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!

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.