The Inheritance

by E. V. Morgan

Her life was built on a lie. The truth might destroy her.

Laurel Lane has always had a complicated relationship with her family. After her mother’s unexpected death, Laurel stumbles upon a sinister family secret her mother kept buried for decades. Haunted by what she’s uncovered, Laurel becomes consumed with exposing her family’s dark history and making those accountable pay.

But her obsession with the past threatens her already strained relationship with her sister Maura, who just wants to move on. As Laurel confronts the darkness lurking in her bloodline, she discovers darkness within herself, too – goading her towards violence. Surrounded by the remains of her fractured family, Laurel is forced to decide how far she’s willing to go in her quest for vengeance. Even if it means losing her sister forever…


Author's note: This book references suicide, domestic violence, and sexual abuse and may be triggering for some readers.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2025

About the author

Hi, I'm E.V. Morgan, author of The Inheritance, a work of psychological suspense. I love reading, cuddling with my animal companions (two cats, one dog), drinking matcha, gardening, hiking, and yoga. In my day job, I work in wildlife conservation.

Reviews

[Haly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is likely to be the most difficult review that I have written, not because the novel was bad, because it was quite good.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

The Inheritance is a dark novel filled with rage, incest, emotional and physical abuse and violence. It also contains bigotry, prejudice and a healthy dose of misogyny. It is not a novel that I would recommend to anyone who has experienced any of these issues.

This is a novel that I would recommend to students of sociology, psychology, women's studies, and criminology. The cold hard truths of how the abuses endured and witnessed by children are laid bare by the author. The author also writes about how abuse has an impact on many more people besides the abused.

This novel will also affect the reader in an emotional manner. The anger and frustration I felt toward the protagonist was real. The moments of hopelessness and despair were also real.

[Rebecca Voelker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could rate this book more than five stars because can not believe the book I read. The fact that the book discusses such tragic issues but kept me turning pages relentlessly is a testament to just how well this book is written. Each of the characters were so well developed that I felt I understood their motivations and emotional reactions very clearly. The far reaching reactions stemming from these traumatic events are explored thoroughly and seamlessly woven into the story.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Jessica Hockaday · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: Rape, SA, DV

This book. I don't even know where to begin. One thing I know for sure is that this story will never leave me. I did not truly see the ending of this book coming and the journey to the end was full of emotion. The trauma the characters went through and the paths they ultimately chose ... Just, wow. I highly recommend reading this book but check the trigger warnings.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a suspenseful book to grab your attention, this is the one! The FMC discovers there are dark hidden secrets in her family, after her mom passes away in a car accident, she finds something hidden in a trunk that makes her question their family past. She tries getting her sister to tell her about the things that have been hidden from her, but her sister will not budge and tells her to just move on. Why is her sister hiding things from her? Why is everyone telling her to forget the past and move on? She is determined to find out what everyone is hiding from her, even if it means tearing apart her and her sister. This book has many dark twists and suspense, along with psychological family drama. It will keep you wanting to know what's next.
I received a copy of this book from BookSirens and leaving my honest voluntary review.

[Karla Basil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had trouble putting this one down. I stayed up way too late reading making getting up for work the next day rough.
Laurel has a busy life. She’s in a graduate program at her local college where she is doing a field study on mountain lions. She would have preferred a more prestigious collage, like Yale, but when her father died a few years ago, she decided she needed to stay home to help her mother. Her mom suffered from depression, alcoholism, and drug use. Her sister, Maura, left home when Laurel was younger. She didn’t get along with their mom, and self harmed. Laurel had once found her in a pool of blood from cutting her wrists. Laurel longed for a relationship with her sister, but it was strained. They hadn’t spoken in years. Then, one day, Laurel gets a call from a family friend,Chris, who told her her mom had been killed in an automobile accident. Laurel reached out to her sister, who showed up at the cemetery. When Laurel questioned Maura about why she left, Maura told her to drop it, but Laurel couldn’t.
Laurel was having terrible abdominal pains. She went to the medical center on campus, but they told her it was stress, and possibly allergies to food. They recommend she take a test that checks for allergies. It also was a DNA test. When she got the results back, she was stunned to find she had a cousin. Her parents had always told her they had no siblings. She met April, and decided to dig around. She found a photo album buried in a trunk at her mom’s house. In it, were pictures of Maura with a man she didn’t recognize. When she turned it over, it had an inscription-Maura and Uncle Garrett. This picture would change Laurel’s life forever. She questioned Chris and Maura. Chris told her that her parents weren’t her parents. Maura confirmed it. She wants Laurel to drop it. She explained how she was abused by her uncle. She told her she had gotten pregnant from one of the times he raped her, and how she miscarried at school. She told her that was when the police got involved. However, they never charged him. She met April and told her Garrett was her father. She found him and learned that he was her mom’s brother and they had another brother, Brandon. She finds out Brandon is her father. She hunts him down against the advice of Chris, April, and Maura. Will she find him? Will she get the closure she needs?
There are several twist and turns. It is very suspenseful.. A great read.
Laure

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.V. Morgan wrote this well, it had that element that I was looking for and thought worked well as a psychological suspenseful read. The characters had that realism that I was looking for and was hooked from the first page. I was engaged with what was happening and thought everything worked together for a strong story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her past is not what she thought it was and it will come to light when her mother dies unexpectedly. She will learn some very dark secrets and her sister wants to know nothing about it. She becomes obsessed with learning the truth that she may lose her sister forever. See just where the past will take her
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I was soon caught up with her story

[Marijana Bankovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should come with a bunch of trigger warnings for subjects that come at you out of the left field. The story is well written, though some ideas and themes kept being mentioned way too frequently. With a bit of edit, this book can be greatly improved and be an easier and more interesting read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book handles so many difficult topics. I loved the complicated family connections and history between the characters. The more that is uncovered, the deeper Laurel falls into mental struggles of her own. If you can handle the triggers in this story, I highly recommend it.

4.5 stars rounded up!

[E. Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book! You might like it if you enjoy dark, twisty psychological suspense, family dramas, strong (but flawed) female protagonists, and stories exploring complex family dynamics.