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DCI Andrew Fenwick #2
Fatal Legacy
All is not what it seems at the respectable firm Wainwright Enterprises. When the managing director Arthur Wainwright dies in a suspicious accident, his last will and testament throws the business and family into turmoil. Not only was Wainwright far, far richer than anyone had imagined, but, to the horror of the rest of the family, he has left the bulk of his estate to his nephew Alex and Alex's wife Sally.
When the beautiful but inscrutable Sally turns her sharp mind to the finances of the family firm, she exposes startling irregularities. But instead of involving the police and bringing more unwanted attention to the Wainwrights, she sets out to uncover the mystery herself. However, when the firm's financial controller is brutally murdered, the police are finally called in, with Detective Chief Inspector Fenwick heading the investigation.
Fenwick and his team quickly establish that there have been three other suspicious deaths connected to the Wainwrights. Have the deaths happened because the company is a front for illicit activity, or because someone wants a bigger share of Arthur Wainwright's fortune? As time slips by, it becomes clear that Fenwick is up against a cunning and ruthless criminal, or criminals. But time is running out, and so, too, is everyone's patience...
Faced with the challenge of balancing detective work with his single-parent commitments, DCI Andrew Fenwick brings new depth and dimension to a gripping police procedural. With its expert plotting and complex characters, Fatal Legacy is a thrilling introduction to this stunning new series.
When the beautiful but inscrutable Sally turns her sharp mind to the finances of the family firm, she exposes startling irregularities. But instead of involving the police and bringing more unwanted attention to the Wainwrights, she sets out to uncover the mystery herself. However, when the firm's financial controller is brutally murdered, the police are finally called in, with Detective Chief Inspector Fenwick heading the investigation.
Fenwick and his team quickly establish that there have been three other suspicious deaths connected to the Wainwrights. Have the deaths happened because the company is a front for illicit activity, or because someone wants a bigger share of Arthur Wainwright's fortune? As time slips by, it becomes clear that Fenwick is up against a cunning and ruthless criminal, or criminals. But time is running out, and so, too, is everyone's patience...
Faced with the challenge of balancing detective work with his single-parent commitments, DCI Andrew Fenwick brings new depth and dimension to a gripping police procedural. With its expert plotting and complex characters, Fatal Legacy is a thrilling introduction to this stunning new series.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2000
4 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Corley
13 books28 followersElizabeth Corley was born and brought up in West Sussex. Married with a stepdaughter, she manages to balance her crime-writing with a position as Chief Executive, Europe for a global investment company. A one-time committee member and vice-chairperson of the Crime Writers' Association, she is still an active member, while finding time to pursue her outside interests of travel, gardening and music.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 15, 2008
I love English mysteries. Even if they are not great, I love them. I will not apologize.
May 11, 2022
The back cover describes this as an edge-of-your-seat thriller...mmmm...well IMHO it was far too slow a tale to be described thus. Don't get me wrong, its a good tale with plenty of twists & turns & the characters were right enough but with the bulk of the story featuring the Wainwright family, the police investigation side seemed sadly lacking. I don't have a problem with this in a crime novel, after all there's no set formula which says what percentage has to be about police proceedure but in this case the emphasis on the family felt like padding & made the book overly long. By the end, rather a slip-shod one I felt, my interest was waning.
June 19, 2012
We meet DCI Andrew Fenwick again who has featured in all of her books. This story is a complex case which involves the huge family run Wainwright business. Alan Wainwright, the owner of this empire is found dead and his death is ruled suicide. His only son is expecting to inherit his fortune but he, along with the rest of the Wainwright family are shocked, when half of his assets along with the company are left to Alan's nephew Alex. Alex is married to the elusive Sally who is certainly not popular with the family after a whirlwind romance and very quick wedding to Alex. When Fenwick initially looks at the case it seems that it is a simple case of family jealousy. When Graham starts investigating Alex's wife, he doesn't like what he finds. When a second Wainwright family member is found dead Fenwick smells the starting of a murder case. The only problem is that he has to prove it. He along with the trust sidekicks Cooper and Nightingale throw themselves into the case head first. The story takes a turn for the worse when Fenwick's family are directly involved.
