Customer Reviews

Fatal Legacy: A Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick Mystery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In West Sussex, Managing Director Alan Wainright apparently committed suicide. His will, changed a few months ago, leaves the lion's share of the estate to his nephew Alexander. Alan's influential son Graham is outraged, though he inherits a sizable amount, but not close to what he expected.

Following a police investigation and an inquest that is ruled suicide, Graham asks ACC Harper-Brown to reopen the case because he thinks someone murdered his father. Because he wants DCI Andrew Fenwick to fail, Harper-Brown assigns the case to him with instructions not to disturb the family or rekindle the media frenzy. With his hands tied, Andrew begins an investigation that he sure will substantiate the current official position. To his surprise, Andrew and his crew begin to find discrepancies and perhaps illegalities that reach from Wainright Enterprises to the local community leadership.

FATAL LEGACY is an engaging English police procedural that entertains sub-genre fans due to a story line that works on two levels: that of the investigation and a glimpse or two at Andrew's personal life. Though the murderer is in clear site the climax uses sociopath behavior (someone kills Alan at the beginning of the tale), it seems unnecessary, as avarice would have sufficed as the motive. On the contrary the most likely associate to the killer gets off free because of a lack of solid evidence and the need for closure due to the immense visibility of the case. Elizabeth Corley provides a strong tale for those readers who interested in a tight investigative novel.

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Fatal Legacy is a fantastic read. Intriguing plot, interesting characters, and just the right dose of twists and turns. Anyone interested in a "can't put it down" detective story, this is it. This book was thoroughly enjoyable to read. It's the first book I've read by Elizabeth Corley and I look forward to finding more books by this talented writer.

This is a great thrilling detective story. Although all evidence seems to point to one suspect, the story allows a few twists and turns, only to find in the end that... Well, you really HAVE to read this for yourself. But be aware: Once you take this book in your hands, you won't be able to put it down until you reach the last page.

The character of Detective Chief Inspector Fenwick is painted deeply. I'm looking forward to read more books with him in order to see how his private life evolves besides his professional life.

This was a compilation of all the plots experienced mystery writers have developed more fully in individual
books. Brutal childhood psychological trauma, child abduction, dirty sex and prostitution, police department
dynamics, even money laundering! I started out liking the book but it became all too familiar. It lacked the
finesse of Reginald Hill or Ruth Rendell or Charles Todd or Ian Rankin.

I didn't find this, the second book in the series featuring DCI Fenwick, quite as good as the first. I think maybe the characters let the book down a bit for me, I wasn't really bothered about any of them...with the exception of Fenwick who Corley portrays really well as a hardworking detective who has the added pressure and worries of single parenthood.

I think maybe the storyline seemed a tad unrealistic, not at first...but the more people got bumped off, the more unlikely it seemed. Corley is good at skeletons in characters closets and she kept up to standard with Fatal Legacy. Certainly a good read, just not a fantastically gripping read.