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Legacy
Julian, a successful businessman with a hotel in the French Alps, is persuaded to take over the reins of the family business in Yorkshire as his father’s health declines. The business is in the throes of a cycle of neglect, but why are Julian’s attempts to turnaround its fortunes opposed by his siblings?
Julian and his wife, Lotte, seem ill matched, but will news of her pregnancy rejuvenate their relationship? Is Julian’s friendship with Cassandra in the French Alps platonic? Will Lotte’s partying stop with the advent of motherhood? And all the while, an investigation into a missing person looms in the background.
As the Yorkshire business approaches bankruptcy, Julian takes desperate measures to save the business. Is this doomed to fail? Is it even legal? And will his siblings be won round so that the business can be saved? As he grapples with his business woes, boardroom drama, questions about the paternity of his son, Josh, Julian is increasingly drawn to his French business interests and to Cassandra. And will the missing person be thrust into the foreground?
Julian and his wife, Lotte, seem ill matched, but will news of her pregnancy rejuvenate their relationship? Is Julian’s friendship with Cassandra in the French Alps platonic? Will Lotte’s partying stop with the advent of motherhood? And all the while, an investigation into a missing person looms in the background.
As the Yorkshire business approaches bankruptcy, Julian takes desperate measures to save the business. Is this doomed to fail? Is it even legal? And will his siblings be won round so that the business can be saved? As he grapples with his business woes, boardroom drama, questions about the paternity of his son, Josh, Julian is increasingly drawn to his French business interests and to Cassandra. And will the missing person be thrust into the foreground?
314 pages, Paperback
Published March 17, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 19, 2025
" [...] The wheels of justice grind slowly, sir... [...]"
This was my first reading encounter with Jim Chambers' work and I sincerely hope it won't be the last.
"Legacy" is a good thriller that you can't tear yourself away from. A gripping plot, great action and an unpredictable ending make this story worth getting to know.
I met here, among others:
Julian, who runs his own business. He is a businessman and has a hotel in the French Alps. In addition, he is in conflict with his family. Something moved him with his father Terence, and his siblings: Luke and Emily took their father's side. Probably if it weren't for Terence's terminal illness, they would never have met face to face again. I'm not surprised by his behaviour. I would have done the same as Julian. I liked Julian, but I didn't like his wife, Lotte. She's just a bad woman. A money-hungry party girl. Watch out for her.
I didn't understand Terence either. His behaviour shocked me a lot. Was his decision to bring Julian to his company the right one? What will his other two children say about all this? Will Julian save his father's company from bankruptcy? Will the family business survive thanks to Julian?
I also met Simon Banks here, who wants to find out what really happened to his father - Scott. It's worth looking into this case. Is he still alive?
With this novel, we move in different times. Thanks to this, we can feel the plot even better. I'm glad that thanks to this novel I could find myself in the French Alps and Yorkshire.
The main themes of this book are:
- family conflict
- disappearance
- big steps to bankruptcy
- fraud
Are you ready to meet Julian and his tragic family?
The great cover also deserves your attention.
This was my first reading encounter with Jim Chambers' work and I sincerely hope it won't be the last.
"Legacy" is a good thriller that you can't tear yourself away from. A gripping plot, great action and an unpredictable ending make this story worth getting to know.
I met here, among others:
Julian, who runs his own business. He is a businessman and has a hotel in the French Alps. In addition, he is in conflict with his family. Something moved him with his father Terence, and his siblings: Luke and Emily took their father's side. Probably if it weren't for Terence's terminal illness, they would never have met face to face again. I'm not surprised by his behaviour. I would have done the same as Julian. I liked Julian, but I didn't like his wife, Lotte. She's just a bad woman. A money-hungry party girl. Watch out for her.
I didn't understand Terence either. His behaviour shocked me a lot. Was his decision to bring Julian to his company the right one? What will his other two children say about all this? Will Julian save his father's company from bankruptcy? Will the family business survive thanks to Julian?
I also met Simon Banks here, who wants to find out what really happened to his father - Scott. It's worth looking into this case. Is he still alive?
