BOOK DESCRIPTION
An unexpected inheritance. A web of deceit. A desperate escape.
London, 1969.
James has his dreams of an easy life shattered when his aunt disinherits him, leaving her fortune to her god-daughter, Charlotte. He turns to his friend, Percy, to help him reclaim his inheritance – and to pay off his creditors. But when their plans backfire, James becomes the pawn of Percy and his criminal associates.
Charlotte is stunned when she is told of her windfall. After an attempt at cheating her out of her inheritance fails, James tries to intimidate her. But she is stronger than he thinks, having secrets of her own to guard, and sends him away with a bloody nose and no choice but to retreat for now.
Resigned, James and his spoilt, pampered girlfriend, Fliss, Percy’s sister, travel across France on a mission that promises to free James from the criminals for good. But James isn’t convinced he can trust Fliss, so he makes his own plans to start a new life.
Will James be able to get away, or will his past catch up with him? Will Charlotte’s secrets turn the legacy into a curse?
The two main characters and duel narrators of this gripping drama, Charlotte and James were polar opposites,both character and behaviour wise as well as apparently coming from opposite sides of the social divide.
At the beginning of the story, Charlotte was struggling to make ends meet on the wages that she earned as a teacher. She had been forced to take time off work after a bad dose of the mumps and was looking forward to returning back to work, teaching her beloved students again and chatting to her colleagues and friends. The last thing she was expecting was to receive a phone call from a solicitor informing her that her recently deceased Godmother Jean Jarvis had changed her will before she died and bequeathed her entire estate to Charlotte. And that was when Charlotte's happy life started to fall apart around her because Jean's only surviving relative James Jarvis was not a happy man. Actually he was livid,as far as he was concerned the inheritance was his and his alone. James was a obnoxious, spoilt brat who didn't care one hoot about his Aunt when she was alive, all he was interested in was her money, he needs it to pay off his gambling debts before he gets his legs broken or worse. James along with his equally obnoxious, spoilt brat of a girlfriend Fliss and her unscrupulous solicitor brother Percy launch a no holds barred champaign to tarnish Charlotte's reputation and get the will overturned. But they had seriously underestimated Charlotte, she might have been a woman who didn't like confrontation but she was strong willed and knew how to defend herself. She also had two powerful allies in the shapes of Gerald Irwin and her loveable godfather Julian who were always there to advise and support her. I thought Julian was a fantastic character, a loving, caring individual who's character had some mysterious aspects and hidden talents. But he knew what his secrets were unlike Charlotte who would learn some unexpected truths about her own past as the story unfolded.
Meanwhile James had discovered that he had essentially signed a deal with the devil and is indebted to Percy in ways that he never would have anticipated. Percy and Fliss are making his life more of a living nightmare than it already was so when he is forced to take a trip to France, James reasons that maybe this is the perfect opportunity for him to escape his past and start again. Will his plans succeed or is he actually walking into a trap? With James in France, was it safe for Charlotte to finally relax and move on with her life or was she still in danger from unscrupulous people who wanted to get their hands on her money?
This tale of families, secrets, greed, love and intimidation is set at the end of the 1960s and the character's dialogue is written in a way that reflects how people spoke at that period in time. It's a gripping drama that had a cast of vivid, realistic individuals, some likeable, some not so likeable. The plot has some unexpected revelations and the story has a genuinely surprising conclusion. I thought this was a enjoyable, entertaining read and I would happily read more of this author's books in the future
Author Bio
In her mid-forties Alison went to university part-time and gained a first-class degree in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and an MA in the same subject from Oxford Brookes University, both while still working full-time. Her first book was published a year after she completed her master’s degree.
The Legacy is a drama set in 1960s London. Like her previous book, Mine, it explores themes of class, ambition and sexual politics, showing how ordinary people can make choices that lead them into extraordinary situations.
Alison teaches creative and life-writing, runs workshops and retreats with Imagine Creative Writing Workshops(www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk) as well as working as a freelance editor. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor.
Social Media Links –
www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942
https://twitter.com/Alison_Knight59
www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk
www.darkstroke.com/dark-stroke/alison-knight/
PUBLICATION DATE 4th May 2021
Purchase Link -
mybook.to/legacy
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