Hot Money by Dick Francis

The source material is extracted from a novel detailing the intense financial and emotional struggles of the extended Pembroke family, centering on the eccentric and wealthy patriarch, Malcolm. Narrated by his son, Ian, the story begins after the mysterious murder of Malcolm’s fifth wife, Moira, quickly followed by multiple attempts on Malcolm’s life, including a car attack and the catastrophic bombing of his ancestral home, Quantum. Ian takes on the role of his father's bodyguard and informal investigator, hiring a detective to scrutinize Malcolm's vast and grasping family, all of whom harbor deep resentments and are terrified that Malcolm will squander their anticipated inheritance before his death. Ian’s efforts eventually reveal that the killer is not one of the financially motivated ex-wives or sons, but Malcolm’s emotionally damaged daughter, Serena, who was driven to obsessive jealousy and violence after her father rejected her. The excerpts conclude with the revelation of Serena’s culpability in both Moira’s murder and the bombing, prompting Malcolm to rebuild his destroyed house and leading to a tentative, wealth-fueled reconciliation among the surviving family members.