overall, this gets a highly recommended from me!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
With a dash of Agatha Christie and a nod to Zelda Fitzgerald, Rachel Rhys’ historical mystery is simply gorgeous. The late 1940s Cote d’Azur setting is a character in its own right – one that will have you yearning to sip a gin fizz while watching the sun sink into the Mediterranean.
Utterly enthralling; Rachel Rhys brilliantly evokes the shabby glamour and bruised hearts of the post-war Riviera, where everyone has a secret to hide. I adored it.
“Fatal Inheritance” by Rachel Rhys a story of dysfunctional families and long-hidden secrets, set against the decadence of the Côte d’Azur. Great summer beach read.
The story is set mostly in 1940’s French Riviera in the aftermath of war, I found the authors descriptions transferred me and it pulled me in right away!
Wonderful characters that are well developed and I found I wanted to know more about them and their story. The mystery, intrigue, glamour and danger make for a great mix to keep you intrigued and turning the page.
This historical mystery is interesting and well plotted. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
An intriguing plot, wonderful period detail and a glorious setting – loved it!