The Brother in Law

by Maria Frankland

What is the price of silence?

There's no love lost between Drew and his brother in law Calum. Yet for the sake of their families, they're sometimes made to endure each other's company.

One forced invitation offers Calum the chance be part of an evening he'll never let Drew forget. Ever. With the secret Calum gains knowledge of, he can blow his brother in law's life apart.

Who deserves to get the better of the other, and at what cost?

Don't miss this domestic thriller novella which tells a whodunnit story of family blackmail.

Genres: Drama

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2021

About the author

Maria Frankland has a dubious internet search history and a very worried mother-in-law. However, neither of these things can stop her writing gripping psychological thrillers in which you’ll never find a happy-ever-after.

Her novels are mostly set in Yorkshire where you’ll hear the accent through all her characters. These are people you could live next door to, or closer still… don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Maria’s novels are fast-paced, down to earth and realistic. You never know what’s around the corner…

Find out more about Maria at https://www.mariafrankland.co.uk. Whilst you’re there, you can download your free novella – The Brother-in-Law.

Reviews

[Ms Sarah E Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished 'The Brother In Law'. Another brilliant thriller. I was completely immersed from the prologue. And the twist threw me completely. The last couple of chapters were not how I expected it to end at all. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Elle (IG: simply.elle18) · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Novella
• Suspenseful
• Page turner
• Domestic thriller
• Compelling
• Twisty

This one was great! I'm looking forward to reading this author's backlist now!

[Tig Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style drew me in and enabled me to picture the characters and settings; allowing me to have a better connection with the story and characters; sad for Erin and outraged by Callum’s, Drew’s, and Natalie’s actions. Although an exciting and grasping book with an easy-going yet enticing writing style, I sadly felt somewhat let down by the story after reading The Man Behind Closed Doors. The Man Behind Closed Doors told a story which although should be discussed way more often, isn’t, incredibly and powerfully whilst using a style which made it easily absorbing and completely gripping with an incredible ending. Whereas Brother-In-Law tells a story, although interesting, ultimately about two men who - in different ways - cheated their way through life. It was great that a female character was used with such strength, and there’s a great possibility that it was the competition of the storylines for me - of which The Man Behind Closed Doors definitely won for me personally. The beginning was incredible and held such strength, the story made me want to continue and discover what would happen, and the ending was great and used a female character in such a strong way but I wish that there was more of the ending and felt like if there was more of it then it would have added much more to the story. The characters were built greatly and even though Erin was more of a background character, I was able to build a connection with her. The story left me pondering what the future would hold for the characters - in a great way, and I can see many enjoying the story.

Thanks To Maria For The Advanced/Proof Copy.

[BooksandBacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had "The brother in Law" on my e-reader for a while and as I've lost my reading mojo, I'm currently reading short stories to recapture my pace. I should have read it earlier as it's such a great read.

Drew is celebrating his 40th and has invited a few friends out for drinks but he had to invite his brother-in-law Calum which Drew hates, not actually hates but there's no love between them.

Drew was born into money and has a successful marketing company, Calum is self-employed as a painter & decorator, not very successful I must add, bank balance on the red most of the time. After a few drinks, they decide to go to the casino and try their luck.

Drew is on a roll but Calum not so much, and he losses all his money, then Calum sees an opportunity to come into some money, lots of it.

What follows is an intricate plan of deceit, deception and greed, and the ending is not what you expect!!.

Such a brilliant thriller and Maria's writing style was spot on, it draws you in from the start.

Highly recommended.

[Charlotte Baddeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prologue of this book is pure genius. It immediately makes you want to read on if only to find out which brother-in-law died. This teaser keeps you guessing until almost the very last page. Frankland builds brilliantly on her characters. The highly unpleasant Calum and the more sympathetic Drew. Knowing one of them was dead I know who I wanted it to be from the beginning. What I didn’t expect was what happened at the end. The plot is clever and well thought out. I know the phrase page turner is clichéd but I really cannot think of any other way to describe this exciting and well written novella.

[Gales Tales70 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love a book that doesn’t always have a happy ever after. This one is kind of HEA with distortions 🤣 you’d have to read to understand. Another great read with another fab twist at the end and all within 3 hours. These are great short stories

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️
This was a quick and easy pallet cleanser.

[Anne Hurworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not my usual genre of book but I might well be tempted to read more. I was totally drawn in and gripped to the ending …. Which I didn’t expect.
This is the second of Maria Frankland’s books that I have read ( my daughter did the narration of the first book of hers that I read ) I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both.

[Karen Kilburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read, brilliant plot.

[Pheadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent quick read about a wealthy man who gets drunk and makes a mistake. His jealous brother in law decides to blackmail him and the fun and games begin.

4 and a half stars.

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars (I always round up if I give a half star.)

For a mere 114 pages, this was surprisingly well fleshed out. Ms. Frankland accomplished a lot in such a short book. Sometimes I feel like authors of novellas cut down the plot to keep the book short and I find myself wishing they would have written a few more chapters in between for a better and more complete story. I actually felt satisfied at the end of this book.

I also have to admit the author got me with who the true antagonist was. I spent most of the book thinking that this book was predictable and that I was going to feel disappointed by the end. Not so!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated calum
This was a fun easy read

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the plot of this book but the ending seemed to come a bit too quick for me. It all happened so quickly I didn’t realise I was at the end 😂

[Linda McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller! Absolutely loved this short read. It packed a punch for a short book. I love everything I have read from Maria. Crazy ending!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW I really enjoyed The Brother-in-Law a domestic novella thriller by Maria Frankland which was inspired by a real life story that came to Maria by an acquaintance of an acquaintance.

Drew is married to Erin and has a brother-in-law called Calum who is married to Sallie. The saying goes 'You can pick your friends but not your family.' certainly comes to fruitition when Calum puts across the idea that he would love to be invited to Drew's fortieth birthday to Erin his sister, as Drew is not that keen on him.

Drew and his party of male friends head off to celebrate in pubs and when they get full Calum puts across the idea that they should head to a casino as the pub was getting full and the bar service poor.

Drew is very wealthy and has his own business on the other hand Calum is a painter and decorator who is badly in debt due to gambling and drinking and is envious of the life that Drew leads even though Drew lends him money left right and centre to help him and his family but has never received a penny back.

Calum is devious and hatches a plan to have a bite of the cherry too as he desires the life style that Drew and Erin have.

Unbeknown to both Drew and Calum there is someone who has already hatched an even better plan which will lead to one of them being killed.

[Eva Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Brother-in-Law" by Maria Frankland is a straightforward, fast-paced psychological thriller centred around themes of family and greed. I've had this book for a while, and I wish I had read it earlier because it's such a compelling read. I appreciated how uncomplicated the narrative was—there were no unnecessary chapters to fill the pages. It goes straight to the action, exposing the dark backstabbing and blood-boiling events.

Drew runs a successful marketing company, while Calum, his brother-in-law, is self-employed as a not-so-successful painter and decorator. When Drew celebrates his 40th birthday, he invites a few friends for drinks, including Calum. After a few rounds, they decide to head to the casino to try their luck. Drew is on a winning streak, but Calum loses all his money and ends up borrowing from Drew. However, Calum has a plan—one that is dirty and manipulative but promises to bring in a lot of money.
How much does one mistake really cost?

[Holly Cerutti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style immediately drew me in, making it easy to picture the characters and connect emotionally with the story. I felt genuine sympathy for Erin and frustration toward Callum, Drew, and Natalie. The book is engaging and easy to read, with a strong opening that kept me turning the pages.

While The Brother-in-Law is interesting and features strong female moments—especially toward the end—it ultimately felt less powerful. The ending was satisfying but a bit too brief, and I wished it had been developed further.

The characters were well written, and even though Erin stayed mostly in the background, I still felt invested in her. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that I think many readers will appreciate, even if it didn’t resonate deeply with me.

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the author fits so many twists into a novella is nothing short of amazing. She’s also really good at creating characters that I really don’t like very much! lol I’ve read two full length novels by her, and there were very few characters I really wanted to root for, but somehow I still really enjoyed the books. That’s kind of unusual for me, since I usually like to be able to root for the main characters, but this author’s books seem to be an exception to that rule for me. I look forward to reading many more of her books. This one I got for free for signing up for her email newsletter. I probably would have been willing to pay for it, at least a little bit!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This domestic thriller Novella had me intrigued from the first page! The relationship between Drew and his brother-in-law is full of dislike for each other, deceit, and greed. I thought I had the plot sussed, it seemed clear right? I was way off! The complicity of several characters is interwoven into the story and kept me on my toes. I truly thought that Callum's second request would be granted immediately.... Great book, thanks Maria for sending me the link to download it, I really enjoyed it :)

Edit: Just tried to do a review on Amazon Au but couldn't find the book sorry

[Donna Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drew goes out with a few fellows including his brother-in-law, Calum, who he doesn’t like, to celebrate his 40th birthday. After a night of drinking and gambling at a casino, Drew wakes up the next morning with a girl in her bedroom. He goes to great lengths to keep this situation from his wife.
This is a twisted story of what people will do when greed and guilt becomes a priority in their lives.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not care much for this free book of the internet. Drew and his brother-in-law are out celebrating Drew's 40th birthday and Drew is very drunk. Neither one of them like each other much. Drew is rich, Calum is poor. He has hatched a plan, a way to get some of Drew's money. I will let you read the book and find out what it was. In the end, things go wrong. I thought the ending was very abrupt, left you hanging and really did not make much sense at all.

[Ney oh the thrill of it FN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well what a surprising little read that was. For a novella it was definitely punchy.

The character of Calum, the brother in law, was slimy and manipulative, making him really unlikeable. 

Drew at times felt a little naive but you still wanted to back him to come out on top. A lot happens in this short tale and it is definitely one to read.

I guessed part of the ending but was definitely shocked by the other side of the reveal. 

I look forward reading a full-length Maria Frankland book soon.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big novella fan but I was inbetween books and needed something to tide me over. A quick and satisfying read that really got my hackles up! All I can say is....play with fire and prepare to get your fingers burnt. Quite an unexpected twisty ending. A coffee time short tale that is well worth a read.

[C.A. Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Brother-in-law! It was a short story about 100 pages. The story was full of deceit, greed, and lies. The story had my attention from the start and the way this story turned out was jaw-dropping! The book read like a full novel with all the info packed into it, I was very impressed.

I absolutely recommend reading this story!

[Carla Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BROTHER IN LAW

I love a short story, and I was never going to pass up on the opportunity of a free, yes FREE ebook. And this novella did not disappoint.

The prologue grabbed my attention and before knew it I was immersed into an intricate story of lies, guilt, deceit and greed.

The twists in this novella were sensational and I was not expecting that ending.

Highly recommend.

[Bob Fendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a horrendous position for Drew to put himself in after a moment of weakness during a celebration on a night out with Calum, his brother-in-law, leading to blackmail.
This book by Maria Frankland is truly a page turner. It had me hooked, with such great suspense, and I did not see this ending coming. Totally expected outcome.
A brilliant must read novella. A must read book.

[Sarah Lewin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sharp, but with so many things going on the dual POV novella I wasn’t sure until the end, which man ended up being found dead by his wife after a night out. Blackmail, addictions, unfaithfulness, family ties and more. Highly recommend.

[Kirsty Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant read by Maria Frankland, she is a brilliant author.

[Michelle Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I liked this book. It definitely kept my interest. I had to know how the story ended. I recommend reading this.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it