An atmospheric setting and a thrilling plot make The Oxford Inheritance an enthralling gothic

The Oxford Inheritance by Ann A McDonald William Morrow Mystery & Thrillers, Supernatural Pub Date: February 23, 2016 Review The Oxford Inheritance is an enthralling gothic thriller. I was literally hooked by the end of the prologue. In Oxford, money and lineage prevail over common justice. For generations, the scions of powerful businessmen and politicians have attended the various colleges. Cassandra Blackwell has lived off the grid for years after her mother's suicide. When a package addressed to her mother arrives, begging her to return to Oxford and end things once and for all, Cassandra decides to find the means to go to Oxford and discover the truth about her mother - and possibly the identity of her father. Amongst the history and the seductive glamour, Cassandra uncovers dark secrets and evidence of multiple murders. Her search for truth leads to darkness, and danger greater than she ever imagined. Cassandra is not an ordinary heroine. The path she takes to enter Raleigh College as a transfer is fraught with deception. Her ability to find information and the drive to educate herself is an essential part of her nature. Although it would be easy to fall into the same trap her mother did, she avoids it, in part by her self-reliance and in part because of what happened to her mother. There is a supernatural element that is essential to the story, as there is in many gothic novels. Ann McDonald has a masterful command of the English language. Her eloquent expression makes the novel all the more enjoyable. When you add this to an atmospheric setting, a thrilling plot, and a complex lead, you get an amazing novel. I can highly recommend The Oxford Inheritance. 5/5 The Oxford Inheritance is available for preorder and will be released February 23, 2016. I received a copy of The Oxford Inheritance from William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. --Crittermom Description At prestigious Oxford University, an American student searches for the truth about her mother’s death in this eerie, suspenseful thriller that blends money, murder, and black magic. You can’t keep it from her forever. She needs to know the truth. Cassandra Blackwell arrives in Oxford with one mission: to uncover the truth about her mother’s dark past. Raised in America, with no idea that her mother had ever studied at the famed college, a mysterious package now sends her across the ocean, determined to unravel the secrets that her mother took to her grave. Plunged into the glamorous, secretive life of Raleigh College, Cassie finds a world like no other: a world of ancient tradition, privilege—and murder. Beneath the hallowed halls of this storied university there is a mysterious force at work . . . A dark society that is shaping our world, and will stop at nothing to keep its grip on power. Cassie might be the only one who can stop them—but at what cost?