The Codicil (Unabridged)
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
Telcommunications magnate Matthew Marshall is dead from a stroke; his wife and three children are stunned to learn that half of his $105 million estate has been bequeathed in a codicil to his will to a child they never knew existed, the product of an affair years before during Marshall's service in Vietnam.
The estate hires Adam Bruno, an ex-lawyer, street-smart son of a bookie, to find out if this child is still alive. Bruno knows how to negotiate New York's minefields of class, identity, and politics but is thwarted at every turn by the convoluted legacy of Matthew Marshall, whose closely held secrets constitute a nearly rock-solid façade. Bruno's job suddenly becomes more dangerous when old secrets surface and the heirs get desperate.
Customer Reviews
The Codicil
This excellent study of the hypocricy of both the Vietnam War and family dynamics is well written with elements of detective/crime thriller and romantic adventure. The device of detection by sequential interviews with a cast of characters worthy of knowing personally is effectualized with a "Columbo" type protagonist. The excision of family from a wealthy Vets will in favor of a lost and unknown Vietnamese lover throws potential inheritors into a whirlwind of upset. As the story unfolds, hidden antipathy, infidelity and intrigue contributes to complex and intellectually stimulating storytelling. It's unfortunate this novel has been so sparsely read! Enjoy a gem.
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