Penelope becomes a patient at a clinic in Como. She believes someone is trying to kill her. Her doctor thinks its a part of her illness. Her husband and father accompany her but everyone is hiding a secret, There are many connections amongst them all but is there a killer perhaps?

This was an interesting read. Its quite a short read and the chapters are very short. Its told from the view of many of the characters so you get a bit of an insight into them all but not a deep connection like you would in a sole POV. I did like the changes though. The plot is quite simple but there's some clever developments along the way and i thought the ending was genius and welll written. A fun mystery.

Description
Six English survivors of the Great War – four men and two women – converge on Lake Como, Italy in 1921. The result: one corpse and one killer...

Psychiatrist Joseph Barnett is treating wealthy socialite Penelope Jones for schizophrenia at a sanitarium in Como. She is convinced someone is trying to kill her.

Penelope is married to war veteran Alexander Cavendish, hero of the Battle of the Somme. Barnett knows – and hates – Cavendish from the trenches where both were officers during the battle: one was trying to save lives, the other take them.

Both men had been wounded and treated at a hospital in Amiens where Bartlett met and later married Rose who worked there as a nurse. But why does Rose also harbour an intense animosity towards Cavendish?

John Anthony Miller’s fifth crime novel Honour the Dead is a Rubik’s Cube of a murder case. Everyone is a suspect, there are motives to spare – readers will go dizzy trying to solve it...

Motivated by a life-long love of travel and history, John Anthony Miller's books are normally set in exotic locations during eras of global conflict. Characters must cope and combat, overcoming their own weaknesses as well as the catastrophes spawned by tumultuous times. He's the author of To Parts Unknown, When Darkness Comes, In Satan's Shadow, and All the King's Soldiers. He lives in southern New Jersey with his family.

My Review
Honour the Dead's ARC was provided free in exchange for my honest opinion. Well, I have to tell you it is a great suspenseful mystery you must read.

Well written with believable characters this is one of those mystery books you do not want to miss. The book has enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed until the very end. Great riveting story.

Beautifully written, keeps you at the edge of your seat with every turn of the page. Really enjoyed it!

"Honour the Dead is a Rubic Cube of whodun it. It is a story of one murder and many people who could have done it. But who? All of the characters are wanting and willing so much it is hard to picture any one of them actually doing the dead. Peaceful village around lake Como, psychiatric sanitarium, men and women who survived the WWI to different degrees. Everything merges and mixes to create a scene for murder. Who is murdered? A war hero? Or the most despicable man that ever lived? Who is guilty? Who is the saviour? Who is the player? Who is the victim?
Reader will be left guessing till the very last pages.
Honour the Dead is an amazing, light and interesting read. It brings reader in and gives them a glimpse of WWI echoes in the hearts and minds of those who survived the war but lost so much.
Will you hate the perpetrator? Will you love the murdered man? There is no black and white in this story. There are no damsels in distress and honourble knights. There are people and their stories. Honour the dead rejoyce the living. "

Lake Como in the Italian Alps, 1921.
The body of Alexander Cavendish, a First World War British war hero (and serial philanderer), is found floating face down in the lake. Cavendish is the husband of Penelope Jones, a wealthy young socialite, who being at the nearby Lakeside Sanitarium following a suicide attempt. Como Carabinieri Police detectives Falcone and Minelli are assigned to the investigation and are soon presented with a varied cast of suspects. These include: Penelope's father and his male secretary; a London loan shark and his enforcer; and, a famous British poet and her psychiatrist husband who suffers from shell shock. Cavendish was carrying on an affair with Penelope's best friend and several other married women. Their spouses are potential suspects too. All of these people have motive to want Cavendish out of the way. He does not attract any sympathy, being cast as a thoroughly despicable man, perhaps adversely affected by his war service. Consequences of the War loom large in the background and cast a pall over the idyllic surroundings at Lake Como. Even Inspector Falcone carries a war-related burden in his personal life.
This is an excellent atmospheric whodunnit murder mystery, with a satisfying reveal as the killer is identified by Inspector Falcone a la Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot It's also a neat blend of the best of Agatha Christie type characters with a Patricia Highsmith ultimate conclusion, following a brief courtroom scene.
Recommended as an easy-to-read entertaining read.
(I received a review copy of this book from BooksGoSocial via Netgalley. The comments about it are my own.)

This was such a thrilling read that had me on the edge of my seat. There were so many twists and turns.

This book opens with at the finding of a body on the shores of Lake Como. The identity of the body yet to be revealed. The narrative then focuses on the events leading up to the murder and its investigation. The cast of characters is small and yet there are connections that make them all possible suspects. I am finding it very difficult to give an overview without giving away the plot line.
There is an emphasis on the recently finished World War I and its impact on the protagonists. There is also a Shakespearean thread running through it.

I think the book took a long while to reach into my mind and capture my imagination but it became very readable. I think the author managed the twists and turns and the potential suspects well giving some things away but not everything. I loved the characterisation, particularly of the Detective. I am not convinced he managed the mental illness side of the plot quite as well.

The trial and verdict was a bit of a let down - it left me with many questions but the final twist made me smile.

I am not totally convinced by the book but in the end was a reasonably good read. with some interesting use of Shakespeare

Six persons still reeling from the madness of World War I descend on a lunatic asylum in Lake Como, Italy, in 1921, but one of them will be murdered. Is it Dr. Joseph Barnett, a brilliant psychiatrist who was scarred and crippled in the Great War? His one-time nurse, Rose, who became a renowned poet and Barnett’s wife? Barnett’s new patient, paranoid socialite Penelope Jones, who is worth a fortune? In this case, just because you’re paranoid may not necessarily mean no one wants to kill you. Is it Jones’ father, the wealthy international real-estate tycoon Wellington Jones? Or perhaps his loyal assistant, William Cain? Or is it Jones’ debonair husband, Alexander Cavendish, who is not the unblemished war hero he’s assumed to be?

