A Deadly Inheritance: Olivia Wells Mysteries, Book 1

by Jane McParkes, Laura Kirman (Narrator)

Eco -architect Olivia Wells returns from her successful life in New York to the Cornish village of Penbartha intent on fulfilling her god-father’s bequest to expand and oversee a co-working community of eco and creative entrepreneurs in a converted railway building.

Opposition to her endeavours soon surfaces and it becomes clear that not everyone is committed to the cause. Then, the day after an unexpected argument with someone she considered a friend and ally, Olivia finds her murdered body.

The tight-knit Cornish community hampers police investigations and when the forensic evidence places Olivia firmly in the frame, she is persuaded to put her trust in an unlikely accomplice. Using their unique combination of skills, they work together to try to clear her name, but their sleuthing gets them caught up in a dark web of secrets and lies.

Will Olivia be able to find the killer before they make her their next target, or will this inheritance turn out to be the deadliest of all?

Audible Audio

Published November 20, 2025

Reviews

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Deadly Inheritance' by Jane McParkes

This is Jane's DEBUT novel, not that you would ever think that!!! I mean this woman writes as if she has been doing it her whole life!! It is also the first book in her 'An Olivia Wells Mystery' series and what an explosive start to a new series it is! I cannot wait to get stuck into her next guaranteed success in this series which is already available to order on Amazon and is called 'Deadly Treasures'.

OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK!! IT TRULY IS AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GRIPPING AND PAGE TURNING EXPLOSIVE MUST READ!! AN ABSOLUTELY FANTADTIC READ FROM AN AMAZING DEBUT AUTHOR!!

The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing author Jane McParkes!! I was absolutely mind blown when I had finished this epic page turner and realised that it is actually her first book!! What an absolutely EPIC debut novel!! If THIS is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what on Earth you have come out with next!! This is definitely one of the best debut novels I have ever read and it is also one of my favourite cosy crime books of all times!!! You seriously have to grab your copy of this twisty and gripping cosy crime today!! The stunning setting, the twists, the realistic characters, the absolutely mind blowing twists and turns!!! This book NEEDS to be turned into a movie!!! This book really is an absolutely fantastic and explosive introduction to what promises to be one gripping and addictive series!! The storyline is so compelling and immersive it had me hooked throughout so make sure you clear your schedules before stepping into the world of Olivia Wells!!

Get ready to get whisked to Cornwall, delve into a fantastic murder mystery and discover a new favourite author and series today!

I am not going to go into the storyline as the synopsis already does a brilliant job of letting you know what the book is about and if you want to know more well you will just have to grab your copy of this brilliant page turner today and I promise that you will not regret it!! With an addictive storyline ram packed with mystery, crime, stunning settings, suspense, twists and so much more then what on Earth are you waiting for? Jane absolutely captivated my attention and sucked me deep into the storyline. I cannot even express in words how good this storyline in and how much I was completely sucked into the storyline!! If you love mysteries, crime, unique, mind blowing, addictive books and .do you know what? Whatever you like to read just give this a go and you will NOT regret it!!! As you can tell I absolutely LOVED this addictive and intriguing page turner!!! I honestly loved absolutely everything about it from the start to the end. It was just one heck of an amazing read!!! I absolutely love, love, LOVED the unique storyline!! I have read so many books that it is getting harder and harder for me to find a truly unique plot but Jane absolutely smashes it out of the park with this one!! There was no way I could put this book down until I had finished it. I picked it up and even though I kept telling myself just one more chapter I just could not put it down as every time I went to something happened which meant I had to read just one more again until I ended up reading it in one sitting having been glued to the book for a few hours!! I also listened to the audio version of this book which is also absolutely incredible!! It is narrated by Laura Kirman who does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the characters and storyline to life. This is the first book I have listened to that Laura has narrated but I will be keeping an eye out for books that she has narrated!! So regardless of whether you pick up the audiobook, a physical book or get it on kindle you are in for a fantastic treat! Jane's vivid evocative writing skills and descriptions really brought the storyline to life and I just cannot wait to get hooked into her next book!!! I have just never come across a book or movie anything like this one and I doubt I will again!!!! I really hope this is brought to the big screen and if not why not? I will definitely be first in line to watch it. I just genuinely love, love, LOVED IT!!! This book will suck you in and keep you gripped in the pages until your thrown out at the end with a racing heart!! A truly unforgettable one in a million page turner!!!! Get ready to pick your jaw up from the floor at the twists that you will NEVER see coming!! An absolute must read that I wont be forgetting about anytime soon!!

Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!

The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. Jane's brilliant evocative descriptions really makes them jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. I was completely invested in each and every one of the characters especially Olivia Wells who I loved "being next to" and investigating the mystery with. I really enjoyed getting to know her and look forward to seeing her again in the next book in this series. Each of the characters all played their own roles perfectly and they all had their own unique and individual personalities with their own flaws, strengths and weaknesses. The fact that this is Jane's debut novel yet she has managed to create these amazing, unique and strong characters is just absolutely amazing!!! All of the characters were multi layered with complex personalities which definitely made them all the more interesting to read about!!! Unfortunately, I really can not say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this page turning psychological thriller!!! I just cannot wait to see what characters this amazing author comes up with next!!! I genuinely loved getting to know all the characters and was completely invested throughout!! It just goes to show how fantastic Jane's writing skills are as she completely brought them all to life for me. An absolutely fantastic selection of unique characters that all worked together perfectly to create an absolutely gripping and addictive page turner!!! This book really is a truly unique page turner that I picked up this morning and had completely devoured it in a few hours!!!

Overall an absolutely unputdownable, mystery packed, intriguing cosy crime thriller that will keep you hooked!


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@JaneMcParkes @NoExitPress @RandomThingsTours @RandomTTours


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[Alannah Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Inheritance is a thoroughly engaging start to the Olivia Wells Mystery series. I really enjoyed following Olivia as she is drawn back into village life and becomes caught up in a suspicious death that quickly becomes more complex than it first appears. The small-town setting feels cosy without slipping into cliché, and McParkes creates a lovely balance between gentle humour and the darker elements of the investigation.

Olivia is an instantly likeable protagonist who is capable, curious and just flawed enough to feel real. I particularly enjoyed her interactions with the other villagers, which add both warmth and tension. The mystery itself is well paced, with enough twists to keep me guessing. Although I worked out part of the reveal, it did not lessen my enjoyment.

My only small criticism is that a couple of scenes felt slightly rushed, especially towards the end. However, overall this is a very satisfying cosy mystery with a strong sense of place and a heroine I am keen to follow. A solid four stars, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

[James Uscroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly cheesy, bog-standard and paint-by-numbers whodunnit, laced with all of the usual tropes and cliches. Such as the prodigal daughter returning to her childhood home in the aftermath of personal tragedy to fulfil her loved one's dreams. Her 'Definitely Not A Relationship' with the equally scarred and jaded, hunky man who also left his fast-paced city life behind and understands that she'll be going back to New York as soon as everything is settled. (Yeah, right.) Along with the "It's A Wonderful Life" style scene in which the entire community has come together to rebuild the café which almost burnt down. And through it all, the heavy-handed theme of truly sustainable, community-led, green redevelopment, versus the money grubbing property developers who only want the largest possible return on their investments and merely exploit environmental concerns as a marketing ploy.

But at the end of the day though, the only question when reviewing any 'Whodunnit' is whether the murder mystery itself is challenging, satisfying and engaging. And alas, not only did I figure out 'Whodunnit' at the very beginning. But the rest of the story was so completely unengaging and the character in question was so utterly insignificant, that in the end, after the grand shock twist revelation that they were the mole working with the property developers, it literally took me a moment to remember who they even were and how they were connected to the murders.

[Nikelle Hollender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute small community murder mystery. Fun characters and nice environmental connection. I will say at multiple points in the story, a character “felt a new little feeling they’ve not felt in a long while - called hope.” This is nice and all, but how many times within the same few weeks can the same character feel hope for the first time in a long time?

[Mandy reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Mystery bit of romance enjoyed Olivia’s character and how she evolved. Did guess the who done it early on