GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER

Rich people are the predators, until they become the prey, in this novel of psychological suspense.

It’s hard to be rich in Lapena’s knockout contribution to the trending fiction genre that skewers the elite. In the vividly rendered opening pages, readers feel the boat pitch and the wind howl as Ted and Jill Westcott sail out into the Atlantic Ocean with one thing on their minds: pushing Ted’s brother, Greg, overboard so they can inherit his $45 million fortune. The Westcotts, heavily in debt, borrowed from a loan shark, and the repayment is due. Greg’s sailboat, aptly named Fortune Seeker, seems the best place to commit a murder. No body to retrieve, no evidence to prove it was anything but an accident. What seems like the perfect crime turns into anything but when Paul Ramirez, an investigator with the U.S. Coast Guard, sets his sights on proving the Westcotts murdered Greg. Ramirez isn’t the only person who wants the Westcotts to go down. Jill’s wealthy best friend, Lara Donleavy, isn’t thrilled that the inheritance will make Jill richer than her. An acquaintance turned con artist wants to separate the Westcotts from their money, as does the resentful son of the Westcotts’ housecleaner. Then comes the anonymous text message: “I know what you did.” Blackmail threats ensue and Ted and Jill, wallowing in their perceived victimization, begin to suspect everyone in their orbit. Will the Westcotts get away with it or will they be exposed? Their sense of entitlement means they’ll kill again if they have to. This most satisfying novel dissects jealousy, vengefulness, and, for many of the characters, an unstoppable lust for money. The greedy get greedier as the Westcotts are pushed to their limits with enemies and the law at their heels.

A scrumptiously sinister novel about a couple willing to kill for an inheritance.