Customer Reviews

The Inheritance

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Inheritance" is a murder mystery written in the best English tradition of Agatha Christie and her many noble successors. Simon Tolkien deserves to be in the pleiada of detective novel authors. His novel meets all expectances of a seasoned mystery reader.

John Cade, an Oxford professor of history and a hero of World War II, is shot to death in his mansion. His younger son, Stephen, is charged with murder and put on trial - he was found in his father's study, locked from inside, a few moments after the shot and his fingerprints are on the key to the study door and on the murder weapon. He also has a motive - he was estranged from his father for two years and only came home when Cade was about to change his will and practically disinherit him, turning the mansion into a museum. During the trial, Stephen pleads innocence, but he faces death sentence - hanging is still lawful in 1959, when the action is set. Inspector Trave, the detective who arrested Stephen based on evidence, has more and more doubts while the trial unfolds. Probably the fact, that Stephen reminds Trave of his son Joe, who died in a tragic accident, adds to Trave's belief in Stephen's innocence.

There were five other people in the house at the time of the murder - the grounds were under surveillance after Cade had been pestered by his former subordinate from the army.

The people present were: Cade's older, adopted son, Silas, a sneaky photographer; Cade's assistant, Sasha Vigne, involved in cataloging the valuable collection of illuminated manuscripts; Stephen's girlfriend, beautiful actress Mary Martin; and a couple of housekeepers, Sergeant Ritter (also Cade's associate from the war) and his French wife Jeanne.

The murderer must have been one of them. And everyone could have a motive.

Trave decides to look for the murderer, despite the lack of support from the prosecutor Thompson, who is happy to condemn another man. Although all of the people involved are lying, the truth slowly emerges...

Is Cade's death a matter of his change of will, or is it connected with his obsessive search for St. Peter's Cross which led Cade in 1944 to the cold-blooded crime in the French village of Marjean, described in the opening chapter?

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this classical mystery novel. I think it is not difficult to guess who is the murderer - but although my initial guess was correct at the end, I had my doubts as Tolkien skillfully led me through his plot. And anyway, it was interesting to find out how everything will come together at the end. I also enjoyed the moral meaning of the story and the characters, all superbly depicted. Definitely, Simon Tolkien is not using the name to sell his books, he is an accomplished writer.

Simon Tolkien isn't riding on his famous last name. In large I found this to be a well written and for the most part, enjoyable book. With the following exceptions:

1) I think Tolkien was trying to create a DaVinci Code style story without being, well like the DaVinci Code. I'm really not sure what the importance of the object was (don't want to give anything away so I won't say what the object is) and what the people who were after it were going to do with it once they had it.

2)The characters. Ok here's where I think the weak spot is. I really couldn't find myself bonding with any of the people in this story. The only strong character was Silas. I wasn't sure if I should dislike, or feel sorry for him and at the end, which was tied up a bit too neatly and quickly, you only hear someone else tell what happened to him. As far as Stephen, well I really couldn't care about his fate. I think he was a bit thin for being such an important part of the story.

Don't get me wrong, I like this book. It was written well and entertaining. It was a good story line, but I think it could have been a little better if the author had put a bit more flesh on his characters and maybe a bit more detail in the plot.

I was hoping for much more from this book that what I found. I was not happy with the book from the start. The writing is thick without color. It is detailed without relevance. The inner dialogue and intra-personal dialogue of the characters is unrealistic of the time window by far. The language used, for example, if far more modern than the era demands. I simply cannot recommend this book for any purpose. And I am a huge Tolkien family fan. I'm sure Simon has a great book in him, but for me, this one is not it.

An entertaining story, but falters at the points where real moral issues are engaged. The author seems to be operating with stereotypical notions of Catholicism, Christianity, etc.

In 1959 in London Stephen Cade is on trial for murdering his famous war hero and Oxford historian father. The case is obvious as the evidence condemns Stephen. He and his father were estranged for a long time and he only goes to see him when his dad cuts him out of his will. Soon after they argue, the older Cade is shot to death by a gun with the younger Cade's fingerprints on it. He is convicted rather quickly and sentenced to die.

Oxford and Midland CID Police Detective Inspector William Trave finds the evidence too overwhelming for someone as intelligent as Stephen is. The prosecutor tells him to let it go as this was a crime of passion not intelligence. Unable to ignore his gut as five other people were in the crime scene mansion on that fatal night with tales that fail to match then and in 1944, Trave finds ties to Normandy where the famous late famous war hero apparently was part of an incident that left French civilians dead.

