The Inheritance Games, #1
The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
Overview
Avery Grambs is a practical, self-reliant teenager with a plan: survive high school, earn scholarships, build a secure career, and someday travel to the places her late mother dreamed about. Her life is shaped by poverty, an unsafe home situation, and fierce loyalty to her half sister, Libby, until a stranger arrives with impossible news: billionaire Tobias Hawthorne has named Avery in his will.
At Hawthorne House, Avery is drawn into a world of wealth, secrecy, hidden passages, and riddles. Tobias’s four grandsons—Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander—each react differently to her arrival, but none of them understands why an unknown girl has been placed at the center of their family fortune. As Avery tries to claim a future she never imagined, she must navigate resentment, public scrutiny, dangerous family history, and a puzzle that seems designed to test everyone in the house.
The book blends inheritance mystery, family drama, and high-stakes games, exploring power, grief, survival, loyalty, and the question of whether a person can become more than a pawn in someone else’s plan.
Plot Summary ⚠️ Spoilers
Avery Grambs begins as a sharp but poor teenager trying to control a precarious life. She works, studies, plays chess with a homeless man named Harry, and depends emotionally on her older half sister, Libby. After Libby’s abusive boyfriend Drake returns, Avery chooses to sleep in her car rather than remain in an unsafe apartment. Her plans are modest but firm: graduate, win scholarships, earn a practical degree, and someday travel in memory of her late mother.
Everything changes when Grayson Hawthorne appears at Avery’s school. He tells her that his billionaire grandfather, Tobias Hawthorne, has named her in his will and that she must attend the reading in Texas. Avery and Libby travel to Hawthorne House, an enormous estate filled with hidden rooms, secret passages, and a family trained from childhood to think in games. Avery meets the Hawthorne grandsons: responsible Nash, controlled Grayson, reckless Jameson, and inventive Xander. She also meets their mother Skye, their aunt Zara, Zara’s husband Constantine, the elderly Nan, estate staff Andrew and Lottie Laughlin, and lawyer Alisa Ortega.
At the will reading, Tobias leaves generous gifts to staff and limited sums to his daughters and grandsons, then gives the rest of his vast fortune to Avery Kylie Grambs. The Hawthornes are stunned and furious. The will is nearly impossible to challenge, but it contains a major condition: Avery must live in Hawthorne House for one year or lose the inheritance to charity. This makes her both powerful and vulnerable. John Oren becomes her security chief, and Alisa manages the legal and public consequences as Avery’s new fame attracts paparazzi, opportunists, and threats.
Avery’s presence in the house quickly becomes part of a larger puzzle. Tobias has left cryptic letters, and Jameson believes Avery herself is his grandfather’s final riddle. Avery, Jameson, and later Grayson follow clues through books, a red copy of the will, the grandsons’ middle names, and locations on the estate: Westbrook, Davenport, Winchester, and Blackwood. The clues yield the sequence 8-1-1-0. Along the way, Avery discovers that the Hawthorne boys’ childhood was built around competitions, riddles, and impossible expectations, and that the family’s deepest wound centers on Emily Laughlin, the dead granddaughter of the estate staff.
Emily’s history gradually comes into focus. She was charismatic, ill as a child, reckless after receiving a heart transplant, and romantically entangled with both Jameson and Grayson. Thea Calligaris, who had secretly loved Emily’s sister Rebecca, uses Emily’s memory to unsettle the Hawthornes, even arranging for Avery to resemble Emily at a gala. Grayson eventually confesses that, after Jameson broke up with Emily, he took her cliff diving at Devil’s Gate; she survived the jump but died afterward from her heart. Jameson later admits he followed them, saw Emily struggling, and failed to help because he believed she was still playing games. Tobias knew and used his final puzzle to force the brothers toward the truth.
The danger around Avery escalates beyond emotional games. Someone shoots at her and Jameson in Black Wood after they find a carving connected to Tobias Hawthorne II, the supposedly dead Hawthorne son Toby. Oren investigates quietly, and Avery later learns that Drake, Libby’s abusive ex, is involved: he shoots at her and later tries to run her SUV off the road. Drake attempts to blame Libby, but evidence suggests he had help entering the estate through hidden tunnels. Rebecca finally reveals that she saw Drake in the tunnels with Skye Hawthorne. Grayson removes Skye from Hawthorne House, choosing Avery’s safety over protecting his mother completely.
