Heirs and Successors is book four in the Belleville family series, taking up the story eight years after Return to Prior Park left off. Set largely in Australia, it is now 1968 and the Belleville family - Richard, his brother William and their sister Julia - believe their lives are settled until a near tragic accident almost claims the life of a beloved family member. As the family recovers, no one has any inkling of the chain of events that will be unleashed by the near tragedy. At twenty-two, it is Richard's son Paul at the centre of this period of turmoil. His lack of judgement leads to a shocking betrayal for which he and others will pay a big price, including his own father. And there are newcomers too in the family circle. Is Richard right when he considers meeting Amanda Robinson a stroke of misfortune for the family? And will they similarly come to regret putting their trust in the charming but ambitious Alex Fraser? In the midst of the family's problems, William and his wife Alice remain steadfast, offering comfort and support in their sprawling homestead at Prior Park. Yet, they too will suffer the bitter disappointment of their daughter Marianne's choices. There is trouble ahead too for Julia's marriage to Philippe Duval. (Julia and Philippe's story continues in the new book First Born Son , published as a companion title to Heirs and Successors .) And yet, as the decade turns to the 1970s, the Belleville family appears settled again. Except there is a new secret at the heart of the family. A secret known only to three people. A secret that, if revealed, could tear marriages apart and threaten the very foundation of everything the family has built. Richard Belleville is determined this secret must never become known ...