The Inheritance (Inspector Trave, Book 1) cover art

The Inheritance (Inspector Trave, Book 1)

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About this listen

Simon Tolkien’s gripping Oxford-based thriller which sees Inspector Trave in a race for justice against deception, conspiracy and the long shadow of the past.

When an eminent art historian is found dead in his study, all the evidence points to his estranged son, Stephen. With his fingerprints on the murder weapon, Stephen’s guilt seems undeniable.

As the police begin to question five other people who were in the house at the time, it is revealed that Stephen’s father was involved at the end of World War II in a deadly hunt for a priceless relic in northern France, and the case begins to unravel.

As Stephen’s trial unfolds at the Old Bailey, Inspector Trave of the Oxford police decides he must go to France and find out what really happened in 1944. What artefact could be so valuable it would be worth killing for? But Trave has very little time – the race is on to save Stephen from the gallows.

 Genre Fiction Historical Military Mystery Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Thriller Crime Law Suspense

Critic reviews

‘A fine novel. A thinking person’s Da Vinci Code.’ Chicago Tribune

‘A deft combination of Agatha Christie manor-house whodunit. Erle Stanley Gardner courtroom drama, and Dan Brown thriller, The Inheritance is nonetheless unique to its creator.’ Richmond Times-Dispatch

All stars
Most relevant
This is quite an arresting story with the premise that the policeman investigating a murder has his doubts and works to find out whether the case is sound. It bowls along quite nicely and has a good mix of characters. Inspector Trave himself is not very engaging but the suspect is and we are given a good range of potential suspects.

My reason for only giving the story three stars is that it is all laid on with a trowel and the idea that Trave is trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice only carries it so far. Many of the characters are just plain pantomime villains and there is little subtlety. Still, the narrator is excellent and he carries it through.

Engaging

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I've really loved listening to a new author. I have to admit I struggled a bit at first because this is not a fast paced novel, even when the tension ratchets up towards the end it's still steady in its telling.

The only issues were after a couple of the chapters ended I felt there wasn't always enough of a pause before the announcement of the next chapter. It maybe needed a little more time so as to process what had just happened and to have more of an impact. Also the chapter numbers as announced didn't match up to what was showing on the library menu. That's all just an editing thing really.

Otherwise the performance was excellent. I'd highly recommend this book, author and reader.

Very Enjoyable

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