This is a super historical police procedural that brings to life England during the Cold War as Trave finds one revelation after another tying 1959 to 1944. The story line is fast-paced throughout although the audience figures out who the culprit is well before the cop does. Fans will enjoy Simon Tolkien's entertaining whodunit as the investigation brings out a sort of historiographic feel to the plot with readers observing how the English in 1959 recall Normandy in 1944.

Harriet Klausner

It has been a while since I've read a real UK mystery, and this one didn't disappoint. Sure, there were a few parts I would have shortened, and there were even some I would have liked more of, but all in all, it was a great read. Mr. Tolkien has a gift for creating vivid mental images and memorable characters. Plus, his writing is spot on - which should be a delight to anyone who appreciates such things!

During World War II, three British soldiers (Colonel Cade, Sergeant Ritter and Corporal Carson) travel to Normandy in Northern France. They ambush and kill Nazi soldiers who are occupying the home of the Rocard family. Henri Rocard is forced to give Colonel Cade the Marjean codex, a religious artifact containing a secret code that will lead its owner to the priceless cross of St. Peter. Unfortunately, the Rocard family is slaughtered before the code is deciphered.

The war is over but Colonel John Cade is living a nightmare. Someone wants him dead for killing the Rocard family. After being sent a blackmailing letter, he is crippled by a sniper. Fearing for his safety, he builds a gated wall around his home, Moreton Manor, and becomes a virtual prisoner. But he still can not escape death. After a dinner party with his family, someone executes him in his study. The main suspect is his estranged son, Stephen, who was angry at him for killing the Rocards. However, several other members of the dinner party had a motive for murdering the despicable colonel.

"The Inheritance" is a superb whodunit in the vein of Agatha Christie. The setting is a large gothic manor in the isolated country. Colonel Cade, a man who everyone loathes, is shot in the head. The study is locked from the inside. A mountain of circumstantial evidence points to Stephen Cade, the estranged son who is very likeable. There is a cast of bizarre, perverse characters. The list of suspects is slowly whittled down as some of them are murdered.

Silas Cade, the adopted son, has felt rejected and unloved by his parents ever since his brother, Stephen, was born. He has an affair with Jeanne Ritter, the abused wife of the burly Reginald Ritter, manservant for Colonel Cade. Silas is also a voyeur; he photographs the scarred beauty, Sasha Vigne, who was hired to catalogue the colonel's extensive collection of rare manuscripts. Colonel Cade planned to disinherit both his sons and convert Moreton Manor into a museum for housing his collection. Mary Martin, a beautiful, elusive actress, convinces her boyfriend, Stephen, to beg the colonel for money that is needed for her mother's heart operation.

Deception and betrayal abound and everyone has secrets to hide at Moreton Manor. Because of these secrets, poor Stephen sits convicted inside the walls of Wandsworth Prison. The gallows are only a few feet away, separated by a wall with a secret door. The reader will feel incredible tension as Stephen's execution draws closer. Detective Inspector William Trave races against time to save him, even traveling to the small town of Marjean in Normandy, France to question anyone who may shed light on the Rocard family massacre.

"The Inheritance" is an historical mystery of revenge and greed. Some want the Marjean cross, some want Colonel Cade dead, and some want both. It is a dramatic, emotional tale that is extremely engaging. I cried when one of the characters whispered their farewells to a dying parent. I felt sorrow for those who had lost loved ones to murderous, senseless greed. I too craved vengeance for the atrocities committed by the three British soldiers. Colonel Cade was a diabolically cruel man who definitely deserved to die for the people he'd murdered during his search for the cross. I kept hoping that Stephen would be exonerated; however, I also hoped that the real killer would escape justice. That is why "The Inheritance" reminded me so much of Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express"

Mystery lovers must put "The Inheritance" at the top of their must-read list for 2010. Simon Tolkien has done an expert job of blending history with action adventure, soap opera-type drama, heartfelt romance and religious rites and artifacts. I found this novel hard to put down because I, like so many of the novel's characters, wanted to learn the true identity of Colonel Cade's killer and the location of that holy, blood-soaked cross.

A successful barrister, Simon Tolkien does a wonderful job of dramatizing the courtroom battles that ensued between the short, pompous prosecutor Gerald "Tiny" Thompson and the handsome, kind defendant, John Swift. Also, Tolkien must've conducted an incredible amount of research to have brought the 1950's back to vivid life. Perhaps, Tolkien will write a sequel featuring another thrilling investigation conducted by the morose, but dedicated William Trave who lost his son in a motorcycle accident. Tolkien's first mystery novel is "Final Witness" (a.k.a. "The Stepmother" in the UK) - another courtroom drama involving a family that is torn apart by murder.


