The Heirs

The narrative in bestselling author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s new crime thriller is split between five siblings, and the mystery at its heart is the murder of their father, the billionaire founder of a games company. The five have more reason than anyone to have killed him, and should be the prime suspects though – a theme of the book – their immense wealth seems to protect them, as it appears that immunity from  justice really can be bought. All from different parts of the world, the five Button children were adopted by their father and brought up as the human equivalent of lab rats, experiments in his theory that nurture trumps nature. This is apparently borne out as 4/5s of his subjects have become prodigies: Fola is the Brain; Octavius the Maestro; Bilal the Olympian; Perdita the artist. Only Romeo is deemed the Failure. The damage the pressures of their hot-house, restrictive childhoods have had on these young people is painfully clear as they gather again for their father’s annual Prodigy Ball, the scene of his murder. As the story unfolds through the eyes of the young Buttons, we learn more about those damaged childhoods and some of the particular events that caused the most harm. Their tragedies make for highly enjoyable reading, and the story builds neatly to the moment we witness the murder and then the arrest of the supposed murderer, which is followed by not one but two twists. The setting of unimaginable wealth is one that is always satisfying, especially as it brings no happiness to the beneficiaries, and the different characters of the five siblings add to the entertainment factor as they navigate events, look for love, and attempt to rebuild their relationships with one another. If the emotional arcs of the heirs aren’t quite developed enough to convince completely, there’s still more than enough here to intrigue and to keep the pages turning. It’s a scorching summer read.