The Price of Inheritance: A Novel

Karin Tanabe

Aug 2014 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In this enthralling new novel from the author of The List (a “smartly paced and dishy debut,” Publishers Weekly, starred review), a young woman working in the high-end art world stumbles upon a rare antique—and an irresistible man with a dark past.

After eight years in the American Furniture department at Christie’s, twenty-nine-year-old Carolyn Everett is a rising star. But one wrong decision and a scandal leaves her unemployed and broken. Desperate to piece her life back together, Carolyn leaves New York City to work in a tiny antique store in Newport, Rhode Island.

One day at a small county auction, she discovers a piece of Middle Eastern pottery, which she purchases for twenty dollars on a hunch. Curiosity sends her on a mission to find its original owner, and she eventually winds up in the town’s United States Navy Base—and in a relationship with notorious womanizer Marine Sergeant Tyler Ford, who claims the relic came to him as a gift from his translator during the early days of the Iraq War. From two different worlds, Tyler and Carolyn become obsessed with the mysterious relic—and each other—until the origin of the art comes under intense scrutiny and reveals a darker side of Tyler’s past. Carolyn still feels like there’s more to the story, but can she risk attaching herself to another scandal—and does she truly know the man she’s fallen in love with?

The Price of Inheritance is a rare find of a novel. Engaging, suspenseful, and full of intrigue, it delves into the elite world of big bucks deals and dangerous black market promises, where one woman must decide whether she’s willing to gamble her greatest asset—her heart.

Ratings and reviews

I just finished reading the novel The Price of Inheritance by Karin Tanabe. Carolyn Everett is twenty-nine years old and has worked at Christie’s for the last ten years (the first two as an intern). She is the Senior Specialist of American Furniture and Decorative Arts. Carolyn recently acquired a desk that sold for $12.5 million dollars. Carolyn is now asked to go to Houston, Texas to see Elizabeth Tumlinsen. Elizabeth’s husband (now deceased) was a big collector and now she might sell off some of her collection. Carolyn and her friend as well as co-worker, Nicole are able to get the Tumlinsen collection. About a month before the items go up for sale, Carolyn receives a call from Nina Caine. Nina claims that a table that is going up for sale originally belonged to her mother and was stolen from her mother’s shop (it was during a period of looting). Carolyn talks to Nina about the desk, but does not get all the details. Nor does Carolyn mention any of this to her boss. After the entire collection is sold, Nina’s story is coming out in the papers. Carolyn’s boss is furious and fires Carolyn. Carolyn heads home to Newport, Rhode Island. She plans on staying about a month. While staying she works for William Miller Antiques. Carolyn worked for Williams when she was in high school and during the summer’s while in college. Carolyn will acquire items for the store. At a nearby auction Carolyn bids on a little foreign pottery bowl. She is not sure if it is authentic, but buys it for $20. Then she starts researching the little bowl. From the weight she does not believe it is authentic. She starts investigating where the item came from. It leads her to Tyler Ford, a Marine aviator. Tyler states he received it as a gift from a translator. Several people warn Carolyn about Tyler, but she starts dating him. They soon become quite close. Carolyn keeps looking into the bowl, but now she is not sure she is going to like the answers. I found The Price of Inheritance an interesting book, but a little long. I quickly got tired of Carolyn’s over-the-top reactions to the situation with Tyler (I am surprise she kept her job and friends). I think part of the problem with the book is Carolyn. I did not like her very much. I give The Price of Inheritance 3 out of 5 stars. There are some lovely descriptions of furniture in the book. I received a complimentary copy of The Price of Inheritance from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Amazing!

About the author

Karin Tanabe is the author of A Woman of Intelligence, The Gilded Years, The Price of Inheritance, A Hundred Suns, The Diplomat’s Daughter, and The List. A former Politico reporter, her writing has also appeared in the Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and The Washington Post. She has made frequent appearances as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and The CBS Early Show. A graduate of Vassar College, Karin lives in Washington, DC. To learn more visit KarinTanabe.com.