With this novel, we move in different times. Thanks to this, we can feel the plot even better. I'm glad that thanks to this novel I could find myself in the French Alps and Yorkshire.
The main themes of this book are:
- family conflict
- disappearance
- big steps to bankruptcy
- fraud
Are you ready to meet Julian and his tragic family?
The great cover also deserves your attention.
May 18, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story keeps you engaged and I managed to complete in a few days. It’s fair to say I didn’t want to put it down. There’s a bit of everything with the plot and storyline for this book, so I was totally engrossed. It’s thrilling for sure!
Many thanks to team @literallyPR for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Many thanks to team @literallyPR for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 19, 2025
The legacies left to family members to resolve comes under the eye of Jim Chambers in his fourth book, Legacy, the story of a family torn into combative elements through the unreasonable request of a dying man; their father Terrene Gerald Sinclair.
When Terrence is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he hands over the reins of Belle Hospitality to his son Julian, the only one of his three children with the business experience to be able to turn the ailing business around. The one condition is that the flagship pub, The Belle must remain in the family for all times.
Julian is disliked by his siblings Emma and Luke as well as his wife Lotte, as they see him as cold, hard, and distant. They are all shareholders in the Company and no matter what he and his Financial Director Thomas tell them about the parlous state of the Company, they refuse to agree to sell.
Julian also has his own business in France which is doing well, but the long reaching tentacles of COVID are beginning to make inroads there, or so it seems as there are anomalies showing up in the bookkeeping, which have been discovered up by Cassandra, a woman who has a tragic past; a woman who keeps her life very private.
When the police become interested in a cold case missing person who was once involved with the running of The Belle, along with several other pubs owned by the Company, Julian comes under the spotlight as having history with the missing man Scott Morrison.
This highlights the disintegration of his own marriage, the tragedy of his family and the fledgling feelings he is developing for Cassandra, on their quiet, reclusive weekends in France.
As the police dig deeper, they discover there is far more to Scott Morrison than just a petty crook and thug but how this involves the Sinclair family takes some time and eventually a little good luck to discover.
Within the Police department the reason behind the interest in the cold case is not as it would seem either which leaves Legacy poised at the precipice of what surely must be book 2 as the story reaches an interesting and heartfelt conclusion or pause………
When Terrence is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he hands over the reins of Belle Hospitality to his son Julian, the only one of his three children with the business experience to be able to turn the ailing business around. The one condition is that the flagship pub, The Belle must remain in the family for all times.
Julian is disliked by his siblings Emma and Luke as well as his wife Lotte, as they see him as cold, hard, and distant. They are all shareholders in the Company and no matter what he and his Financial Director Thomas tell them about the parlous state of the Company, they refuse to agree to sell.
Julian also has his own business in France which is doing well, but the long reaching tentacles of COVID are beginning to make inroads there, or so it seems as there are anomalies showing up in the bookkeeping, which have been discovered up by Cassandra, a woman who has a tragic past; a woman who keeps her life very private.
When the police become interested in a cold case missing person who was once involved with the running of The Belle, along with several other pubs owned by the Company, Julian comes under the spotlight as having history with the missing man Scott Morrison.
This highlights the disintegration of his own marriage, the tragedy of his family and the fledgling feelings he is developing for Cassandra, on their quiet, reclusive weekends in France.
As the police dig deeper, they discover there is far more to Scott Morrison than just a petty crook and thug but how this involves the Sinclair family takes some time and eventually a little good luck to discover.
Within the Police department the reason behind the interest in the cold case is not as it would seem either which leaves Legacy poised at the precipice of what surely must be book 2 as the story reaches an interesting and heartfelt conclusion or pause………
May 22, 2025
I was kindly gifted this by Literally PR in exchange for an honest review 📚
** Julian, a successful businessman with a hotel in the French Alps, is persuaded to take over the reins of the family business in Yorkshire as his father’s health declines. The business is in the throes of a cycle of neglect, but why are Julian’s attempts to turnaround its fortunes opposed by his siblings?
Julian and his wife, Lotte, seem ill matched, but will news of her pregnancy rejuvenate their relationship? Is Julian’s friendship with Cassandra in the French Alps platonic? Will Lotte’s partying stop with the advent of motherhood? And all the while, an investigation into a missing person looms in the background.
As the Yorkshire business approaches bankruptcy, Julian takes desperate measures to save the business. Is this doomed to fail? Is it even legal? And will his siblings be won round so that the business can be saved? As he grapples with his business woes, boardroom drama, questions about the paternity of his son, Josh, Julian is increasingly drawn to his French business interests and to Cassandra. And will the missing person be thrust into the foreground? **
When I got the option to review this book I was really interested to read it. I started it almost immediately and have been finished for quite a few weeks waiting to post a review!
The story was strong and it had a lot going on! The characters weren’t necessarily likeable people because they all had a lot of flaws but they were written in a way that even though I knew I wouldn’t like them if I met them I was very interested in their stories and what happened to them! (There was something especially sassy about Lotte!)
I gave this book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ . It was a really enjoyable read, in a couple of places it was a little technical on the business side but it didn’t detract from the story (and just showed my short fall in business knowledge!). I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give any spoilers but would definitely recommend this read 📚
** Julian, a successful businessman with a hotel in the French Alps, is persuaded to take over the reins of the family business in Yorkshire as his father’s health declines. The business is in the throes of a cycle of neglect, but why are Julian’s attempts to turnaround its fortunes opposed by his siblings?
Julian and his wife, Lotte, seem ill matched, but will news of her pregnancy rejuvenate their relationship? Is Julian’s friendship with Cassandra in the French Alps platonic? Will Lotte’s partying stop with the advent of motherhood? And all the while, an investigation into a missing person looms in the background.
As the Yorkshire business approaches bankruptcy, Julian takes desperate measures to save the business. Is this doomed to fail? Is it even legal? And will his siblings be won round so that the business can be saved? As he grapples with his business woes, boardroom drama, questions about the paternity of his son, Josh, Julian is increasingly drawn to his French business interests and to Cassandra. And will the missing person be thrust into the foreground? **
When I got the option to review this book I was really interested to read it. I started it almost immediately and have been finished for quite a few weeks waiting to post a review!
The story was strong and it had a lot going on! The characters weren’t necessarily likeable people because they all had a lot of flaws but they were written in a way that even though I knew I wouldn’t like them if I met them I was very interested in their stories and what happened to them! (There was something especially sassy about Lotte!)
I gave this book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ . It was a really enjoyable read, in a couple of places it was a little technical on the business side but it didn’t detract from the story (and just showed my short fall in business knowledge!). I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give any spoilers but would definitely recommend this read 📚
July 21, 2025
I usually love books set in the UK, especially mysteries. Sadly, I didn't care for this book for a number of reasons. For starters, there were too many pages filled with excessively long paragraphs, without even a pause. A bit too much detail about the business dealings in property management and speculation and the government programs as related to them to keep me engaged. It was part of the plot, but kept bogging down with just too much unnecessary information. Then surround it all with a family who find themselves unfortunately in a family owned business who not only hate one another but exhibit continual abusive behaviors. That got tedious. I was waiting for someone to just bring out the knives and end my misery. Couple that with the long and drawn out details of a seriously bad marriage where both spouses are cheating but one is held seemingly more at fault than the other, when both are equally at fault. Throw in a child with issues, caught between them, with nannies and housekeepers inserting themselves into the midst. All of this not resulting in a well tuned story but simply left begging for at least a partial and sensible resolution that simply would not come. The hinted mystery beneath it all was pretty tame and easily determined early on in the book, so no big reveal there. The resolution I had been begging for did come, but it all came all together in one big package near the ending. One big solution to a whole lot of problems, which I found rather unrealistic.
May 14, 2025
Legacy is a gripping exploration of loyalty, legacy, and the weight of family expectations, told through the eyes of a man who thought he had escaped the shadow of his past — until he’s dragged back in.
