View source for Fatal Legacy by Elizabeth Corley

{{infobox1 
|title= Fatal Legacy
|author= Elizabeth Corley
|reviewer= Kimberly Saunders
|genre=Crime 
|summary= These days the trend in crime thrillers tends to be either FBI or Scotland Yard based  yarns about elite profilers after a serial killer, or the forensic specialist or CSI type teams dazzling us with their expertise. Before this, we had gritty police procedurals with police officers  doing hard work sifting through evidence and interviewing witnesses trying to piece together a puzzle without the aid of fancy gimmicks. In this novel, Elizabeth Corley reinvites us into this world, and in so doing,also manages to reinvent the genre. This book quite frankly breathes new life into the old style crime thriller, and a welcome breath of fresh air it is too.
|rating=4.5 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=288 
|publisher= Allison & Busby
|date= June 2008
|isbn=978-0749080075 
|cover=0749080078
|aznuk=0749080078
|aznus=0749080078
}}

DCI Andrew Fenwick is a fully three dimensional human being that we warm to, as are his co-workers. They hit the beat, literally sifting through garbage and doing all the familiar detective work of old, as well as using as much high tech aid as their budget allows: namely using the Internet to Google for information. Likewise, the very realistic budget of a cash strapped police department means a distinct lack of super duper gadgetry and forensic opportunities. 

This doesn't stand in the way, however, when the managing director of Wainwright Enterprises is found dead. It's ruled a suicide, but his wayward son Graham is not sure. The business and family are thrown into  turmoil by his sudden death and the surprising contents of his will. The aura of suspicion surrounding the death deepens when the firm's accountant is found brutally murdered on a train on the same night a former madam is killed.  

Digging deeper, it becomes apparent to DCI Fenwick that these well respected pillars of society are not quite who they appear to be. Corruption is at every level, extending tendrils of influence into political corners in order to try and block the investigation. When Graham himself is found dead in suspicious circumstances, it becomes quite evident that one of these persons has a secret they are willing to kill for. Just who is it and what is their secret? And just how does the dead madam and a young down and out junkie from the fringes of society fit into the puzzle?

It's a story full of unexpected twists and turns, with skeletons in the closet aplenty and a tightly woven plot that grabs the reader and just won't let go. Highly recommended.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this book appeals to you then you might also like [[End in Tears by Ruth Rendell]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0749080078}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=0749080078}}

{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Thrillers]]