u/Any-Programmer-5189

I'm looking for a psychological thriller I read repeatedly around 2002-2005, although I'm fairly certain it was published earlier (likely 1980s-early 2000s).

It was an adult novel that I found in a little library on a houseboat at my sailing club in Ontario, Canada.

Unfortunately, I only remember the ending really well because it completely shocked me.

Plot (as best as I can remember)

An elderly, wealthy heiress is dying and decides to leave her fortune to her newly discovered granddaughter instead of her son and his wife (I believe the wife is an actress or former actress who has been involved in numerous public scandals).

The granddaughter arrives and spends most of the novel uncovering old family secrets and scandals. As the reader, you're led to believe she's an innocent victim caught up in a dysfunctional, wealthy family.

Near the end, it's revealed that she had actually researched the family before she ever arrived and had been manipulating everyone from the beginning.

Some specific details I remember:

She drowns the grandmother herself. The grandmother was swimming outside, recognized her killer.

She stages her own poisoning to frame the grandmother's son and his actress wife.

I specifically remember that she used milk to counteract/survive the poison, making it appear as if the son and his wife had tried to kill her.

There is a young butler (or estate employee) who seems creepy. He and the granddaughter have a sexual relationship.

Near the end it's revealed that the butler is actually her brother (I think she may have known this and was simply using him).

I also think she kills him so he can't expose what she's done.

The biggest twist of the novel is that the woman we've believed to be the heroine is actually the murderer and mastermind behind everything.

Other things I remember

Paperback.

I vaguely remember a dark, brooding cover, possibly featuring a fence, gate, or large estate, but I'm not confident.

I always thought the author's name might have been something like Elizabeth Lyon/Lynon/Lyons, but I've never found anything under those names, so I'm almost certainly remembering it incorrectly.

I reread this book every summer because I loved the ending. It was the first thriller that genuinely fooled me.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I'm looking for an adult psychological thriller that I read repeatedly between 2002-2005, although I'm almost certain it was published earlier (likely sometime in the late 1980s, 1990s, or very early 2000s).

I found it in a small library on a houseboat at my sailing club in Ontario, Canada. It was a paperback with what I think was a dark, brooding cover, possibly featuring a wrought-iron fence, gate, or large estate, but I'm not confident about the cover.

The ending completely shocked me, and I've been trying to remember the title for years.

Plot

An elderly, wealthy heiress discovers her long-lost granddaughter and decides to leave her fortune to the granddaughter instead of her son and his wife. I believe the son's wife is an actress (or former actress) who has been involved in numerous public scandals.

The granddaughter arrives at the estate and spends most of the novel learning about the family's dark history and scandals. As readers, we're led to believe she's the innocent heroine and perhaps even a victim.

Then, in the final chapters, everything is turned upside down.

It's revealed that she had already researched the family before arriving and had been manipulating everyone from the very beginning.

The details I remember most clearly:

She murders the grandmother by drowning her. The grandmother was out swimming. It was the start of the book, and she recognized her killer. Yet, we as the reader don't know she is the murderer until the end.

She stages her own poisoning to frame the grandmother's son and his actress wife.

I specifically remember that she drank milk to survive or counteract the poison, making everyone believe someone had tried to murder her. Police show up, and arrest the son and wide, who i believe may have had a murder scandal in the past.

There is a young butler (or possibly another young estate employee) who has a sexual relationship with her.

Near the end it's revealed that the butler is actually her brother. I think she already knew this and was simply using him as part of her plan.

I also believe she kills him after he realizes what she's done, so no one can expose her.

The entire novel is essentially one huge twist, revealing that the woman we've been rooting for is actually the murderer and mastermind behind everything.

Other details

Adult psychological thriller / family suspense.

Paperback.

Probably published before 2005.

I vaguely remember thinking the author's name was something like Elizabeth Lyon, Lynon, or Lyons, but I have never found anything under those names, so I suspect I'm remembering it incorrectly.

I reread this book every summer when I was around 12-15 years old because I loved the ending. It was the first thriller that completely fooled me.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Even if you're only reminded of a similar book or author, I'd love to hear your suggestions!

I'm looking for a psychological thriller I read repeatedly around 2002-2005, although I'm fairly certain it was published earlier (likely 1980s-early 2000s). It was an adult novel that I found in a little library on a houseboat at my sailing club in Ontario, Canada.

Unfortunately, I only remember the ending really well because it completely shocked me.

Plot (as best as I can remember)

An elderly, wealthy heiress is dying and decides to leave her fortune to her newly discovered granddaughter instead of her son and his wife (I believe the wife is an actress or former actress who has been involved in numerous public scandals).

The granddaughter arrives and spends most of the novel uncovering old family secrets and scandals. As the reader, you're led to believe she's an innocent victim caught up in a dysfunctional, wealthy family.

Near the end, it's revealed that she had actually researched the family before she ever arrived and had been manipulating everyone from the beginning.

Some specific details I remember:

She drowns the grandmother herself.

She stages her own poisoning to frame the grandmother's son and his actress wife.

I specifically remember that she used milk to counteract/survive the poison, making it appear someone had tried to kill her.

There is a young butler (or estate employee) who seems creepy. He and the granddaughter have a sexual relationship.

Near the end it's revealed that the butler is actually her brother (I think she may have known this and was simply using him).

I also think she kills him so he can't expose what she's done.

The biggest twist of the novel is that the woman we've believed to be the heroine is actually the murderer and mastermind behind everything.

Other things I remember

Paperback.

I vaguely remember a dark, brooding cover, possibly featuring a fence, gate, or large estate, but I'm not confident.

I always thought the author's name might have been something like Elizabeth Lyon/Lynon/Lyons, but I've never found anything under those names, so I'm almost certainly remembering it incorrectly.

I reread this book every summer because I loved the ending. It was the first thriller that genuinely fooled me.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I'm looking for a psychological thriller I read repeatedly around 2002-2005, although I'm fairly certain it was published earlier (likely 1980s-early 2000s).

It was an adult novel that I found in a little library on a houseboat at my sailing club in Ontario, Canada.

Unfortunately, I only remember the ending really well because it completely shocked me.

Plot (as best as I can remember)

An elderly, wealthy heiress is dying and decides to leave her fortune to her newly discovered granddaughter instead of her son and his wife (I believe the wife is an actress or former actress who has been involved in numerous public scandals).

The granddaughter arrives and spends most of the novel uncovering old family secrets and scandals. As the reader, you're led to believe she's an innocent victim caught up in a dysfunctional, wealthy family.

Near the end, it's revealed that she had actually researched the family before she ever arrived and had been manipulating everyone from the beginning.

Some specific details I remember:

She drowns the grandmother herself. The grandmother was swimming outside, recognized her killer.

She stages her own poisoning to frame the grandmother's son and his actress wife.

I specifically remember that she used milk to counteract/survive the poison, making it appear as if the son and his wife had tried to kill her.

There is a young butler (or estate employee) who seems creepy. He and the granddaughter have a sexual relationship.

Near the end it's revealed that the butler is actually her brother (I think she may have known this and was simply using him).

I also think she kills him so he can't expose what she's done.

The biggest twist of the novel is that the woman we've believed to be the heroine is actually the murderer and mastermind behind everything.

Other things I remember

Paperback.

I vaguely remember a dark, brooding cover, possibly featuring a fence, gate, or large estate, but I'm not confident.

I always thought the author's name might have been something like Elizabeth Lyon/Lynon/Lyons, but I've never found anything under those names, so I'm almost certainly remembering it incorrectly.

I reread this book every summer because I loved the ending. It was the first thriller that genuinely fooled me.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?