The Deadly Inheritance of Everest MacDonald by AJ West

I loved AJ West's previous book, The Betrayal of Thomas True, so was keen to read this new one. Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Deadly Inheritance of Thomas True by AJ West. Huge thanks as always to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

1917. As the Great War rages on the continent, Everest Macdonald is summoned to her father's deathbed and entrusted with a final urgent request: she must uncover the truth behind the murder of her uncle, the celebrated Victorian actor William Terriss, a crime that has haunted her family for twenty years.

In 1897, Terriss was stabbed to death outside London’s Adelphi Theatre, a killing that shocked Victorian society. The murderer was swiftly arrested and confined to Broadmoor, the case declared closed. Yet years later, a sealed package of evidence passed to Everest by her dying father casts doubt on the official verdict and the haste with which it was reached.

Drawn back to wartime London, with her husband and children left behind, Everest begins her investigation, following a trail that leads her into the world of late-Victorian theatre, where fame and fortune mask obsession, envy and cruelty. With time running out and her father’s strength failing, Everest must uncover what really happened on the night Terriss died, and shed light on the
unsettling legacy he left behind…

My Review

What drew me to this book, in addition to living the previous book, was that it is rooted in historical fact. Actor William Terriss was murdered at a doorway to the Adelphi Theatre, and he did have a niece, the marvellously named Everest MacDonald. What a brilliant basis for a story. 

I loved Everest in her tweed skirt suit and bow tie - I mean, what an icon! - and her determination to fulfil her father's dying wish to find out what really happened to his brother. She heads off to London, seemingly without giving her husband or children a second thought. She's dogged and careful and aided in no small part by a young woman she meets on her journey who seems somehow familiar. Everest learns lots about her father during the investigation, and her uncle and aunt, and not all of it is favourable.

Through diary entries we learn about some of Everest's father's earlier life in Africa, sometimes featuring his brother Bill. I loved those sections, with the wonderful descriptions of the place, the people and the life. And through diary entries from William's wife Isabel, we learn about his life before he decided to become an actor. And there is some wild stuff in that tale! 

Back in 1917, the investigation is far from simple, and I loved the ghostly, otherwordly element to the story - it was a great read in the days before Halloween - when Everest doesn't know if she can trust her eyes. I loved the denouement, the drama, literally, of it all. 

The Deadly Inheritance of Everest MacDonald was such a great read. Colourful characters brought to life perfectly. The writing is so descriptive it was easy to imagine London in 1917, and Africa in the 1890s, and the other places this book takes us. The story is fascinating and The denouement is a cracker. A winner all round, I recommend you give it a look.

The Author

AJ West’s bestselling debut novel The Spirit Engineer won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award, gaining international praise for its telling of a long￾forgotten true story. His second novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, debuted at number two on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and won the CWA Historical Dagger. AJ was also shortlisted for the Booksellers Association Author the Year. An award-winning BBC newsreader and reporter, he has written for national newspapers and regularly appears on network television discussing his writing and the historical context of contemporary events. A passionate historical researcher, he writes at The London Library and museum archives around the world.