Joseph B. Hoyos

This is a book that offers a multitude of converging noxious relationships calculated to keep the reader riveted. We have (1) multiple characters engaged in one form of subterfuge or another, (2) a war hero whose actions were anything but heroic, (3) a murder to be solved - was it for monetary gain or revenge, (4) a prosecutor who is out for a conviction - and doesn't want anyone challenging his version of what happened and why (5) a police officer who has more than a passing interest in pursuing the evidence that might free an accused man who reminds him of his deceased son, (7) a secret worth killing for and (6) a critique of a British justice system that executes the convicted individual within weeks not years thereby limiting the chance of repeated appeals.

Author, Simon Tolkien skillfully intertwines the threads of a WWII crime with current day scenarios of participants engaged in acts of conspiracy, deceit, adultry, revenge and murder. Integral to the story is the centuries old mystery of a codex whose solution, it is said, will divulge the final resting place of the jeweled Cross of St. Peter. Tolkien gifts his readers with a flowing verbal pictorial that is a finely executed mixture of a "cozy", historical fiction, suspenseful courtroom drama, and a series of quests worthy of Don Quixote.

While some readers may guess the truth well before the end of the tale, all are sure to enjoy the many intriguing twists and turns of this well crafted and literate whodunit. All I can say is "Who needs hamburger (Dan Brown) when steak (Simon Tolkien) is on the menu!" 4 ½ stars and a "heads up" to any Hollywood studio looking for a great vehicle. Some casting suggestions: Jeremy Irons or Liam Neeson as Colonel Cabe, Alex O'Loughlin as Stephen, Christian Bale as Silas, Alfred Molina as Ritter, Natalie Portman as Mary, Kiera Knightley as Sasha, Jude Law as Paul.....well you get the idea.

"The Inheritance" is a moderately successful throwback to the kind of Golden Age, drawing room murder mysteries that Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers were writing around the time that Simon Tolkien's grandfather was publishing "The Hobbit." I say moderately successful because, while the novel kept my attention until the (somewhat preposterous) end, I can't say I was exactly enthralled; there were times, in fact, when I was downright impatient. Part of my problem with the book is Tolkien's inclusion of what could best be described as The Dan Brown Element; in this case the search for a fabulously fabulous piece of Christian antiquity that may or may not blah blah blah. You get the picture. It's the kind of device that Hitchcock dubbed "The MacGuffin": that thing on which the plot turns, but is completely incidental and unimportant in and of itself. Here, it feels shoehorned into the book, as if Tolkien and/or his editors felt pressure to appeal to a mainstream sensibility. But imagine if halfway through "Gosford Park," it suddenly became "National Treasure."

Tolkien is, at best, a perfunctory writer, bluntly descriptive in his style. There's nothing poetic or evocative about his prose, and I found it disconcerting that, more than once, he would switch a chapter's point of view from one character to the next, sometimes mid-paragraph. Actually, the story itself is told from far too many points of view -- 6 at least, and not one particularly enthralling -- which gives you an indication of how unwieldy the mechanics of "The Inheritance" actually is. In the end, as far as I'm concerned, we're asked to overlook too many holes in the plot for the book to be a complete success. The major twist of the tale depends on a piece of information having, incredibly, eluded too many people for too many years; and the fate of Tolkien's MacGuffin is a serious anti-climax. Additionally, Tolkien gravely undermines his attempts at suspense by hinting, in his explanatory notes (the first thing we read), at the jury verdict he's going to wait two-thirds of his book to deliver. That kind of slipshod clumsiness pervades too much of the whole book, unfortunately.

Don't get me wrong; "The Inheritance" is not without its fun moments. Like watching a vintage murder mystery on TCM, it's a perfectly agreeable way of spending a few hours. And I sense that Tolkien is in on the joke; he knows how ludicrous this all is, but simply wants to entertain and tease our brains a little. But as with so many of those old, disposable flicks, nothing about "The Inheritance" stays with you for long.

Ultimately, it comes down to a writer who's bitten off more than he can chew. In striving to create something new by blending the style of the classic whodunits with a flash of modern day hokum, Tolkien only manages an uneasy melange of both, something neither fish nor foul.

Sometimes there is the unpleasant experience of reading a book that you immensely enjoy, and then finding yourself souring on it at the story progresses. This was my experience with *The Inheritance* by Simon Tolkien. Yes, he's related to the other Tolkien. J. R. R. Tolkien was his grandfather, in fact. This book was very frustrating for me, because it had so many elements that I normally would enjoy in a book, but in the end, these failed to interest me.

The book starts out with a prologue that sets up the dark secret that would be the focus of the novels. The narrative then skipped to 1950's England, where a young man is on trial for the murder of his father, a wealthy professor and retired World War II colonel. The evidence is stacked against him, and he is sure to be convicted and hung for his alleged crimes. The detective who arrested him for the original crime grows to believe the young man to be innocent, but is thwarted in his efforts to prove the innocence of the accused due to the efforts of the prosecution and a corrupt, biased judge.

Eventually, the police detective, Trave, does find the truth. All seems to be going well, until the end of the story, where things take a strange twist. The sudden plot twist seemed to be out of left field, as they would say. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Tolkien was trying to copy Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. In fact, much of the storytelling style is reminiscent of these two mystery authors, but done in a very shoddy manner. If imitation is a form of flattery, this is flattery of a clumsy, clunky kind.

To be sure, the book had its good points. The historical time period, referencing 1950's England, the World War II European theater flashbacks, the look into the inner workings of the English justice system, and the brilliant courtroom drama. In fact, the only thing that saved the book from being a total bust was the above areas. The book would be utterly contemptible without these elements.

This is sad, because Simon Tolkien has the talents for writing of his grandfather. I would actually give him the compliment of saying that his actual prose itself is better than that of J. R. R. Tolkien. Unfortunately, there is more to writing a great story than just the ability to write well. One has to have something to actually *say*. A story to *tell*. Tolkien's storytelling and world building are rather lackluster, and nowhere near the ability of his renowned grandfather.

The story seemed to be attempting to copy the more murky aspects of a few of the Holmes tales and Christie novels that made for some of the more chilly, yet fun, mysteries of the two. It fell flat, because Christie in her novels, and Doyle in his Holmes stories is able to draw the reader's interest. You care about the characters, and find the tale interesting. For the most part, the mystery is mostly solved by the characters with ample evidence. Rarely is a *Deus ex machine* used, as here it is by Tolkien.

I just couldn't find anything likable about most of the characters, and those that I did find somewhat likable were not ones I was given satisfactory information about. Tolkien introduces such a large assortment of characters that he was unable to spend much time on any one of them. The characterization was not bad, for what it was, but it was incomplete for the most part. Even where it was extensive, it was much less than would have been preferable. For the most part, it was superficial.

The other annoying part was that Tolkien seems to have put in some political and religious criticisms in the novel. His opposition to the death penalty and for the conservative ideas of the Tories in England are quite apparent. Do not get me wrong, this is fine. I don't mind reading someone's viewpoint, even if they oppose my own on certain points. My problem is that if the author is going to present the political ideas in a very heavy-handed manner, they had better have a pretty compelling story to keep the reader interested regardless. Whether ideas that I disagree with as in Tolkien's case, or am split on my agreement and disagreement with, as in Tom Clancy or Terry Goodkind, some authors are just plain clumsy about how they inject their beliefs into the books that they write. Unlike the equally heavy-handed Clancy and Goodkind, Tolkien is unable to write in such a way so as to draw the reader into the story. It's disappointing, because his grandfather and the other Inklings, including C. S. Lewis, were able to write their beliefs into stories without being iron-fisted about it all.

The ending of the story was what made the novel wholly unsatisfying. Not only did a *Deux ex machina* occur to end the story, which is quite annoying, but the ending was abrupt, and the bad guys got away. Yes, spoiler alert, the young man is cleared, but the bad guys get away, but not before hurting even more people to do it. In the end, it is hard to sympathize with the reason for their crimes, even though we are meant to do so, I think. It is also something for which we should feel sympathy. The level of evil they commit, however, is hard to feel sympathy towards. They get pleasure in their power to hurt people. Even when they show some mercy and do good near the end of the novel, they still are entirely, ruthlessly aware and proud of their power. In short, the bad guys win, and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The stories of Tolkien's inspirations, Doyle and Christie, where the bad guys won were well-written, so it was still a good read regardless. Plus, you were not encouraged to actually cheer for the bad guys. Here, you were encouraged to cheer for some truly nasty, evil people, who hurt others and ruined lives.

This book was an incredible disappointment to me. I love mystery stories, and Tolkien has so much promise, and such deep knowledge of the ins and outs of the English justice system. I should have been able to give this book "five stars". Yet, I find that I can give it hardly any credit at all, for I found this book to be barely worth reading in the end. A fun story, at its base level, but barely so. Quite sad. Not recommended.

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I received this novel from St. Martin's Press for the purposes of writing a review for them. I must emphasize that they do not ask for a particular type of review, whether positive or negative. I truly appreciate the chance to review this book, and the above opinions are my honest viewpoint. I also want to give my sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book, and thank you all for reading this review.