An Inheritance of Lies by Rebecca Carter fell into the audiobook portion of my Netgalley a month of so ago. It officially came out at the start of May and has been since chosen as editors choice from the Historical Novel Society and gained a small amount of recognition elsewhere too.

As an enjoyer of historical fiction, often as a way for me to discover topics to be able to research more on, this was one that I wanted to give a listen to for that exact reason but also because it seemed to have shock worthy potential.

The audiobook itself could have packed a bit more of a punch with a more dramatic reading. There were some sentences, paragraphs and even whole chapters that had a lot going on which would have felt a lot more impactful with a slightly different audio approach. It was still a reasonable listen, it just could have done with a bit more passion in it.

With the title of the book it will likely come as no surprise that this books foundations involves not everything being as it seems; It just becomes a case of trying to figure out exactly why.

We are introduced to Alexandra, our female main character, as she seems to be exploring town one evening and going against all social standards and expectations by going into drinking houses/bars by herself. She seems to be preparing herself, perhaps settling her nerves a little, ahead of having to attend her parents will reading the following day after they died in a tragic accident.

In doing so she ends up in a little bit of trouble and is only saved by our Cameron who escorts her back to an address and they have a discussion along the way. It’s uncertain to if Alexandra will ever reach out to Cameron again or if their paths will find a way to cross again.

As the will reading comes around, with Alexandra and her uncle present, she hears some soul destroying news. Her father, who she always thought encouraged her independence especially given he approved of her studying law, has put in a clause that to get her inheritance she must marry and until that date it is in the possession of her uncle.

The inclusion of all these initial happenings in the book, as well as some snippets further in, highlight the unbalance between men and women during the period and how studying, independence and ownership of capital was still very much frowned up without a man to manage it. The events are enough to make the reader go into a quiet seething rage at the way Alexandra is being treated and you end up feeling for her as she battles for an education, independence and maintaining her family legacy so strongly in a room where her voice is drowned out by those of men.

Alexandra starts to put the pieces together but chooses to keep a lot of things close to her chest. She meets up with her childhood sweetheart, her best friend’s brother, but her plans to return to him and their previous engagement are thwarted by complexity. She tells them both that she must leave because of the will and parts ways with them, sadly, after one final meal together in New York. These interactions show Alexandra having remorse and despair for decisions she made and what it now means to her future and she has to figure out a different course of action. As a reader we are left to feel heartbroken from Alexandra and her two close friends here because, beyond them potentially not seeing each other again, they sense the unfairness and unhappiness of Alexandra having her life and dreams pulled from under her feet. Despite the sadness they share hey simultaneously do nothing to stop the events and there is a sense this is because they have a social status and appearance to maintain in the world Alexandra is being forced to leave behind and that adds to the simmering rage as a reader.

The will reading is just the start of the deceit and the lies that will take Alexandra from the US to the UK, the original land of her parents, on the RMS Lusitania. As she boards she quickly meets a number more characters that will play small but crucial parts in the story and they will mention, what turns out to be a terrible foreboding, of the risk of the Germans bombing the ship as they approach Liverpool.

The story of RMS Lusitania is very rarely discussed, and I will admit albeit shamefully, that I was completely unaware that such a ship even existed apart from its name being referenced in the Titanic movie let alone the fate that it suffered. This book gave me a good avenue of research and for that I am always thankful.

Through a number of events and conversations there is Alexandra, Cameron, her uncle and their hired help aboard this ship with nowhere to go and only the length of the journey to finish getting to the bottom of the truth behind the inheritance but also the people around her. Even when you start to think you’ve pieced everything together Rebecca writes in a subtle sentence that throws everything off that course of thought and this continues throughout brilliantly throughout.

The collection of all the events on the boat come to a fantastic and fast-paced conclusion that reveals Alexandra put trust and distrust in some unwarranted places.

The book itself would have finished on a much stronger note had it ended as they found themselves standing back on dry land in Liverpool; Instead there is an additional couple of chapters that weaken the impact in an attempt to give the readers closure. Some of those endings would have been better left untouched or unmentioned though as it felt a little bit rushed, lacking in description and partially unrealistic or with the logic not truly explained.

if you’re into the fake relationship/marriage of convenience tropes that comes with a mix of drama and mystery in a historical setting that also briefly covers feminism and social expectations you are likely to enjoy this book.