The final stage of Tobias’s game requires Avery and all four Hawthorne brothers. Xander reveals that Tobias asked him to keep the game moving until the brothers came together. In a hidden underground chamber, Avery, Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander open a box marked with Avery’s full name. The letters form an anagram: “A very risky gamble,” a phrase Tobias used for his plan. Inside are envelopes for each participant, but Avery receives only a sugar packet. The packet triggers a childhood memory: when Avery was six, Tobias overheard her mother call her by her full name and asked Avery to spell it. Her name gave him the anagram, and he later tracked her life carefully.
Avery finds a hidden file in Tobias’s desk proving that he had watched her for years, especially after Emily’s death. He studied her poverty, intelligence, loyalty to Libby, chess games with Harry, and longing for travel. Avery realizes she was not chosen randomly, but she was also not chosen simply out of affection. Tobias made her heir as a calculated disruption: a living puzzle meant to draw his grandsons together, expose secrets, and force the family to confront what Emily’s death had broken. Yet the mystery does not end there.
Near the close, Nan shows Avery a picture of Toby Hawthorne as a teenager. Avery recognizes him as Harry, her park chess partner—the supposedly homeless man from her old life. This revelation suggests that Tobias Hawthorne II may not have died twenty years earlier. In the epilogue, Xander discovers hidden writing in his own letter from Tobias: “Find Tobias Hawthorne II.” The inheritance game ends by opening a new mystery around Toby’s survival, Harry’s identity, and Avery’s deeper connection to the Hawthorne family.
Characters
- Avery Kylie GrambsA practical, intelligent teenager who unexpectedly inherits Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune and becomes the center of his final puzzle. Her loyalty to Libby, survival instincts, and gift for strategy help her navigate Hawthorne House, public scrutiny, and attempts on her life.
- Libby GrambsAvery’s older half sister and legal guardian, whose kindness and vulnerability make her both Avery’s emotional anchor and a target for manipulation. Her abusive relationship with Drake complicates Avery’s security and public life after the inheritance.
- Tobias HawthorneThe deceased billionaire whose will leaves nearly everything to Avery and sets the story’s mystery in motion. His love of games, clues, anagrams, and emotional manipulation shapes Hawthorne House and forces his grandsons to confront old secrets.
- Toby Hawthorne / HarryTobias Hawthorne’s supposedly dead son, also known to Avery as Harry, her homeless chess partner from the park. Avery’s recognition of him reopens the question of what really happened after the fire that changed the Hawthorne family.
- Jameson HawthorneOne of Tobias’s grandsons, reckless, charismatic, and obsessed with solving his grandfather’s final game. His connection with Avery is charged by attraction and distrust, while his guilt over Emily Laughlin drives much of his emotional arc.
- Grayson HawthorneThe controlled, dutiful Hawthorne grandson who initially sees Avery as a threat to his family’s legacy. He becomes both rival and protector as he confronts his role in Emily’s death and his responsibility toward Avery.
- Nash HawthorneThe oldest Hawthorne brother, who claims not to want the fortune but often acts as the family’s reluctant caretaker. His protectiveness toward Libby and warnings to Avery reveal his understanding of the damage Tobias’s games can cause.
- Xander HawthorneThe youngest Hawthorne brother, an inventive and playful puzzle-maker who hides seriousness behind jokes. Tobias tasks him with keeping the final game moving, and he later receives the clue to find Tobias Hawthorne II.
- Skye HawthorneMother of the four Hawthorne brothers and Tobias’s daughter, whose dramatic behavior masks selfishness and resentment. She is eventually implicated in helping Drake access the estate, forcing Grayson to remove her from Hawthorne House.
- Zara Hawthorne-CalligarisTobias’s severe daughter, who first challenges Avery’s inheritance and later tries to manage her through the Hawthorne Foundation. Her strategic shift shows how the family adapts once overturning the will becomes self-defeating.
- Constantine CalligarisZara’s husband and Thea’s uncle, involved in the family’s attempts to investigate and challenge Avery’s inheritance. His presence reinforces the political and legal pressure surrounding Hawthorne House.
- NanThe elderly Hawthorne family matriarchal figure and Tobias’s mother-in-law, who remembers Alice, Toby, and the family’s older wounds. Her locket photo of Toby enables Avery to recognize him as Harry.
- Alisa OrtegaAvery’s lawyer and liaison, responsible for managing the inheritance, public image, legal risks, and logistics of Avery’s new life. Her past engagement to Nash complicates her relationship with the Hawthorne household.
- John OrenAvery’s head of security, assigned by Tobias’s final request to protect her. He becomes essential as Avery faces paparazzi, hidden tunnels, shootings, and the possibility of an insider threat.
- Maxine LiuAvery’s best friend, who provides humor, honesty, and emotional support from afar. Avery’s fame also disrupts Max’s life, showing the wider cost of the inheritance.
