The Caverel Claim

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and unusual British legal thriller
Review:

In 1994, though she knew her beloved Robin was dying, Andrea Caverel believed that the medical community would save her beloved spouse from the debilitating unknown virus that destroyed his body. Their three-year old son Francis becomes the seventeenth Baron Caverel, inheriting the vast estate.

South Carolina resident Sarah Wilson has come to London, insisting that she is actually Fleur Caverel and is the rightful heir to the vast estate. Apparently, Fleur claims that her ma was actually a foster mother, whom last month told her the truth about who she truly is. Sarah insists that she is the daughter of Robin's older brother Julian (died in 1978), who was the fifteenth Baron and that she, not Robin nor Francis, should have inherited the estate. The sides begin the battle in and out of the court to determine who is the rightful owner of the Caverel estate.

The recent gains in DNA testing (think Clinton and the dress, and the Romanov line), may make readers think this book is outdated. To the contrary, THE CAVEREL CLAIM remains an intriguing legal thriller that will remind readers of "Anastasia". The story line is fast-paced and the insight into the English peerage and court system quite intriguing. The motives of the characters seem genuine and help propel the tale forward. Fans of a British legal thriller, especially one that is a bit different from the norm, will enjoy Peter Rawlinson's claim to the sub-genre's upper echelon.

Harriet Klausner