The Inheritance Games

When Avery Grambs inherited billions from Tobias Hawthorne, she was confused because she had never met the gentleman. His two daughters and four grandsons were furious at being cut out of the will. Her friends were stalked and harassed, some giving in to sharing lurid details of her life for money. Avery had been living in her car, refusing to live with her older sister and her sister’s abusive boyfriend. Finding out she had inherited the money at first seemed a godsend, but the will stipulated she must live in the house for a year and could not remove the Hawthorne family without evidence. Indeed, being the Heiress placed a target on her back, but she hoped that the puzzle left by Hawthorne would keep the disinherited family distracted enough to figure out what game Hawthorne was playing even from the grave.

Barnes returns with her classic storytelling style, fast-paced and unpredictable, similar to her series The Naturals. No one is who they seem and characters surprise as much as they disappoint. The first in a series, the game has only just begun, and the chess moves are far from a stalemate.