Author Nalini Singh Takes a Look at Wealthy Families in Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense
Agatha Christie’s Murder On the Orient Express, Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, and Trisha Sakhlecha’s The Inheritance all have two things in common: wealth and murder.
These three books are far from the only novels of suspense that feature wealthy people and dark deeds—often resulting from even darker secrets. We, as readers continue to be fascinated by the foibles of the rich and, in particular, rich families that are messy and troubled and complicated.
There’s even an entire true crime television show about it: Behind Mansion Walls.
The why of it is as complex a question as the families themselves. Right before I began to write this piece, I was listening to a podcast interview with Dr. Jennifer Lynn Barnes—PhD in psychology and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of young adult novels—on the psychology of fiction.
One of the things Dr. Barnes mentioned was “gossip theory.” This fascinated me, so of course I went down the rabbit hole of researching what it means both in psychological terms, and when it comes to fiction.
Now, I’m no psychologist, so take this with a grain of salt, but as I understand it, one of the arms of gossip theory is that gossip wasn’t a bad thing during human evolution—it was the sharing of knowledge that allowed us to survive and bond.
In a nutshell, as a species, gossip has been critical to our survival.
I theorize that stories about messed up families tap into that deep inner need and drive – we are the flies on the wall in these narratives, watching, listening, being startled and horrified. The best books give us multiple pieces of information (“gossip”) that we put together in our minds as we read on to reach the final conclusion.
But why wealthy families in particular?
Perhaps it’s because most of us will never experience a luxury cruise to Mars (The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal), buy a private island (The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha), or become heir to a mysterious mansion that was the site of multiple murders (The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell), and so it’s a glimpse behind a curtain that is very rarely pushed back in real life.
It’s the same reason shows like Succession, Empire, and Dynasty were hits, not to mention the countless reality shows focused on the lives of the wealthy.
Even as I wrote this, I saw a number of online articles and posts about wealth, power, and the privilege it brings. The latter has become ever more visible since the rise of social media—we can now literally see inside the closets of multi-millionaires (and wouldn’t that be a fantastic location for a locked room mystery, blood among the Louboutins and the bespoke suits?).
But back to the point at hand – privilege and power are topics that simmer constantly in society, and so they continue to simmer in fiction.
However, I believe there’s another reason suspense novels featuring wealthy families are such engrossing reads—it’s because the wealthy have more avenues and assistance to hide their secrets than ordinary, everyday families. Part of that is because of the power of reputation. In Such a Perfect Family, the reason a number of people keep a devastating secret is because this is a highly respected family of physicians, such good people—people who don’t “deserve” the stain on their reputation.
However, reputation and connections can also be used as a hammer in a mystery or thriller. In Maha Khan Phillips’ The Museum Detective, corruption is an ever present foe that attempts to thwart the protagonist.
The wealthy have money to bribe people, to simply pay off those who might have spoken, or to literally scare witnesses silent with their reach.
And so, they keep their secrets…until they don’t.
Because when the secrets of the wealthy are unearthed, they’re not only front page news in a local paper, they’re front page news everywhere. Nothing is small or circumspect in these stories—and perhaps that’s part of the allure, too. The sheer scope of the ripple effect, the unraveling of empire and reputation.
These stories are “big” even when they’re tightly focused on a single troubled family, and they invite us to join in on the dark and twisting ride.
A woman buried.
A woman broken.
A woman crashed.
A woman burned.
And the man who knew them all.
Love at first sight, a whirlwind Vegas wedding, a fairy-tale romance.
For forty-three days, Tavish Advani has been the happiest man in the world—until his new life turns to ash, his wealthy in-laws’ house going up in a fiery explosion. His badly injured wife lies in a coma, her family all but annihilated.
Tavish thought he’d left the sins of his Los Angeles life behind, but it’s not so easy to leave behind an investigation into the deaths of several high-profile women—all of whom he’d professed to love. Tragedy and death follow him no matter where he goes . . . but this time, he knows he’s truly innocent.
Desperately trying to clear his name as the authorities zero in, Tavish begins his own investigation into the fire—and learns that his wife’s picture-perfect family may have been nothing but a meticulously constructed mirage. The truth is much darker than anything Tavish could’ve imagined. . . .
