Fatal Inheritance: A Novel

Written by Rachel Rhys

Narrated by Charlotte Hamblin and Roy McMillan

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781508286196

Rachel Rhys

Rachel Rhys is the pen name of a successful psychological suspense author. Dangerous Crossing is her historical fiction debut. She lives in North London with her family.

Reviews for Fatal Inheritance

[Joanne Littlefield · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

How does it end? There are 33 chapters but it ends mid sentence in chapter 31.

[Grace L · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 *
Entertaining. It held my interest all the time. I found Eve a little passive at times, but I reminded myself that this was 1948 and things were different for women back then. I liked that I guessed the twist at the end, but it was well developed. And I really liked the flow of the narrative. The author has a nice way with words and imagery.

[Charlotte Bellis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really lovely book. I really enjoyed it, the author has a wonderful way of storytelling. Each character's narrative came to a natural conclusion that didn't feel rushed. Highly recommend!

[romonko · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a pleasant book to listen to during the hot summer days we've been having. It is set in the beautiful French Riviera, and the time is June 1948, just after the war. The book was read by Charlotte Hamblin and Roy MacMillan. I found the narrators were very good and they suited the story. This book verges on being melodramatic, but it moves past that and turns out to be a pretty darn good mystery. Eve Forrester is a young woman who lost her first love in the war. Adrift and alone and with no family support, she marries Clifford Forrester and prepares to make some kind of life for herself with this loveless marriage. Her colourless and cheerless life in London seems to be the best that she can hope for. Then a surprising letter comes and Eve is on her way to the south of France without Clifford to claim an inheritance from a wealthy stranger. Once in Cannes, Eve falls in love with the countryside and the villa that she has inherited a 1/4 share of. She is in a whole new world and meets and interacts with totally different people than she is accustomed to. She also tries to find out what in her past has made this connection to someone she has never heard of, and why did this wealthy stranger bequeath her this generous inheritance. Things turn dark and Eve has become a target by someone who doesn't want her to live to enjoy her inheritance. When the truth about Eve's history becomes known it totally changes Eve's life, and she realizes that her unhappy childhood and very unhappy marriage no longer need to define her I enjoyed Eve and liked the supporting characters in this book. even if they were a bit stereotyped. . It was a pleasant, light read that I think was probably best enjoyed in the audio format.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The word that comes to mind when I think about Fatal Inheritance is 'sumptuous'. The setting on the French Riviera, the descriptions, the prose - it's all so wonderfully magnificent and so atmospheric.It's no secret that Rachel Rhys is actually an alias for bestselling psychological thriller writer, Tammy Cohen. I love the Cohen books but I really really love the Rhys books. They're completely different in style and genre which just proves what a talented writer we're dealing with here.Fatal Inheritance starts brilliantly with bored housewife, Eve Forrester, watching raindrops race against each other. It's 1948, the war has ended but much of the independence and freedom that women enjoyed during the war has been lost. Eve's husband, Clifford, is stuffy and quite clearly believes women should be there to look good, do household things and basically not have any thoughts or opinions of their own. So when Eve receives a letter saying that she has come into an unexpected inheritance and has to go to the South of France it's quite a surprise, both to her and Clifford, when she decides to travel there alone.Once there, Eve is thrust into the centre of a whirlwind. She meets a number of people who are from a different world to her. Hollywood film actresses, well known writers. Even the 'ordinary' people are actually far from ordinary. Everybody and everything seems to have that extra layer of gloss. She finds herself dreaming of what could be if she could escape her humdrum existence.Fatal Inheritance is just amazing from start to finish. It entranced and enthralled me as I was taken along on the journey with Eve. I thought she was a wonderful character, surprisingly feisty considering her loveless upbringing and subsequent loveless marriage. Eve is determined to uncover the reason for her inheritance and this leads her into some danger but also into some wonderful situations, the like of which she could never have imagined she would experience. The descriptions of the setting were fantastic. I could imagine quite easily the sun, the heat, the fragrances, the views. And the characterisations as a whole worked so well. Quite apart from Eve, there are an array of well-drawn supporting characters who add so much depth to the story: the Lester family, the Colletts who Eve first met on the sleeper train, the French lawyer who informs Eve of her inheritance, Gloria, the Hollywood actress who becomes a friend to Eve. Each and every one plays a part in the story and in Eve's emancipation. There's a real mystery at the heart of this book and I loved following Eve as she tried to discover the reason for her inheritance. In the post-war era it wasn't so easy to find information but she eventually gets to the bottom of it and I thought the ending of the book was superb.In fact, the whole thing is simply superb and Rhys managed to completely capture the Golden Age feel. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. If Fatal Inheritance and her first historical mystery, A Dangerous Crossing, are anything to go by then it's going to be amazing!

[miss.mesmerized · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

England, 1948. When Eve Forrester is informed that a certain Guy Lester has mentioned her in his last will, she cannot make any sense of it. Her husband is not very happy about the news, especially since it means his wife will have to travel to southern France to attend the opening of the will alone since he cannot leave work. Mr Lester’s notary Bernard informs the unhappy housewife that she together with Guy’s three children is the heir of a Villa in Cap d’Antibes. None of them is very happy about this, especially since nobody understands how Eve relates to the rich and famous of the Côte d’Azur. Eve prolongs her stay there to find out what had happened and it is obvious from the start that there must be a link to her mother who refuses to talk. The longer she stays and the more she mingles with her new acquaintances, amongst them a famous film star, the farer away Eve gets from her old life. But still, what was Guy Lester’s motivation, what is the secret that had been kept hidden for so long?Rachel Rhys’ historical novel is the absolutely perfect summer read. Escaping the heat to the south of France to a time long ago and a gorgeous place with villas and parties and people living a life which you don’t find anymore. Added to this, the story comes with a certain mystery which slowly unfolds and finally bursts with a big bang.First of all, I really liked the protagonist Eve. She is quite a lovable, modest young woman who is fascinated and appalled by what she sees at the Riviera at the same time. The peoples’ lifestyle is so far from her own life that she never really adapts and sticks to her own values and convictions. Even though she is greeted with a lot of hostility and rejection, she doesn’t forget her upbringing and manners. Just like at home, she feels a bit lonely and forlorn which make the reader stay on her side and support her against all the rest. The longer she is away from her husband, the more confident and independent she grows and I really appreciated the woman we see at the end of the novel.The mystery was also very well played. It is all but obvious what had happened in England long time ago and the small pieces of information you get, just refuse to fall into place. It’s a riddle which takes the complete novel to be solved but when all is finally revealed, it makes perfectly sense and puts everything in a completely new picture. All in all, an absolute joy to read and to indulge in on a hot summer day.