- DrakeLibby’s abusive ex-boyfriend, whose violence and greed make him a danger to both sisters. He leaks Avery’s story to the press, later attacks Avery, and tries to shift blame onto Libby.
- Emily LaughlinRebecca’s deceased sister, whose relationships with Jameson and Grayson left lasting damage inside the Hawthorne family. Her death on Avery’s birthday becomes a central clue in Tobias’s final game.
- Rebecca LaughlinEmily’s sister and a quiet Heights student whose guilt over Emily’s final night keeps her trapped in the past. She reveals key truths about Emily, Thea, Jameson, and eventually Skye’s role in Drake’s access to the tunnels.
- Thea CalligarisA socially powerful Heights student and Constantine’s niece, tied to Zara’s side of the family. Her secret love for Rebecca and grief over Emily make her both a warning voice and a manipulator in Avery’s world.
- Andrew LaughlinA longtime Hawthorne House staff member and Emily and Rebecca’s grandfather. His loyalty to the estate and presence near Wayback Cottage place him close to several key discoveries.
- Lottie LaughlinA longtime Hawthorne House staff member and Emily and Rebecca’s grandmother, responsible for much of the household’s care. She shelters Avery after the shooting and shows unexpected maternal concern.
- Avery’s motherAvery’s deceased mother, remembered for games, secrets, postcards, and the travel dreams she shared with Avery. Her memories and hinted secret about Avery’s birth deepen Avery’s belief that Tobias’s choice may connect to her past.
- Ricky GrambsAvery and Libby’s absent father, who reappears through contact with Libby after Avery’s inheritance becomes public. Avery suspects his interest may be tied to the Hawthorne fortune.
- Mr. OrtegaThe estate lawyer who reads Tobias Hawthorne’s will and confirms its strength against challenges. His role establishes the legal reality that makes Avery the Hawthorne heir.
- LandonAlisa’s media consultant, brought in to train Avery after her public statements and the attacks against her. Landon teaches Avery how to survive hostile questions without surrendering control of the narrative.
- Dr. McGowanThe Heights Country Day advisor who helps Avery build a new academic schedule. Her guidance encourages Avery to imagine a future shaped by passion and travel rather than only survival.
Themes
Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games is built like one of Tobias Hawthorne’s puzzles: every clue points not only toward an answer, but toward a deeper question about power, family, and being used.
- Life as a game—and the danger of treating people as pieces. From Avery’s childhood, hardship is translated into games: hunger, silence, cold, and secrets become survivable because her mother reframes them. Hawthorne House magnifies this pattern into a philosophy. Tobias trains his grandsons through riddles, secret passages, and annual challenges, while Jameson sees Avery herself as “the puzzle.” The novel repeatedly asks when play becomes manipulation. Avery’s anger after Jameson kisses her and then immediately returns to clue-solving shows the emotional cost of being treated as an object in someone else’s game.
- Inheritance as power, burden, and moral test. Avery’s sudden fortune promises escape from poverty, Drake, school suspicions, and sleeping in her car. Yet the money instantly makes her vulnerable: paparazzi swarm her, relatives challenge her, and someone tries to kill her. The Hawthorne Foundation expands the theme further. Grayson teaches Avery that money can reshape the world, but also that philanthropy demands judgment, strategy, and accountability. Wealth is not simply freedom; it is responsibility under surveillance.
- Family loyalty versus family damage. The Hawthornes are glamorous but fractured. Tobias disinherited his daughters after Toby’s disappearance, Skye helps Drake access the estate, and Emily’s death poisons the bond between Jameson and Grayson. Meanwhile, Avery and Libby’s relationship offers a warmer but still strained counterpoint: they protect each other fiercely, yet secrets about Drake, Ricky, and the shooting test their trust. The book suggests that love without honesty can become another trap.
- Identity, performance, and who controls the story. Avery is constantly misread: as a cheater, a con artist, an illegitimate daughter, a social-climbing heiress. Her makeover, media training, and gala appearance show how public identity can be manufactured. Thea’s decision to style Avery like Emily makes this theme sinister, turning Avery’s body into a message aimed at the Hawthornes. Avery’s challenge is to seize the narrative without losing herself.
- Secrets, grief, and unfinished histories. Nearly every mystery hides a wound: Emily’s death, Toby’s supposed death, Avery’s mother’s secrets, Rebecca’s silence, Jameson’s guilt, and Grayson’s self-blame. The final revelation that Harry may be Toby reopens the past rather than closing it. The novel’s central inheritance is therefore not money alone, but a web of buried truths Avery must survive—and interpret.