The Inheritance by Howard Linskey

Today I am delighted to share my thoughts on The Inheritence, the brand new thriller from Howard Linskey. I really enjoy the author’s work so was thrilled to learn there was a new book on the horizon. My thanks to publisher Penguin for the advance copy from NetGalley. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF DON’T LET HIM IN
_________

When Sarah’s Aunt Evelyn passes away, she’s left a grand fortune.

But it comes with one condition.

Sarah must return to Cragsmoor – the old manor house where Evelyn’s friend went missing decades ago – to uncover the truth.

If she does, she will inherit the house, the money, everything.

But someone wishes for the secrets of Cragsmoor to remain hidden.

Someone who may have killed once before . . .

My Thoughts

Well. I really rather enjoyed this. Ate it up in fact – gone in a day. It’s one of those books – packed with intrigue, family secrets and long hidden rooms – that just really sucks you in and makes you feel completely absorbed by everything that is going on as you try, alongside want to be heir to a fortune, Sarah, to solve the mystery of what really happened to Lucy Woodfell.

I loved the premise of this story – a young writer, struggling to really make ends meet, who is offered a lifeline by her recently deceased Aunt. There’s just one catch. In order to inherit her Aunt’s wealth, something Sarah didn’t realise existed, she has to solve the mystery of who murdered Lucy Woodfell. assuming it was a murder. Sarah’s Aunt Evelyn is certain, evidence is less conclusive. Police were baffled, family were at a loss, but someone, somewhere, knows the truth …

It’s a perfect mystery, told to readers as Sarah looks back through the history of her new home and the Woodfell family, trying to get family members and key suspects to talk to her, interrogating letters and clues left for her by her Aunt. You can really feel the tension, and the intrigue start to build, as well as Sarah’s determination, and I found that this slow build up mirrored my own fascination with what may have happened. Howard Linskey is adept at building up mystery and he does so with aplomb here, giving readers a slightly modernised slant on what is effectively a very traditional mystery.

Sarah was a character I found I could like very quickly. She was very down to earth, somewhat self deprecating at times, and very aware of her failings as a writer – doubts and fears that every writer worth their salt suffers from over the terms of their career. We meet her at a very difficult stage in her life, between contracts trying to create that one magical manuscript that just won’t write itself, and now faced with a second deadline – 6 months to solve a mystery. Everything about her felt real, and her ineptitude when dealing with her Aunt’s staff and Lucy’s family brought wry smiles to my face more than once.

There are clues abound throughout the novel if you care to look for them, and whilst you may second guess some of the key facts, the truth remains very well hidden and for very good reason. Perhaps the perpetrator was very high on my list of suspects from the off, the motive most definitely not. It’s a book that had a very traditional, almost Christie-squeeze feel to it, largely due to the sprawling Manor House that Sarah inherits I’ll admit, but it is that classic narrative and atmosphere that will keep mystery purists very happy indeed.

I do love that Howard Linskey can deliver to readers something just a little different with each and every book, and this is another prime example. What is clear is that he can write strong and determined female characters brilliantly, and dish out a most suspenseful story that will keep you guessing to the very end. He also brings a smile to my face giving me stories I just devour, and this was absolutely not exception. Most heartily recommended.

About the Author

Howard Linskey is the author of a series of crime novels set in the North-East, featuring detective Ian Bradshaw and journalists Tom Carney and Helen Norton. Most recently, he has written standalone thrillers including Alice Teale is Missing and Don’t Let Him In. Originally from Ferryhill in County Durham, Howard now lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and daughter.