When Julian, a successful hotelier in the French Alps, returns to Yorkshire to save the collapsing family business, he’s forced to confront a web of dysfunction that includes a charismatic but domineering father, emotionally volatile siblings, and a wife with secrets of her own. A brewing financial crisis, a missing person investigation, and a crisis of identity converge in this sharp and emotionally layered novel.
Jim Chambers delivers a compelling character study wrapped in the suspense of a literary thriller. With echoes of William Boyd and Robert Harris, Legacy blends slow-burn tension with moments of dry wit and uncomfortable truths about how family history — and trauma — never really stays buried.
For readers who enjoy psychological insight, morally complex protagonists, and stories that pull no punches when it comes to ambition, fidelity, and betrayal, Legacy is an absorbing and thought-provoking read.
When Julian, a successful hotelier in the French Alps, returns to Yorkshire to save the collapsing family business, he’s forced to confront a web of dysfunction that includes a charismatic but domineering father, emotionally volatile siblings, and a wife with secrets of her own. A brewing financial crisis, a missing person investigation, and a crisis of identity converge in this sharp and emotionally layered novel.
Jim Chambers delivers a compelling character study wrapped in the suspense of a literary thriller. With echoes of William Boyd and Robert Harris, Legacy blends slow-burn tension with moments of dry wit and uncomfortable truths about how family history — and trauma — never really stays buried.
For readers who enjoy psychological insight, morally complex protagonists, and stories that pull no punches when it comes to ambition, fidelity, and betrayal, Legacy is an absorbing and thought-provoking read.
May 26, 2025
I found this book to be quite slow at the start, however that means we had a really good chance to get to know the characters. I think thatJim has really captured the complexities of human
relationships.Both within
a familial sense, as well as between employer and employee. The setting of 'covid times' was also really well written and the worries and problems that a lot of businesses had was completely realistic.
The characters were so well written, and as with people in real life my feelings towards them flitted from mistrust, hatred, pity and then an acceptance of them as flawed individuals. Some of the back stories were painful and difficult to read. Yet at the same time, they are the bits I liked the most.
This book is marketed as a thriller, but Fire me it fell slightly short in that regard. It was a good read nonetheless.
relationships.Both within
a familial sense, as well as between employer and employee. The setting of 'covid times' was also really well written and the worries and problems that a lot of businesses had was completely realistic.
The characters were so well written, and as with people in real life my feelings towards them flitted from mistrust, hatred, pity and then an acceptance of them as flawed individuals. Some of the back stories were painful and difficult to read. Yet at the same time, they are the bits I liked the most.
This book is marketed as a thriller, but Fire me it fell slightly short in that regard. It was a good read nonetheless.
May 27, 2025
So, I need more Julian in my life! I throughly enjoyed this book, interesting characters, multiple plots, different timelines and great settings.
Legacy has so much going on (at no point did it become confusing tho) there is family dynamics, romance, crime, business matters and relationship breakdowns. My favourite settings was Yorkshire and I was always eager for Julian to get back there.
I loved the use of different timelines, explaining both the crime and reasons for Julian’s indifference to his father. The different media styles were a good addition, tho I’m not sure I would be quite as polite to in my response to Emily 😂!
If you are looking for a multi-layed plot with interesting characters, you need to pick up this book!
Legacy has so much going on (at no point did it become confusing tho) there is family dynamics, romance, crime, business matters and relationship breakdowns. My favourite settings was Yorkshire and I was always eager for Julian to get back there.
I loved the use of different timelines, explaining both the crime and reasons for Julian’s indifference to his father. The different media styles were a good addition, tho I’m not sure I would be quite as polite to in my response to Emily 😂!
If you are looking for a multi-layed plot with interesting characters, you need to pick up this book!
May 23, 2025
A couple of weeks ago I was in the hospital for a serious reason! I took "Legacy" with me and I am so pleased I did it because the moment I started to read, I was so captivated by it, I simply couldn't leave it until I've finished it. The plot is great, the charaters well built and it made me forget about my pain and the reality around me. I highly recommend this book and I am sure I will hear about Jim Chambers soon enough, when yet another great book will keep me up all night.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews