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The Inheritance Murders
Crystal works as a personal assistant, but when her boss turns up sick, it is up to her to go to a rich client’s house and support him as his family prepares for his uncle’s passing. Finding her boss’ sex-filled emails makes Crystal determined to stay professional at all costs...until she meets the client’s brother, who is exactly her type of sexy. When the uncle dies under suspicious circumstances, Crystal takes on more duties than your average funeral tasks, investigating multiple deaths, searching a haunted house and becoming a sexual playmate. But, someone doesn’t want her around, and they’re willing to kill to keep their inheritance. Too bad for them that Crystal’s got a few tricks of her own. In this tale of sex, murder and ghosts, sometimes the hired help is a bit more than average, and sometimes bodies just won’t stay dead.
186 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2017
11 people want to read
About the author
E.L. Johnson
7 books33 followersI write novels. I'm a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and won the Sci-Fi London Film Festival’s 2014 48 hour Flash Fiction challenge.
When not penning stories I'm an avid reader, a decent epeé fencer, and live with my husband and cat Arya, named after the Game of Thrones character.
I also run a chatty book club in London and sometimes sing in metal bands in London.
Want fun updates from me on writing, fav tweets, lotsa books and mini mysteries?
Sign up to my newsletter: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/c...
When not penning stories I'm an avid reader, a decent epeé fencer, and live with my husband and cat Arya, named after the Game of Thrones character.
I also run a chatty book club in London and sometimes sing in metal bands in London.
Want fun updates from me on writing, fav tweets, lotsa books and mini mysteries?
Sign up to my newsletter: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/c...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 5, 2018
This line of the blurb is what grabbed my attention:
“In this tale of sex, murder and ghosts, sometimes the hired help is a bit more than average, and sometimes bodies just won’t stay dead.”
I wanted to know more. I needed to know. Sometimes curiosity kills the cat. While this story had a lot of potential, it kept driving me to distraction. Every time I thought I was understanding what was going on, I was thrown for a loop. I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have a clue to the deceptions that bled through this story, but some things didn’t make complete sense. I couldn’t find a trickle of fondness for any of the characters involved because although the author was descriptive, I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them. What little I did learn, I didn’t really like. However, I liked the way the author explored the paranormal mystery that shrouded the plot. It was intense and suspenseful and gave such an eerie sensation to this story.
So if you like a bit of sex mixed in with some mystery and ghosts, this book may just be what you’re looking for!
Release Date: October 15, 2017
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
POV: Multiple
Heat: 3.5 out of 5
Series/Standalone: Standalone
I wanted to know more. I needed to know. Sometimes curiosity kills the cat. While this story had a lot of potential, it kept driving me to distraction. Every time I thought I was understanding what was going on, I was thrown for a loop. I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have a clue to the deceptions that bled through this story, but some things didn’t make complete sense. I couldn’t find a trickle of fondness for any of the characters involved because although the author was descriptive, I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them. What little I did learn, I didn’t really like. However, I liked the way the author explored the paranormal mystery that shrouded the plot. It was intense and suspenseful and gave such an eerie sensation to this story.
So if you like a bit of sex mixed in with some mystery and ghosts, this book may just be what you’re looking for!
Release Date: October 15, 2017
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
POV: Multiple
Heat: 3.5 out of 5
Series/Standalone: Standalone
June 29, 2017
This was the strangest book. I don't even know how to categorize it. I took the haunted house and ghosts in the synopsis to be more metaphorical; they were not. This is a supernatural/paranormal read with a tiny bit of mystery and romance (if one could even call it that). I dug into this thinking it would be a mystery-thriller with some kink. But instead I got a whole lot of strange family dynamics, psychics and seers, randomly thrown in LGBTQ issues, a sex scene, a ghost, and a suspicious death.
Nothing was fleshed out, nothing was cohesive. It felt like every type of genre and plot device was thrown in. There's this "twist" near the end that I am sure was suppose to be a big "wtf" moment, but all it achieved for me was an eye roll.
Nothing was fleshed out, nothing was cohesive. It felt like every type of genre and plot device was thrown in. There's this "twist" near the end that I am sure was suppose to be a big "wtf" moment, but all it achieved for me was an eye roll.
July 24, 2017
Special thanks to NetGalley for giving me this book in return for an honest review.
The Inheritance Murders by Erin L. Johnson will be released October 15, 2017 by Sands Press.
Crystalline Glöe seems to be your average PA struggling to make a name for herself, so when her bitch of a boss falls seriously ill, Crystal sees an opportunity to prove her worth.
The Harcourts are a wealthy family preparing to say goodbye to their beloved Uncle Alvin but something darker hides in the shadows of this family's grand estate.
When Crystal arrives at the Harcourt House, she is surprised to learn her employer isn't interested in her skills as a PA. While she is asked to cover some paperwork, her main job is to pay close attention to the house.
Skeptical and slightly afraid, Crystal soon discovers odd happenings between romantic rendezvous, awkward visits with Uncle Alvin, snide remarks from Harcourt family members and horrifying encounters.
The family, however, is at the mercy of one another's selfish greed. The extended family is present solely for Uncle Alvin's money and each hopes to receive a sizable inheritance upon his death, but when Uncle Alvin, who only has hours to live, is suddenly murdered, his wife is attacked and the nurse is found dead, the entire household erupts in a panic.
What's going on, who can Crystal trust and, more importantly, can she survive the metaphysical occurrences at Harcourt House?
The Inheritance Murders makes for a compelling read but, unfortunately, there are several problems that remove the reader from the experience.
The book has not been published yet, therefore many of my grievances may be fixed, but for now there is a problem with going back and forth between past and present tense, First and Third person, rough or no transitions, British English in American character's dialogue, word repetition - often within the same sentence or paragraph - and belated introductions to new characters. The cover also makes no sense as this is not a romance, nor is it erotica.
Without the severe grammar and syntax issues - or the misleading title - The Inheritance Murders would have earn 5/5 stars. Unfortunately, unless it is cleaned up, it will receive a measly 3/5 for now.
Please read at your discretion.
The Inheritance Murders by Erin L. Johnson will be released October 15, 2017 by Sands Press.
Crystalline Glöe seems to be your average PA struggling to make a name for herself, so when her bitch of a boss falls seriously ill, Crystal sees an opportunity to prove her worth.
The Harcourts are a wealthy family preparing to say goodbye to their beloved Uncle Alvin but something darker hides in the shadows of this family's grand estate.
When Crystal arrives at the Harcourt House, she is surprised to learn her employer isn't interested in her skills as a PA. While she is asked to cover some paperwork, her main job is to pay close attention to the house.
Skeptical and slightly afraid, Crystal soon discovers odd happenings between romantic rendezvous, awkward visits with Uncle Alvin, snide remarks from Harcourt family members and horrifying encounters.
The family, however, is at the mercy of one another's selfish greed. The extended family is present solely for Uncle Alvin's money and each hopes to receive a sizable inheritance upon his death, but when Uncle Alvin, who only has hours to live, is suddenly murdered, his wife is attacked and the nurse is found dead, the entire household erupts in a panic.
What's going on, who can Crystal trust and, more importantly, can she survive the metaphysical occurrences at Harcourt House?
The Inheritance Murders makes for a compelling read but, unfortunately, there are several problems that remove the reader from the experience.
The book has not been published yet, therefore many of my grievances may be fixed, but for now there is a problem with going back and forth between past and present tense, First and Third person, rough or no transitions, British English in American character's dialogue, word repetition - often within the same sentence or paragraph - and belated introductions to new characters. The cover also makes no sense as this is not a romance, nor is it erotica.
Without the severe grammar and syntax issues - or the misleading title - The Inheritance Murders would have earn 5/5 stars. Unfortunately, unless it is cleaned up, it will receive a measly 3/5 for now.
Please read at your discretion.
November 17, 2017
The Inheritance Murders is one of the strangest, least cohesive books I've ever read. It's a strange combination of hokey paranormal, wannabe erotica, mystery and suspense all rolled into one unappealing story.
Crystal (Crystalline) is hired to help out one of her boss' clients for the weekend, acting as a PA as his uncle lays dying. She's expecting purely clerical/administrative work, but when she arrives, she finds that's not to be the case. Instead, what she ends up doing is being attracted to her boss for the weekend's brother, seeing ghosts, denying she can see ghosts, getting caught up in a new murder, a decades old murder, a little bit of trying to be BDSM, and dealing with generally unlikable people.
I ended up wondering what the heck I had just read. It wasn't erotica, no matter what it claims to be. It wasn't much of a paranormal thriller. It's not strictly a mystery. It's not very well-developed. The sex scenes had weird, cheesy dialogue and wording. The whole BDSM thing was just wrong, not even really BDSM. The Inheritance Murders is just one big mess of a book. There's nothing appealing about it and I'm upset I wasted an hour of my life reading it.
I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
Crystal (Crystalline) is hired to help out one of her boss' clients for the weekend, acting as a PA as his uncle lays dying. She's expecting purely clerical/administrative work, but when she arrives, she finds that's not to be the case. Instead, what she ends up doing is being attracted to her boss for the weekend's brother, seeing ghosts, denying she can see ghosts, getting caught up in a new murder, a decades old murder, a little bit of trying to be BDSM, and dealing with generally unlikable people.
I ended up wondering what the heck I had just read. It wasn't erotica, no matter what it claims to be. It wasn't much of a paranormal thriller. It's not strictly a mystery. It's not very well-developed. The sex scenes had weird, cheesy dialogue and wording. The whole BDSM thing was just wrong, not even really BDSM. The Inheritance Murders is just one big mess of a book. There's nothing appealing about it and I'm upset I wasted an hour of my life reading it.
I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
August 7, 2017
I found this book very strange and unrealistic
The story started well with Crystal wanting to prove to her boss, she was more than capable of providing the best service, to their top client.
The family's treatment of Crystal was quite strange but made you want to read on, to find out why they were so horrible to her. Unfortunately, this was not really explained in any great detail, even when the book finished.
Crystal did herself no favours, sleeping with Andrew then kissing the detective within hours of each other. If she wanted to be taken seriously, this is not the way to go about it and just proved what the family thought of her.
I found the story very far fetched, firstly the ghost, the death of the uncle then, the amount of times she was hit over the head, with seemingly no long term damage and very little consequences for who had hit her. The innocent members of the family were not shocked and had no sympathy for her at all.
I did finish the book but it did leave me wondering what on earth it was all about at the end.
The story started well with Crystal wanting to prove to her boss, she was more than capable of providing the best service, to their top client.
The family's treatment of Crystal was quite strange but made you want to read on, to find out why they were so horrible to her. Unfortunately, this was not really explained in any great detail, even when the book finished.
Crystal did herself no favours, sleeping with Andrew then kissing the detective within hours of each other. If she wanted to be taken seriously, this is not the way to go about it and just proved what the family thought of her.
I found the story very far fetched, firstly the ghost, the death of the uncle then, the amount of times she was hit over the head, with seemingly no long term damage and very little consequences for who had hit her. The innocent members of the family were not shocked and had no sympathy for her at all.
I did finish the book but it did leave me wondering what on earth it was all about at the end.
October 14, 2017
Confusing… The one and only word came to mind. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t read it in one sitting or what, but I just couldn’t follow. I couldn’t enjoy it.
It actually started good. I love paranormal books and never mind with sex scenes in a book. I actually expect a lot of it as this book fell under category erotica in NetGalley. A good erotica book will have both good story and good sex scenes. I found this book more like tangled mystery story with sex scenes thrown in here and there. Again, I have no idea if it because I didn’t read it in one go, but I found this book storyline jumbled up. It could be a better book, really.
I was provided a complementary copy by the author / publisher through NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions.
It actually started good. I love paranormal books and never mind with sex scenes in a book. I actually expect a lot of it as this book fell under category erotica in NetGalley. A good erotica book will have both good story and good sex scenes. I found this book more like tangled mystery story with sex scenes thrown in here and there. Again, I have no idea if it because I didn’t read it in one go, but I found this book storyline jumbled up. It could be a better book, really.
I was provided a complementary copy by the author / publisher through NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions.
August 30, 2017
Wow, I honestly didn't see that coming...... At first the book started off slow for me but after chapter one I really started to get into it. It had so many twist and turns, it made me want to skip to the end to find out what happened I'm glad I didn't cause I would have missed some key points to the storyline. I would actually like to see a part two for the characters of this book, it could really be a series. It's crazy what people will do for money, and in the end you never know what would happen. The biggest shocker to me in this story was the brothers, I truly didn't see that coming, but that's what makes a great book. Job well done!
October 30, 2017
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
A difficult read to get into. While I enjoy a good plot/mystery with erotica, I felt I had trouble staying focused on this novel. It was easy for me to put it down and step away and not be hounded by the usual “what happens next?” As whole, it was an enjoyable read even if it was a bit hard to follow. The characters were interesting to say the least and the erotic scenes were decent. Following a pretty graphic erotic novel, the scenes in this story seemed tame. I think I was just hoping for something…more raunchy?
A difficult read to get into. While I enjoy a good plot/mystery with erotica, I felt I had trouble staying focused on this novel. It was easy for me to put it down and step away and not be hounded by the usual “what happens next?” As whole, it was an enjoyable read even if it was a bit hard to follow. The characters were interesting to say the least and the erotic scenes were decent. Following a pretty graphic erotic novel, the scenes in this story seemed tame. I think I was just hoping for something…more raunchy?
July 28, 2017
This by far wasn't a bad read, it had enough intrigue and suspense to keep me turning the pages, but it was a little confusing at times. I think the book would have been a lot better if it focused more on the whole psychological thriller aspect with some steamy sex thrown in but the sex scenes seemed rushed and oddly misplaced within the book. Having said that though it's well worth a read and visualizing the Harcourt family as they all swoop in dogs and all does make for an interesting read.
September 1, 2017
Reading this for a while and finally finished, I wasn't going to leave a review but I feel people should be warned. This is a no for so many reasons plot, characters, relationships, everything. The cover is misleading this is not a romance or erotic if that's what you're looking for. This is on my WTF did I just read shelf and not for a good reason.
May 4, 2023
This book is a mish mash of short stories and found it quite dis-jointed to read. I found I was wanting certain chapters to continue but that it would end quite abruptly. This is not a type of writing that I enjoyed
February 28, 2018
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
September 25, 2017
This book started off really well and at a good pace! I liked the writing style and the main character, Crystalline, immediately. The mishaps leading to Crystal (nickname) being stuck at Harcourt Manor with a crazy entitled rich family whom were paying their "respects" to a dying uncle, were fun and believable. I liked that Crystal had some crazy family of her own and even a special gift. Like who doesn't love a good ghost story, right?!
However, the story got confusing and redundant about half way through the novel. The sex scenes seemed unrealistic in WHERE they occurred, WHEN they occurred and that they were caught during these sexual acts MULTIPLE times! Come on! Your uncle was just murdered and you have a house FULL of family who are suspects but you're still randy enough to do cunnilingus in the garden? I also, thought the vocabulary during some of the sex scenes was too reminiscent of another very popular series (*cough* 50 Shades *cough*) and seemed a little out of place with the novel.
The novel needed more character development. It needed less pointless conversation that did not further the story or plot. The extended family did not like Crystal and were suspicious of her.... We get it! We do not need it vocalized by a character every single scene. It made it kind of uncomfortable to read. Other than that, I think this story had a lot of potential! I like the paranormal aspect and the mystery. Some of the redundant themes and conversations were my only big complaint.
However, the story got confusing and redundant about half way through the novel. The sex scenes seemed unrealistic in WHERE they occurred, WHEN they occurred and that they were caught during these sexual acts MULTIPLE times! Come on! Your uncle was just murdered and you have a house FULL of family who are suspects but you're still randy enough to do cunnilingus in the garden? I also, thought the vocabulary during some of the sex scenes was too reminiscent of another very popular series (*cough* 50 Shades *cough*) and seemed a little out of place with the novel.
The novel needed more character development. It needed less pointless conversation that did not further the story or plot. The extended family did not like Crystal and were suspicious of her.... We get it! We do not need it vocalized by a character every single scene. It made it kind of uncomfortable to read. Other than that, I think this story had a lot of potential! I like the paranormal aspect and the mystery. Some of the redundant themes and conversations were my only big complaint.
September 20, 2017
This book was good. I love anything with a paranormal theme. I felt this story was too jittery and did not flow as well as it should have.
Otherwise I enjoyed the story
Otherwise I enjoyed the story
January 10, 2018
An interesting storyline with something that mystery lovers and ghost aficionados alike will love. Not overpoweringly supernatural, just enough to add a sprinkling of chills. Crystal will face the challenge of her young professional life and may be forced to accept her inherited powers. The question is, can she handle it and survive long enough to figure out who's behind all the evil at the house?
November 19, 2017
This book is really hard to follow. There's a large cast of characters but they are lacking feeling in them. The relationships all seem strained and forced.It seems as though the author was trying to add little bit of everything for everyone but it horribly mashed up. You end up with psychics and seers, randomly thrown in LGBTQ issues, a sex scene, a ghost, and a suspicious death. Lastly you get a very strange family dynamic.
I forced myself to finish this book.
I forced myself to finish this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews