The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing Review

The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing

Mary Paulson-Ellis

This wonderful mystery is told, using a dual narrative. Firstly, there's Captain Godfrey Farthing during the dying days of World War I in early November 1918 and then there's Solomon Farthing in 2016, before the EU referendum.

Solomon is an old school heir hunter and he’s trying to track down the relatives of Thomas Methven who has died with no will and £50,000 sewn into his suit. His only clue is a very old pawn ticket found amongst the dead man’s belongings.

As Solomon digs further into Methven’s past, he starts to discover a connection to himself and to whatever happened between his grandfather & his men back in 1918. Captain Godfrey Farthing and his men were staying in an abandoned farmhouse awaiting orders, whilst hoping the end of the war would come first. The men spent lots of their time gambling with their small, prized possessions – such as spools of pink thread, a wishbone, a cap badge and an old pawn ticket! Through the story and into the present day, many of these items are passed on and seen to have a significance, but interestingly the original meaning is lost through time.

One of my favourite things in a book is a dual timeline narrative & I really enjoyed this one. Although it’s long, at 500 pages, the unfolding mystery made it a page turner. Oh & if you’ve read her previous book, The Other Mrs Walker, then curiously Margaret Penny pops up in this one!

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