So another year, another British Library Crime Classic BotW pick – but hey I made it into February before I recommended one!
The Belting Inheritance is not a murder mystery. Well it is, but that’s not the main thing it is. It’s the story of a supposedly dead son arriving back home, and the events that ensue. It’s told by Christopher, who is not a son of the house, but whose moved there after the death of his parents when his mother’s aunt swept in and moved him from his old life to Belting. Lady Wainwright reigns over the house with her two remaining sons in residence. Except one day, just her health is failing, a man appears claiming to be her son David who was shot down in the war and reported killed.
This isn’t the first book I’ve read with a plot about someone returning from the dead – I studied Martin Guerre as part of my history degree, and Josephine Tey’s Brat Farrar is brilliant too. This is equally twisty and peopled with characters that you really dislike which adds an extra twist to it all. I raced through it and although I wanted more at the end, that was just because (as ever) I wanted to know more of what happened next. Definitely worth picking up if you see it.
My copy was via Kindle Unlimited, which means it won’t be on Kobo at the moment, but I’ve definitely seen it in the usual bookstore who carry BLCC books so hopefully it’ll be findable if you are interested.
Happy reading!