Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

You might think it’d be wonderful to be the child of a famous parent (or parents). It could be very appealing: all of the creature comforts you’d want; endless ‘A list’ invitations, travel to so many different places, etc. But the fact is, growing up with famous parents can have serious drawbacks. There’s the pressure to find your own way in life, the constant scrutiny of everything you do, and the resentment that you are privileged. It can be lonely, too, as famous parents are frequently mobbed by the media, fans, or other people. As the saying goes, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. But children of famous parents can make interesting characters in crime fiction. There are all sorts of character layers to explore, relationship complications, and more.

For example, in Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train, we are introduced to eighteen-year-old Lenox Tamplin. She is the daughter of Lady Rosalie Tamplin, who is very well known in the ‘best’ social circles. Unlike her mother, Lenox isn’t classically beautiful, although she has an appeal of her own. She’s a little awkward and blunt-spoken, too. She gets involved in a murder mystery when a distant cousin, Katherine Grey, visits. Katherine was a witness to a murder that took place on the famous Blue Train that took her from London to Nice, where Lenox and her mother and stepfather live. Hercule Poirot was also on the train, and he is hired to find out who the killer is. As the story goes on, we learn how the murder is linked to the Tamplins and we see how Lenox is helpful in finding out the truth.

Gail Bowen’s The Endless Knot features investigative journalist Kathryn Morrisey. She’s working on an exposé of the way several wealthy and famous Canadians treat their children. In doing so, she’s hoping to strip away the façade of the ‘nice, happy family’ that these people have built. As you can imagine, not everyone is pleased about this. In fact, Sam Parker is so upset by the content of the book that he shoots at and wounds Kathryn Morrisey. There is no question that he is the shooter, but of course, he’s entitled to counsel. So, he asks Zack Shreve to defend him. It isn’t going to be an easy case, since it’s clear that Parker did commit the crime. Among other things, the novel explores what it’s like to be the child of someone who’s famous.

In Anthony Bidulka’s Tapas on the Ramblas, Saskatoon-based PI Russell Quant gets a new client. Charity Wiser is the current head of the very famous Wiser family. The family fortune comes from their dominance in meat production and marketing; Wiser Meats are famous and popular. Charity Wiser believes that someone in her family is trying to kill her. She wants Quant to ‘vet’ the family members and find out who the would-be murderer is. So, she sends her granddaughter Flora to hire Quant to find out the truth. Her idea is for Quant to join the family on a cruise aboard the family’s luxury yacht. Quant agrees, and the boat sets out. Soon enough, Quant learns that there are undercurrents of resentment, and that nearly everyone aboard has a reason to want to commit murder. It turns out that Charity Wiser is malicious and manipulative and enjoys wielding her financial power. But finding out which particular family member is really planning murder won’t be easy.

In Louise Penny’s A Fatal Grace, we are introduced to C.C. de Poitiers, a famous life coach and self-help author. She and her family move to the small Québec town of Three Pines. It’s not very long before CC manages to alienate just about everyone in town. There is, however, a lot of sympathy for her fifteen-year-old daughter Crie. Crie lives in the shadow of her mother’s fame, and although she is brilliant, CC does nothing to support her; in fact, she does quite the opposite. The people of Three Pines know this and so does Crie’s father. So, when CC is murdered during the town’s traditional Boxing Day curling match, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has a long list of suspects. Among other things, this story looks at the dysfunction that can exist in famous families.

There’s also Shadaab Amjad Khan’s Murder in Bollywood. In that novel, Senior Inspector Hoshiyar Khan is faced with a difficult murder case. Nikhil Kapoor, Bollywood’s top film director, has been found dead in his writing studio, apparently of a freak electrical accident. His wife, famous actress Mallika Kapoor, is also dead, also from what looks like an unfortunate accident. Soon, though Khan learns that not long before the deaths, the Kapoors had hosted an exclusive private party for some other ‘A-list’ people. At the party, Nkhil Kapoor had told the group that he knew someone among them had committed murder and would do so again. When Khan’s source for that information is also killed, it’s clear that the Kapoors’ deaths were not accidents. Now, Khan will have to work out who among the guests could have committed murder. As a part of the investigation, Khan looks at the Kapoors’ inner circle, which includes their son Rohan. He’s spent his whole life being pampered and having every luxury. But he’s jaded about it all, and he certainly isn’t what you’d call happy.

That novel, among many others, shows that being the child of famous parents may come with a lot of material benefits. But it can also come at great cost. It very well may be easier to be raised in an obscure family.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from the Beatles’ She’s Leaving Home.