That’s no spoiler; it’s on the book jacket. Author John Anthony Miller doesn’t reveal the victim until halfway into the book, building suspense the entire time, filling in details. The novel has plenty of twists, and, even though I saw the end coming, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was given a copy of the book by NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

Honour the Dead is a gripping historical mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Penelope Jones plays a marvellous role in the story. She will make you feel sorry for her - a schizophrenic who has lost her mother and brother, married to a man who doesn't love her and then there's someone who's trying to kill her. Every character in the story plays a unique role, with some having dark secrets and some trying to forget the effects of war. With so many clues and a couple of red herrings too, the mystery behind the murder and the death threats kept me guessing until the very end.

I just started reading this book, and already I am enthralled into the world of the characters. The hook serves its purpose, and the dialogue is well written, witty, and clear. I am so excited to continue reading this mystery novel!

"This is a fabulous book especially for those who are looking for a story that is instantly engrossing this captivating novel ticks all the boxes. Don't be fooled by the sedate opening scenes - this little nugget packs a wallop that has a few surprising twists and turns that will satisfy the best of arm-chair detectives .!

Is Penelope, mad, bad - or both. She is in an asylum after a suicide attempt which she insists was someone trying to kill her. While in there there are several more attempts on her life - or delusional nightmares - which are they - people are confused. After her gambling, womanising husband is murdered she insists that it was him who was trying to kill her to pay his debts to a London gangster.

A really good read.

Title : Honour The Dead

Author: John Anthony Miller

Genre: Historical Mystery

Pages:341

Endeavour Media

book synopsis

Six English survivors of the Great War – four men and two women – converge on Lake Como, Italy in 1921. The result: one corpse and one killer...

Psychiatrist Joseph Barnett is treating wealthy socialite Penelope Jones for schizophrenia at a sanitarium in Como. She is convinced someone is trying to kill her.

Penelope is married to war veteran Alexander Cavendish, hero of the Battle of the Somme. Barnett knows – and hates – Cavendish from the trenches where both were officers during the battle: one was trying to save lives, the other take them.

Both men had been wounded and treated at a hospital in Amiens where Bartlett met and later married Rose who worked there as a nurse. But why does Rose also harbour an intense animosity towards Cavendish?



My thoughts

Rating: 4

Would I recommend it ? yes

Will I give this author a second try ? yes

What got me to pick it up was when it said Six arrived - five survive , because it kind of give off the vibes of something I would of picked up if written by Agatha Christie , it kind of was like something she would of wrote but it was also different in some ways. Over all it was still good to read , the characters was and where engaging and complex. Especially Penelope Jones because there was times I thought she was just plain crazy , and there was times I thought if someone was trying to kill her it has to be someone close to her . As for the story it self it, the story plot was well written and tricky enough to keep the best guessing, but with enough clues to let the reader play along. The story came to life as did the characters and that is something that definitely reminds me of Agatha Christine. I can see it as a TV mini-series if they could and would do it right , with that said I want to think Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

I am sorry to say the download on this book was awful which meant there were gaps in the middle of sentences which was so distracting I had to give up reading it. This was a great shame as I was looking forward to seeing this, but nothing closed at all and the gaps just were so large nothing made sense

A well constructed murder mystery, which begins with the admission of a patient, Penelope Jones, to a sanitarium, suffering from delusions of people trying to murder her. She is from a wealthy family and she has also married a man, Alexander Cavendish, who also comes from wealth. The husband is always in debt and Penelope is continually paying off his debts.

The story is set a few years after WWI in Lake Como. All of the characters are suffering from mental and/or physical ailments as a result of "The Great War". I recognize Dr. Barnett, chief psychiatrist at the facility, as the central character.

The story is full of deceit, hatred, unfaithfulness, greed and self-preservation at any price. Ultimately, the patient's husband is murdered in the area and the real mystery begins. As Dr. Barnett attempts to get Penelope to open up, he is virtually unsuccessful, but feels there is something about her he can't quite figure out.

Eventually, Penelope stands trial for her husband's murder and a verdict is reached.

I also felt that the author did a fine job in introducing the 2 police officials who are investigating the murder and they perform a thorough investigation.

Honour the Dead is an historical fiction mystery. The story takes place at Lake Como in 1921. The characters are six survivors of the Great War. When a body is found, the mystery begins. It's well written and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. The characters are engaging and complex. Overall it's an okay read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

In 1921 Penelope Jones has been committed to a sanitarium in Como as her family believe she has tried to commit suicide while she believes that someone is trying to kill her. By coincidence various people who took part in the Great War live in the area or who converge on the area, including her Psychiatrist Joseph Barnett.
Several months later a body is discovered in the water but why, and who is the guilty party is for the local police to discover.
An entertaining well-written mystery with enough clues thrown in to eventually determine who is guilty and why.

“Honour the dead, rejoice with the living…”

Six English survivors of the Great War – four men and two women – converge on Lake Como, Italy in 1921. The result: one corpse and one killer... Honour the Dead is a Rubik’s Cube of a murder case. Everyone is a suspect, there are motives to spare – readers will go dizzy trying to solve it...

The storyline is intriguing and the many twists and turns really kept me guessing until the very end. This is a fabulous read, well researched and brilliantly written! This is one book that is completely worthy of 5 stars!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #HonourTheDead
Pub Date: 11 Jan 2016