The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing by Mary Paulson-Ellis

The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing features two narratives – first, a group of soldiers in an abandoned French farmyard in the final days of the Great War. There's also a modern-day Scottish heir-hunter, Solomon Farthing, seeking the rightful heir of £50,000 found sewn into the lining of recently deceased Thomas Methaven's funeral suit. This is a story portraying the trials and tribulations of a group of soldiers counting down the days until they can return home, and how the effects of unpaid debt between friends can ripple through generations with life-changing consequences.

Paulson-Ellis has created an action-packed story that hooks from the first chapter. Her superb characterisation pulls the reader in and allows you to both identify and empathise with their individual hardships. Full of clever twists and turns, she ultimately reveals how, despite the generations between them, two histories are inextricably linked. Moving between the past and present comes with its own moments of confusion, but the narrator is always on hand to clarify the most important facts and keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

At once contemporary and historical, The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing is a beautifully-told mystery showing the legacy of war.

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Mantle Books, 5 Sep, £16.99