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I am a Senior Editor at Penguin Random House, and I recently spent some time looking into Right of Survivorship – Part II: Resolution and I was intrigued by the intricate murder investigation at the heart of the story in the original Right of Survivorship.
The mystery’s central question — what connects the deaths of seemingly unrelated characters and circumstances — creates an intriguing web that causes and invites the readers of the sequel to revisit the earlier story, Right of Survivorship, and to follow Memphis Police Detective, Harvey Martin, and FBI Special Agent, Rachel Simon, as they work to assemble the larger puzzle created in the first book and followed up in the sequel.
Author William Gotten’s professional background as an Memphis attorney with 34 years of experience practicing in the specialty of debtor/creditor relations and bankruptcy law, brings a firsthand knowledge of the legal world that intersects with the story’s investigation surrounding the mystery and gives both books a distinctive perspective on the institutions and professional environments on which the mystery is based.
Elizabeth Lee
I recently revisited Right of Survivorship, and I have to say that our editorial team continues to regard it as one of the more compelling legal thrillers we’ve evaluated. What makes your novel particularly memorable is that it doesn’t simply present a murder mystery, it invites readers to solve a puzzle rooted in authentic legal doctrine.
From the opening pages, the mysterious death of Sally Conners immediately captures the reader’s attention. As Detective Harvey Martin and FBI Special Agent Rachel Simon unravel what initially appears to be a tragic accident, the story evolves into a sophisticated investigation involving property law, deception, financial hardship, and calculated murder. Your decades of experience practicing bankruptcy law bring an authenticity that few legal thrillers can genuinely claim, making the story feel both intellectually engaging and emotionally believable.
What resonated most with our editorial reviewers was the way you transformed an often-overlooked legal principle—the right of survivorship—into the foundation of an intelligent, suspense-driven mystery. Rather than relying solely on action, the novel challenges readers to think through every clue while maintaining a steady pace of suspense. It’s the kind of story that appeals to readers who enjoy authors like John Grisham and Scott Turow because it combines legal realism with compelling storytelling.
Joy Cooper : Bookside Press
Ric Bratton, host of This Week in America (https://thisweekinamerica.us/) says: “This is a gripping legal thriller and a good one that carefully unspools itself with each chapter. The kind of book that will grab a reader and refuse to let go.”
““Right of Survivorship stands out as an intellectually grounding, clever, and sharply vital chronicle of law, motive, and suspense. By treating the clinical realities of property law and the dark undercurrents of a murder investigation as the ultimate testing ground for human greed, William Gotten masterfully crafts a powerful legal roadmap. The book’s greatest strength lies in its ability to balance precise legal premises with a raw, gripping narrative drive, perfectly capturing the delicate tension of a hidden crime unfolding within the boundaries of marital rights. It serves as a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking beacon of analytical storytelling for mystery lovers, legal enthusiasts, and puzzle-solvers alike.”[Placeholder review quote goes here.]”
— Hope Loewe, Senior Marketing Specialist with The Maple Staple Bookstore and Bookside Press.[Reviewer Name]
I recently came across Right of Survivorship, published by Austin Macauley Publishers. I was immediately taken by the elegance of your central premise, using the real property law concept of the right of survivorship, a surviving spouse automatically becoming sole owner of jointly held assets, as the fulcrum around which a murder investigation and a bankruptcy proceeding turn simultaneously. That combination is genuinely unusual in legal thriller fiction, and your thirty-four years as a bankruptcy attorney give the financial manipulation at the heart of the plot an authenticity that pure genre writers researching the subject from the outside rarely achieve. The question of why Sally Conners had to die precisely as a bankruptcy was taking place is exactly the kind of legally specific hook that rewards readers who want their procedural detail to carry real narrative weight. I was especially struck by your pacing strategy, scattering evidence like puzzle pieces and explicitly inviting readers to step into the detective’s role rather than simply delivering a solution, which gives the series real momentum into Part II and beyond. I also noted your broader Right of Survivorship universe, including Part II: Resolution and your forthcoming Parts III and IV, which speaks to an ambitious and tightly focused debut series with genuine expansion planned.
John Scognamiglio Editor-in-Chief at Kensington.
William Gotten Books 