The Rich Shall Inherit A Novel [Paperback]

Millions of dollars will belong to the person who can prove he or she is a descendant of the mystery woman called Poppy Mallory.  Millions of lies have been told along California's Gold Coast, in Paris's demimonde, and Italy's dangerous underworld, to hide the identity of her daughter . . . or son.  Millions of hopes grip the hearts of five desperate people, each of whom claim to be Poppy's heir and are willing to commit shocking acts of passion--or even murder--to prove it.  Millions of dreams buried in the past with Poppy's secrets are now about to be exposed if one determines investigative reporter can uncover the scandalous sin behind it all . . . Rises above the genre to surprise, fascinate . . . Genuine pathos, humor and inventiveness.
--Publishers WeeklyElizabeth Adleris the internationally acclaimed bestselling author of many novels, including Sooner or Later, Now or Never, The Secret of the Villa Mimosa,All or Nothing, andFortune Is a Woman.CHAPTER 1
 
The morning sunshine lightened the valley from green to gold as Mike Preston strode impatiently into the kitchen and flipped the switch on the coffee machine. To tell the truth, he was bored with the view of the Santa Ynez mountains; he was a man who needed the relentless pace and aggression of New York to spur him on—and yet it was to escape that same frantic life-style that he’d sought solitude in California.
 
Mike’s talent as an investigative journalist had earned him a Pulitzer prize, seven years ago, for his daring expose of corruption in high places. It was a snarled tale of armaments deals and contract payoffs that had eventually led to the dismissal, in disgrace, of a well-known general and Korean War hero, and the resignation of two members of the President’s personal cabinet.
 
The book that had followed had swept him to fame and fortune, earning him far more moneylcã