Unfortunately for me, I read Corley's books in the wrong order and I think this has maybe had an impact on my opinion of this book. I enjoyed Requim Mass which was her first novel and felt that the storyline was the strongest thing. However, my second book was then Grave Doubts which I gave a 5 star to and I absolutely loved. In reading Fatal Legacy I was in fact going back one step. I felt that the characters were under-developed (which is maybe why I enjoyed Grave Doubts so much) and that we didn't really get to know Fenwick, Cooper and Nightingale all that well. Aside from the characters themselves, the storyline was great (as usual), if like I said before a little complex. The book is based largely around the financial aspects of the company and Fenwick working out if the case is as simple as `Murder for Money'. Corley's descriptions of settings and scenarios are excellent and when you can feel the Detectives getting closer to the answers you can almost feel the tension rising in your body. In my (limited) opinion this makes for fantastic reading! Like her other books I felt I had to really involve myself in the story so I knew exactly who everybody was. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would only give it 3.5 out of 5. The reason for this is that because I have read Grave Doubts (the follow up to this story); I know just how good her writing can be. I am now eagerly anticipating reading her latest book Innocent Blood. I think that with her development of the characters in the follow up book and her great storytelling her latest one should be an absolute corker.
Unfortunately for me, I read Corley's books in the wrong order and I think this has maybe had an impact on my opinion of this book. I enjoyed Requim Mass which was her first novel and felt that the storyline was the strongest thing. However, my second book was then Grave Doubts which I gave a 5 star to and I absolutely loved. In reading Fatal Legacy I was in fact going back one step. I felt that the characters were under-developed (which is maybe why I enjoyed Grave Doubts so much) and that we didn't really get to know Fenwick, Cooper and Nightingale all that well. Aside from the characters themselves, the storyline was great (as usual), if like I said before a little complex. The book is based largely around the financial aspects of the company and Fenwick working out if the case is as simple as `Murder for Money'. Corley's descriptions of settings and scenarios are excellent and when you can feel the Detectives getting closer to the answers you can almost feel the tension rising in your body. In my (limited) opinion this makes for fantastic reading! Like her other books I felt I had to really involve myself in the story so I knew exactly who everybody was. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would only give it 3.5 out of 5. The reason for this is that because I have read Grave Doubts (the follow up to this story); I know just how good her writing can be. I am now eagerly anticipating reading her latest book Innocent Blood. I think that with her development of the characters in the follow up book and her great storytelling her latest one should be an absolute corker.
June 2, 2015
The book itself was great but the audio version was ruined by the slowness of the narrator. At times I thought the recording had stalled! Dreadful!
Want to read
September 6, 2018( Format : Audiobook )
" Always pay attention to the spiders. "
Otter Creek's bookseller, Del Patterson, had been called to inventory the vast collection of books left by one of her favourite customers following her untimely death a few days before. With her was Ivy, her cousin, staying with her after her escape from an abusive partnership. But the pair had barely started working when Del found Judge Reece, the dead women's son, murdered in his office. That night someone broke into De!'s home and only the fast arrival of Josh, an ex special ops. man now working for the local police, probably saved their lives. Coincidence? Josh didn't think so. With the arrival of F.B.I.man, Jordan, muddying the water, the race began to catch the dangerous perpetrator whilst providing much needed protection for the two women.
As a thriler, Fatal legacy is excellent, with good, fast paced action, conflict amongst the law agencies, normal everyday interaction (like cooking and chatting) in between frenzied activity and the sometimes creepy location descriptions. But for this reader, the who!e was marred by the over sentimenta!used and patronizing romance which oozes out at every possible moment. No, this reader is not a fan of that genre but, done well, the introduction of a love aspect can enhance a story, as Rebecca Deel has proved in earlier Otter Creek books. But this time, the constant endearments of, in particular, 'beautiful' and 'sweatheart' in almost every sentence, coupled with the plucky little woman sentiments (even when the women in question were crying and fainting with fear, or moaning with pain over a simple twisted ankle already raised up and not in use) became intensively irritating. So much so, this reader found it hard to continuing to listen to the final few chapters, despite the excellent narration of Kristina Fuller Yuen. Her reading was clearly articulated with good intonation and emotional presentation of text and characters. Her voicing for all of the protagonists was separately different and distinctive, appropriate for each one, also. And throughout she kept a fast pace. A very nice performance.
My thanks to the rights ho!der, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy of Fatal Legacy, via Audiobook Boom. Although I did not enjoy this one, for the reasons noted above, it has not deterred me from looking forward to any other Otter Creek stories should they occur. The delight of small town mysteries is re-meeting the folks from earlier books and I still retain a fondness for the town triplets with their penchant for officers of the police and, especially, the elderly and nosey local author.
" Always pay attention to the spiders. "
Otter Creek's bookseller, Del Patterson, had been called to inventory the vast collection of books left by one of her favourite customers following her untimely death a few days before. With her was Ivy, her cousin, staying with her after her escape from an abusive partnership. But the pair had barely started working when Del found Judge Reece, the dead women's son, murdered in his office. That night someone broke into De!'s home and only the fast arrival of Josh, an ex special ops. man now working for the local police, probably saved their lives. Coincidence? Josh didn't think so. With the arrival of F.B.I.man, Jordan, muddying the water, the race began to catch the dangerous perpetrator whilst providing much needed protection for the two women.
