RV Raman

I enjoyed reading this book and "The Will to Kill" as well. He is fast becoming one of my favorite mystery authors. The story moved in a steady pace; didn't drag or become too stretched out as is sadly the case for most cozy mysteries. The mystery itself was intriguing and entertaining drawing to a very satisfactory conclusion.

The only thing that I wished was that his main cast of characters/suspects be more drawn out so the reader feels some sort of attachment to them. But that is a minor show more complaint. There were also some typos and missing words in the text but other than that, this was a fun, engaging, interesting read. show less

This is a very traditional mystery, steeped in a good sense of place and character. Remote Greybrooke Manor has had a curse upon it since it was owned by the British, which seemes to be following the contemporary Indian family who owns it now. Patriarch and true crime aficionado Bhaskar Fernandez has invited investigator Harith Athreya to visit after a recent home invasion. There are now two wills, the family only gets to see which one takes effect upon the manner of his death. There is a show more lot of mist (and ghost story), an unlucky thirteenth guest at dinner and enough family drama to keep the story playing out until the end. show less

This book was billed as an 'Agatha Christie style mystery set in India for fans of Knives Out'. I can confirm that it was set in India and there was a knife...but Agatha Christie this is not.

This is the first in a series and yet it reads as if we are supposed to know all about this sleuth (Harith Athreya) and implicitly trust him because of all his many detective-y accomplishments. But there's no backstory on this guy and nothing that occurs within the story led me to believe that he was show more anything extraordinary. (Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are leagues away from this dude.) The author does not lay out the features of the case in any way to make it exciting and I really could have cared less about the characters or the murderer in their midst. Now my last gripe may have less to do with the author than with the translating/editing. Every single time a certain character delivered any lines it was so-and-so "growled" or in a "growling voice" so-and-so said blah blah blah. It set my teeth on edge! There had to be a more dynamic way to write this dialogue...or maybe take more time with the setting or mystery instead of having the characters talk and talk and talk...

I was really excited to read this book because I was hoping to find a new detective to love in a setting that I'd love to learn more about but unfortunately this one didn't deliver. show less

A Will to Kill is perfect for Agatha Christie lovers. Raman has crafted an intricate plot that keeps all a reader's little grey cells working at high speed in order to deduce everything that's going on (and there's quite a lot). For those who love to concentrate on puzzles and plots, I highly recommend this book.

However, if-- like me-- you're a character-driven reader who also likes a rich, vivid setting, you're not going to enjoy A Will to Kill as much. Although it is very atmospheric, I show more was hoping that the setting would be more vibrantly Indian as I've come to expect and love in mysteries written by Tarquin Hall and Vaseem Khan, for instance. In the case of this book, it would appear that the British Raj had never ended. That in itself is a setting to be reckoned with, but it's a bit bland. (But it doesn't detract from that plot, eh?)

Yes, A Will to Kill is all about the plot. None of the characters really stood out in my mind, although the compassionate way Athreya deals with a bored, silly woman is quite touching and does say a great deal about the type of person he is. If I'm in the mood for a Christie-esque, plot-driven mystery, I'll pick up the next Harith Athreya mystery. If not...

For you, the choice will be an interesting one. show less