Title: INHERITANCE OF SECRETS
Expected publication: 20 April 2020
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description:
A brutal murder. A wartime promise. A woman on the run.
Juliet's elderly grandparents are killed in their Adelaide home. Who would
commit such a heinous crime - and why? The only clue is her grandfather Karl's
missing signet ring.
When Juliet's estranged sister, Lily, returns in fear for her life, Juliet
suspects something far more sinister than a simple break-in gone wrong. Before
Juliet can get any answers, Lily vanishes once more.
What secrets did Karl Weiss have that could have led to his murder? A German
soldier who migrated to Adelaide, Juliet knew Karl as a loving grandfather. Is
it possible he was a war criminal? While attempting to find out, Juliet
uncovers some disturbing secrets from WWII Germany that will put both her and
her sister's lives in danger ...
Gripping. Tense. Mysterious. Inheritance of Secrets links the crimes of the
present to the secrets of the past and asks how far would you go to keep a
promise?
A brutal murder. A wartime promise. A woman on the run.
Juliet's elderly grandparents are killed in their Adelaide home. Who would commit such a heinous crime - and why? The only clue is her grandfather Karl's missing signet ring.
When Juliet's estranged sister, Lily, returns in fear for her life, Juliet suspects something far more sinister than a simple break-in gone wrong. Before Juliet can get any answers, Lily vanishes once more.
What secrets did Karl Weiss have that could have led to his murder? A German soldier who migrated to Adelaide, Juliet knew Karl as a loving grandfather. Is it possible he was a war criminal? While attempting to find out, Juliet uncovers some disturbing secrets from WWII Germany that will put both her and her sister's lives in danger ...
Gripping. Tense. Mysterious. Inheritance of Secrets links the crimes of the present to the secrets of the past and asks how far would you go to keep a promise?
Juliet's elderly grandparents are killed in their Adelaide home. Who would commit such a heinous crime - and why? The only clue is her grandfather Karl's missing signet ring.
When Juliet's estranged sister, Lily, returns in fear for her life, Juliet suspects something far more sinister than a simple break-in gone wrong. Before Juliet can get any answers, Lily vanishes once more.
What secrets did Karl Weiss have that could have led to his murder? A German soldier who migrated to Adelaide, Juliet knew Karl as a loving grandfather. Is it possible he was a war criminal? While attempting to find out, Juliet uncovers some disturbing secrets from WWII Germany that will put both her and her sister's lives in danger ...
Gripping. Tense. Mysterious. Inheritance of Secrets links the crimes of the present to the secrets of the past and asks how far would you go to keep a promise?
What attracted me to this book:
A present day mystery with family secrets and a connection
way back to WWII? Yes, please, I’m in! As soon as I read the description of
INHERITANCE OF SECRETS I knew that I had to read it.
A present day mystery with family secrets and a connection
way back to WWII? Yes, please, I’m in! As soon as I read the description of
INHERITANCE OF SECRETS I knew that I had to read it.
My musings:
The story starts with the murder of two elderly people in
their Adelaide home. Juliet is heartbroken and unable to understand why anyone
would want to harm her grandparents, a couple loved by everyone for their warm
personalities and generosity. It’s not long though until she realises that her
grandparents had not been victims of a random attack, but had been specifically
targeted by ruthless killers, and the reason may lay in her grandfather’s past
....
After hooking me immediately with her opening scenes, Bates
slowly unravelled her story with the help of dual timelines – one in the
present, as Juliet is trying to come to terms with her grandparents’ death and
avoid becoming a target herself; and her grandfather’s experiences during WWII
that ultimately brought him into the path of the killer. Dual timelines can
sometimes be problematic, but Bates strikes a perfect balance here, with the
past and present day storylines being equally as compelling as each other. I
immediately felt for Juliet, who is not only trying to come to terms with her
beloved grandparents’ brutal death, but also finds out that her sister may be
somehow involved, her mother is not contactable and her lover is more concerned
with his work than supporting her through her grief.
Part mystery, part historical fiction, part fast-paced
thriller, INHERITANCE OF SECRETS had something for everyone. I found the
history of post-war Australia and the immigrants’ plight to settle into a new
life as interesting as the wartime events that ultimately lead to Karl’s arrival
in Australia. Bates draws both her setting as well as her characters vividly,
and I really enjoyed her writing style. As the granddaughter of a man who was a
soldier in WWII on the Russian front, and a prisoner of war for many years
later, I related to the theme of secrets that are never revealed because the
memories are too painful – even to close family.
The story starts with the murder of two elderly people in
their Adelaide home. Juliet is heartbroken and unable to understand why anyone
would want to harm her grandparents, a couple loved by everyone for their warm
personalities and generosity. It’s not long though until she realises that her
grandparents had not been victims of a random attack, but had been specifically
targeted by ruthless killers, and the reason may lay in her grandfather’s past
....
After hooking me immediately with her opening scenes, Bates
slowly unravelled her story with the help of dual timelines – one in the
present, as Juliet is trying to come to terms with her grandparents’ death and
avoid becoming a target herself; and her grandfather’s experiences during WWII
that ultimately brought him into the path of the killer. Dual timelines can
sometimes be problematic, but Bates strikes a perfect balance here, with the
past and present day storylines being equally as compelling as each other. I
immediately felt for Juliet, who is not only trying to come to terms with her
beloved grandparents’ brutal death, but also finds out that her sister may be
somehow involved, her mother is not contactable and her lover is more concerned
with his work than supporting her through her grief.
Part mystery, part historical fiction, part fast-paced
thriller, INHERITANCE OF SECRETS had something for everyone. I found the
history of post-war Australia and the immigrants’ plight to settle into a new
life as interesting as the wartime events that ultimately lead to Karl’s arrival
in Australia. Bates draws both her setting as well as her characters vividly,
and I really enjoyed her writing style. As the granddaughter of a man who was a
soldier in WWII on the Russian front, and a prisoner of war for many years
later, I related to the theme of secrets that are never revealed because the
memories are too painful – even to close family.
Summary:
Even if you are not usually a fan of historical fiction, the
thriller and suspense component in Bates’ novel will appeal to a wide range of
readers across multiple genres. Despite some suspension of disbelief being required
in parts, I really enjoyed this very readable novel spanning two different timeframes
from WWII to the present, and look
forward to reading more from this author in future.
Thank
you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Even if you are not usually a fan of historical fiction, the
thriller and suspense component in Bates’ novel will appeal to a wide range of
readers across multiple genres. Despite some suspension of disbelief being required
in parts, I really enjoyed this very readable novel spanning two different timeframes
from WWII to the present, and look
forward to reading more from this author in future.
Thank
you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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