Book review: See How They Fall by Rachel Paris

See How They Fall by Rachel Paris is an addictive debut novel taking readers into the somewhat warped world of the mega-rich. And we’re introduced to those born into it, those who marry into it, and those who suffer the consequences of falling into its orbit.

The events here take place through the eyes of Skye, an artist who married into the Turner family, and Mei O’Connor, a detective whose life has imploded as a result of a cheating boyfriend, forcing her to move in with her judgemental mother who’s just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Turner Corp, a luxury goods empire, has been rocked by the death of its founder. As his three sons gather at the family's opulent estate for a long weekend, tensions rise when an illegitimate heir is introduced - and no one could predict the tragedy that follows.

Skye, who married into the dynasty, is uneasy in her husband's world, hiding her own secrets while trying to maintain a normal life for their six-year-old daughter. The weekend quickly morphs into any parent's worst nightmare, leaving Skye desperate to uncover the truth about the Turner family.

Mei, the detective assigned to the case, is pressured by her superiors to close the investigation swiftly. However, as she begins to unpick the complex web of lies and betrayal, she realizes that pulling at these threads might just bring down an empire.

I received an early copy of this book and there’s a note inside from Paris who worked internationally as a corporate lawyer, so certainly came across families such as those we meet here – the Turners who’ve recently lost their self-made patriarch – and whose three sons have inherited his mega-wealth. The book opens at Easter when sons Jamie, Duncan and Hugo Turner have gathered at a family estate with their respective wives and children (or a friend in Hugo’s case). Skye’s marriage with Duncan seems to be a solid one and (after much trying) she’s content with their life with six-year old Tilly. Things are a little tense though as Duncan’s recently discovered he has a teenaged son to an old girlfriend and his brothers aren’t happy about the news.

I notice that the backcover blurb doesn’t share what happens here, so I’ll only go as far as saying that a day into the long weekend one of the family members is dead and another is in a coma. Given Skye is one of our narrators she obviously survives the weekend. In fact, Skye becomes a suspect and we learn a little about her past that has the police (and the media when it’s made public) doubting her. For that reason Skye is determined to uncover the Turner’s family secrets, motivated by Duncan’s secretive and (suddenly) gas-lighting behaviour which results in her being dosed up and sectioned.

Skye is assisted in her mission by Mei who’s been approached by a New York Times Journalist with fantastical claims about the Turner family and its links with Russian mafia. Dirty money, in fact, being the foundation on which the company’s tremendous wealth was built. Both Mai and Skye dig up some horrendous dirt on the Turner family and its legacy but it’s unclear whether that gives them the motivation to kill one of their own.

Paris takes this to a dark place, but it’s nuanced at the same time. Are people all-good or all-bad, or can they be a mix of both? Can a dedicated cop be swayed? Can someone be a wonderful son, father, husband or brother but also be evil, immoral or sadistic? History (and true crime documentaries) would say they can.

This is a great debut and I’d love to see Mei again, but am unsure if Paris views this as a launching point for a series (though there’s certainly a bit more to unpack in Mei’s past) or an opportunity to lift the curtains on the hidden and morally corrupt world of the super-wealthy.

See How They Fall by Rachel Paris was published in Australia by Hachette.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.