The Rules of Fortune

In the twisty latest from Prescod (Token Black Girl), the heirs of a billionaire construction manufacturer and real estate baron contend with his complex legacy. William Carter Jr., the son of a Boston janitor, built his company from the ground up and is now a respected Black philanthropist. The reader learns early on that William will die shortly before his 70th birthday, which the family plans to celebrate at their summer home on Martha’s Vineyard. As the occasion approaches, his filmmaker daughter, Kennedy, creates a tribute film as a present. Determined to show something more substantive than the shiny image the Carter Corporation has projected from its New York City headquarters, Kennedy digs into her father’s past, uncovering shady intel about the corporation’s monopoly on real estate in Ghana. Meanwhile, William learns someone is asking too many questions about his past dealings, and Prescod keeps the reader guessing as to whether that person is Kennedy or someone else. Further complicating matters, after William’s death, his son Asher, who is failing out of Harvard Business School, attempts to prove he’s fit to take over the company. Prescod deepens the drama by exploring Kennedy’s and Asher’s scruples (or lack thereof) and whether it’s possible to amass wealth with “clean hands” (Asher blithely says otherwise). Succession fans ought to take note. Agent: Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds Literary. (Feb.)