Trisha Saklecha’s third book, The Inheritance is a must-read for all fans of domestic thrillers and the television series Succession. A wealthy family is gathering for a joint celebration. It is the mother and father’s 40th wedding anniversary as well as the father’s retirement. They are on the cusp of selling the family business, Petrovision, and their son is very close to closing the deal. All three adult children are eager to learn how the money will be shared.
The majority of the action in The Inheritance takes place at Kilbryde, a private island off the Scottish coast, which you’ll easily visualise with Sakhlecha’s descriptions of the main house, old bothies and beaches. It’s a sizeable island with lochs and 2000 acres of wilderness. The rugged beauty of the landscape combined with its rather dark history create an ideal backdrop for an atmosphere of ever increasing tension.
Initially, The Inheritance comes across as an old-fashioned country estate mystery. A group of people gathered in a luxurious house on Kilbryde feels like a nod to Agatha Christie. Only members of the Agarwal family have been invited to the island. Even the staff have been given time off while the family is in residence. However, as you get further into the book you’ll see it’s also a domestic thriller. The Agarwals may appear to the outside world as a wealthy family that has it all, but they are also a family with many secrets.
The story is told primarily from two perspectives. The first is that of Zoe, the wife of the son Aseem Agarwal and an Instagram influencer. Zoe grew up in a council flat and has found it challenging to build a relationship with her in-laws. Her dream is to move to London with Aseem. Currently, they live with his parents in Delhi.
The second viewpoint is that of Myra, the eldest Agarwal sibling. Once a lawyer, for the last five years she’s been developing Kilbryde into a high-end retreat. It has cost a fortune and possibly her marriage. She could really use the cash from the PetroVison sale to pay off her debts and complete her plans for the island.
Aseem Agarwal is a dutiful son and the middle sibling. He returned to Delhi and took over running PetroVision when his father had a stroke four years ago. Like Zoe, he’s looking forward to buying a house in London and is contemplating restarting a business of his own. They will need money from the sale to pay for their independence.
Aisha is the youngest. She is a free spirit and appears to lead a rather charmed life. Her siblings are always looking out for her. So much so, that she sometimes feels like they are treating her like a child. Aisha is unpredictable and may have a few plans of her own.
Raj and Shalini are the parents. Raj has worked very hard to build PetroVision. It has been his focus for decades. As a business tycoon, he is accustomed to making things happen. He applies the same methods to being a father. Shalini uses her fragility as a shield to protect herself from the world and as a weapon to manipulate her family.
The main themes in The Inheritance are class and cultural identity, family loyalty, grief and the impact of secrets. Sakhlecha does a wonderful job of creating layers of tension between the various family members. Even though the introduction to the book describes a dead body, you will have no idea who murdered whom until you complete the book. Each new revelation about the characters will have you rethinking things. The Agarwal family and all their secrets will keep you fascinated long after completing the book .
For more crime fiction set on an island see works by Adrian McKinty, Timothy Jay Smith, Cathy Ace and Johana Gustawsson.
Century
Print/Kindle/iBook
£5.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