As a thriler, Fatal legacy is excellent, with good, fast paced action, conflict amongst the law agencies, normal everyday interaction (like cooking and chatting) in between frenzied activity and the sometimes creepy location descriptions. But for this reader, the who!e was marred by the over sentimenta!used and patronizing romance which oozes out at every possible moment. No, this reader is not a fan of that genre but, done well, the introduction of a love aspect can enhance a story, as Rebecca Deel has proved in earlier Otter Creek books. But this time, the constant endearments of, in particular, 'beautiful' and 'sweatheart' in almost every sentence, coupled with the plucky little woman sentiments (even when the women in question were crying and fainting with fear, or moaning with pain over a simple twisted ankle already raised up and not in use) became intensively irritating. So much so, this reader found it hard to continuing to listen to the final few chapters, despite the excellent narration of Kristina Fuller Yuen. Her reading was clearly articulated with good intonation and emotional presentation of text and characters. Her voicing for all of the protagonists was separately different and distinctive, appropriate for each one, also. And throughout she kept a fast pace. A very nice performance.
My thanks to the rights ho!der, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy of Fatal Legacy, via Audiobook Boom. Although I did not enjoy this one, for the reasons noted above, it has not deterred me from looking forward to any other Otter Creek stories should they occur. The delight of small town mysteries is re-meeting the folks from earlier books and I still retain a fondness for the town triplets with their penchant for officers of the police and, especially, the elderly and nosey local author.
September 9, 2024
I like the characters of DCI Andrew Fenwick and Nightengale. The mystery takes some time to develop, but certainly turns into a page-turner ending. I shall read more of the series. Kristi & Abby Tabby
November 4, 2021
As brilliant as the earlier works in the series
As brilliant as the earlier works in the series, this continues developing the series characters as well as introducing new ones
As brilliant as the earlier works in the series, this continues developing the series characters as well as introducing new ones
August 25, 2025
Interesting plot line, but the funniest moment was the victim’s name was listed as ‘Alan’ in the book and as ‘Arthur’ on the book jacket. Consistency would be preferred.
July 28, 2020
Inspector Andrew Fenwicks zweiter Fall: der Geschäftsmann Alan Wainwright wird tot in seinem Auto aufgefunden, offensichtlich durch Abgase vergiftet. Erst auf den zweiten Blick bemerken die Ermittler, dass es kein Selbstmord war.
Merkwürdigerweise hatte Wainwright vor seinem Tod sein Testament dahingehend geändert, dass sein Neffe Alexander, der immer eher im Hintergrund gestanden hatte, und seine Frau Sally, über deren Herkunft und Vorgeschichte niemand etwas weiß, stark begünstigt wurden, während sein eigener Sohn zurückstecken musste. Der Familienkrieg ist somit vorprogrammiert.
Und eines Tages gibt es in der Familie einen zweiten Toten, Graham Wainwright, Alans Sohn. Zunächst sieht es auch hier nach Selbstmord aus, doch erneut kann das Ermittlungsteam das Gegenteil beweisen. Jetzt gilt es, mit allen Kräften nach dem Schuldigen zu suchen.
Das Thema Erben ist ein Klassiker im Krimigenre, böse Zungen würden es vielleicht abgedroschen nennen. Vielleicht deshalb wurde ich von Anfang an nicht so richtig warm mit der Geschichte. Der sympathische Fenwick mit seiner Familie sowie seine Kollegin Louise Nightingale, die mir allesamt im ersten Band sehr ans Herz gewachsen sind, bleiben in diesem Buch ziemlich blass.
Der Fall an sich ist durchaus spannend, doch ich hatte viel zu früh den Verdacht, wer der Mörder sein könnte. Die Wainwrights fand ich ziemlich klischeehaft gezeichnet, den Plot konstruiert. Zum Schluss hin überschlagen sich die Ereignisse, hier wäre weniger eventuell mehr gewesen.
Der deutsche Titel hat mich auch gestört, weil ihm jeglicher Bezug zum Inhalt fehlte.
Nun hoffe ich auf Fenwicks dritten Fall und darauf, dass Elizabeth Corley darin wieder zur Form des ersten Bandes aufläuft.
Merkwürdigerweise hatte Wainwright vor seinem Tod sein Testament dahingehend geändert, dass sein Neffe Alexander, der immer eher im Hintergrund gestanden hatte, und seine Frau Sally, über deren Herkunft und Vorgeschichte niemand etwas weiß, stark begünstigt wurden, während sein eigener Sohn zurückstecken musste. Der Familienkrieg ist somit vorprogrammiert.
