The Heirs

By Author / Illustrator

Faridah Abike-Iyimide

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Usborne

ISBN

9781835401002

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-07-2026

Synopsis

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. The utterly addictive new YA murder mystery thriller from Faridah Abike-Iyimide, the award-winning and bestselling author of ACE OF SPADES and WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE.

MEET THE HEIRS
Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.

FIVE PRODIGIES: Everyone has heard of the Button heirs: the five genius children of infamous billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and trained under the "Button Method", they've had no choice but to be brilliant.

ONE DEAD FATHER: But brilliance comes at a deadly price. Because at their father's tenth annual Prodigy Ball, Leontes Button is murdered.

A MANSION FULL OF SUSPECTS: As long-buried secrets come to light, one thing is clear: everyone at the ball had reason to want him dead. After all, their father was especially good at making enemies...

A rollercoaster of twists and turns with secrets, lies, murder and money, The Heirs is The Inheritance Games meets Knives Out.

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Reviews

Sam

The Heirs is another great YA mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, author of Where the Sleeping Girls Lie and Ace of Spades. Eccentric billionaire Leontes Button is obsessed with creating genius; determined to prove that genius can be acquired in the right 'conditions', Button adopts five children. He then restricts them to his secluded estate and attempts to "nurture" their talents.

From the very first pages, The Heirs had me totally intrigued. Four of the five adopted siblings is a prodigy in their own right: Octavius a musical maestro, Fola a brilliant mathematician, Bilal a champion fencer, and Perdita a gifted artist - while the fifth teen, Romeo, is a talentless failure, as far as his father is concerned. When Leontes is found dead during the annual Button Prodigy Ball, the glamorous event quickly turns into a crime scene, and everyone is a suspect.

At first The Heirs reads a little bit like a locked-room mystery, particularly when the Chief of the local police refuses to let anyone leave Button Manor until Leontes' murderer is caught. However, what unfolds is so much more: an emotional tale of a dysfunctional family, packed full of secrets and betrayal. As the siblings try to work out who is responsible for their father's death, they also need to come to terms with the impact his methods have had on their lives.

Told from shifting perspectives, with numerous plot twists and turns, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's writing is the perfect mix of obscure events and brilliant description intertwined to create an amazing, page-turning read. I highly recommend this for any confident KS3 age reader; a great escape from school set texts.

368 pages / Reviewed by Sam, teacher