Und eines Tages gibt es in der Familie einen zweiten Toten, Graham Wainwright, Alans Sohn. Zunächst sieht es auch hier nach Selbstmord aus, doch erneut kann das Ermittlungsteam das Gegenteil beweisen. Jetzt gilt es, mit allen Kräften nach dem Schuldigen zu suchen.
Das Thema Erben ist ein Klassiker im Krimigenre, böse Zungen würden es vielleicht abgedroschen nennen. Vielleicht deshalb wurde ich von Anfang an nicht so richtig warm mit der Geschichte. Der sympathische Fenwick mit seiner Familie sowie seine Kollegin Louise Nightingale, die mir allesamt im ersten Band sehr ans Herz gewachsen sind, bleiben in diesem Buch ziemlich blass.
Der Fall an sich ist durchaus spannend, doch ich hatte viel zu früh den Verdacht, wer der Mörder sein könnte. Die Wainwrights fand ich ziemlich klischeehaft gezeichnet, den Plot konstruiert. Zum Schluss hin überschlagen sich die Ereignisse, hier wäre weniger eventuell mehr gewesen.
Der deutsche Titel hat mich auch gestört, weil ihm jeglicher Bezug zum Inhalt fehlte.
Nun hoffe ich auf Fenwicks dritten Fall und darauf, dass Elizabeth Corley darin wieder zur Form des ersten Bandes aufläuft.
September 10, 2007
Corley, Elizabeth – Fatal Legacy – Okay
The death of a wealthy English business owner a murder staged to resemble a suicide results in scathing remarks and vows of lawsuits at the reading of his vindictive will, when family members are surprised to learn that control of his business was sold long ago. Only when Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick investigates the murder of the company's financial controller does the earlier death come into question. Then an abundance of suspects appear, and layers of duplicity are peeled away to reveal family skeletons, changed identities, blackmail, financial irregularities, and dirty secrets.
A wealthy businessman dies and leaves his estate to his nephew and wife. I would like to have seen more character development. There was only one character for whom there was a real backstory given. I shan’t give it away, but the ending was one I anticipated.
The death of a wealthy English business owner a murder staged to resemble a suicide results in scathing remarks and vows of lawsuits at the reading of his vindictive will, when family members are surprised to learn that control of his business was sold long ago. Only when Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick investigates the murder of the company's financial controller does the earlier death come into question. Then an abundance of suspects appear, and layers of duplicity are peeled away to reveal family skeletons, changed identities, blackmail, financial irregularities, and dirty secrets.
A wealthy businessman dies and leaves his estate to his nephew and wife. I would like to have seen more character development. There was only one character for whom there was a real backstory given. I shan’t give it away, but the ending was one I anticipated.
July 14, 2013
I really loved this book. It was a slow start, but the characters became very absorbing. It is a police procedural that puts me in mind of P.D. James. It became apparent about half-way through who was responsible, but the tension didn't lessen a bit for me. Will find the other books in the series to read.
October 9, 2024
Way better than the first book in this series Requiem Mass which was way too long winding, this was at least interesting enough for me to want to find out how it ended.
December 20, 2012
Half way through this book I very nearly gave up. It is a very slow to get started police procedural. I did really enjoy the second half though so perhaps it was worth persevering. Will I read the next one? The jury's out.
July 11, 2014
The second book in the series featuring DCI Andrew Fenwick. The plot of this tale had many twists and turns keeping the reader interested and on edge until the last page. All in all, an exciting and enjoyable read.
August 13, 2013
Slow start, and again it seemed to go on forever. I listened to this when I was in bed ill and kept falling asleep. Maybe that's why it lasted forever as I kept having to go back over it! Not as good as the first book.
I love Bess the most.
I love Bess the most.
September 15, 2013
Interesting story. The author hints that Alexander is unaware of Sally's character. Gradually, the reader sees more of his manipulation. More and more of Sally's background bubbles up in her behavior. Anxious to see how she developes the nightingale-fenwick relationship.j
December 16, 2011
Didn't find this as good as the first in the series. Bit slow at the beginning but livened up half way through which saved it.
March 5, 2013
Another winner :-)
May 27, 2013
Enjoyed this. Lots of twists and turns which kept me interested throughout.
January 5, 2014
Sequel to REQUIEM MASS. British procedural featuring DCI Fenwick. Expert plotting with interesting characters.
April 29, 2014
was a very good read but dissapointing ending
September 4, 2014
Fabulous book in a fabulous series!
October 26, 2014
Second in the Andrew Fenwick police procedural series: a gripping, complex crime thriller distinguished by splendid characterization, breathtaking pacing and cleverly convoluted plotting.
June 15, 2016
Hurrah! A new (to me) series with an engaging protagonist, a detective inspector who is also a widower with two children he loves deeply. And a WPC on the fringes who finds him attractive....
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews