I enjoyed this atmospheric whodunnit mystery. Set in a historic mansion in South India, among the misty hills, this story reminded me of the game Clue.

The book contains a cast of characters related to the central character, Bhaskar Fernandez, who believes someone wants to kill him to obtain his wealth. They all get together on a dark night to discuss Fernandez’s will. The guests will be staying on Fernandez’s property for a short time. One night there is a murder, and detective Athreya, who is among the guests, must solve the mystery.

There were many twists and turns that constantly kept me guessing. I also enjoyed the setting of the novel, a historic mansion in the hills rumored to be haunted. Great book for mystery lovers!

An excellent mystery, full of twists and turns, that reminded me those of the Golden Age.
The plot is tightly knitted, the characters are well thought and the setting is interesting.
I loved to read how well the author mixes elements of different cultures creating an intriguing story.
The solid mystery kept me guessing.
It's an entertaining and gripping story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Swirling mist envelops and hides mysteries and secrets in an atmospheric setting in India. Add a landslide, an assortment of interesting characters, suspicion and deceit and voila...this gripping read!

Greybrooke Manor's eccentric and intelligent wheelchair-bound owner, Bhaskar, invites Harith Athreya to join him, his family and a few neighbours to a party at his mansion. Bhaskar has ulterior motives in inviting Athreva...to advise him on double wills, one if he should die of natural causes and one for unnatural causes. Mysterious deaths associated with the manor in the past fuel his paranoia. Well, he has reason to be paranoid.

My favourite aspects are the atmosphere (I got lost in it!) and the plot/subplots which are twisty throughout. It has a Golden Age feel to it with just enough darkness to suck you in but without unnecessary gore and language.

This book is captivating start to finish and engaged me enough to find it difficult to put down. It has that special inexplicable something I look for in mysteries, a certain intelligence and substance without empty fluff. My first experience reading this author got me hooked! I'm thrilled this is the beginning of a series and happy to have discovered another author to enjoy.

My sincere thank you to Polis Books and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this engrossing book in return for an honest review. Much appreciated.

This appears to be the first in a series of mysteries with Harith Athreya as the detective. I would have liked to have had a bit more background on Mr. Athreya, but i really did enjoy his character. Kind of a modern day Indian version of Hercule Poirot. Mr. Athreya is invited to the home of Bhaskar Fernandez. Mr. Fernandez has just written two wills. One which is to be followed if he dies of natural causes and one if he dies of unnatural causes. In recent months, it appears someone is trying to kill Mr. Fernandez. There are many characters in this story which at first was a bit hard to track, but not anything that ruined the story or mystery. Over the course of the weekend, two of the guests are murdered and Mr. Athreya is tasked at finding out whom the kills is. Very Agatha Christie-esque, and that made quite enjoyable. I am giving this a solid 4 star review.

I received a copy of the e-book through the publisher via NetGalley. I enjoyed this classic-feeling mystery set in India with a gallery of fascinating characters and a perceptive sleuth on the scene to follow the clues. It feels like a modern Agatha Christie novel-- I could imagine Poirot sipping some wretched cordial by the fire with the formidable investigator Harith Athreya.

I love mysteries and this one had so many fun and compelling characters! There were many different storylines which all came together in the end. I also loved reading a book about India that wasn't part of the stereotypical narrative. My only criticism of the book is that the main character is kind of irritating as he seems to know everything and I felt annoyed at him at the conclusion of the mystery because he had information that there is no way we could have.

This book is wonderfully done Agatha Christine type murder mystery.

A wealthy old patriarch brings together his family to explain his will. After many life threatening incidents, he also invites an investigator, Athreya, who will investigate his death if he gets murdered. The next day a body is discovered and Athreya has to wade through all the lies to discover who the killer is.

I'm so glad that this is the beginning of a series. It's very well plotted and kept me guessing who is guilty of what. There were so many different skeletons in the closets.. Athreya is a kind and smart investigator. He's sure of his place among the police and has many contacts that he can count on to help with the investigation. There are many different characters with their own unique characteristics that helped differentiate them. Looking forward to the next one.

This review is based on a review copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This entertaining mystery with vivid descriptions of the Indian locale will please mystery lovers. Readers will be engaged by the suspects, surprise twists and red herrings. It is always a pleasure to read mysteries set in another culture and/or country by a denizen. It gives it an authenticity that is hard to find by writers who are not member of that group or area. I look forward to read more by this author and this series.

What an extremely well written mystery. The characters and plot are both well thought out, detailed and interesting. It really kept interested and guessing to the very end! Very reminiscent to Golden Age mysteries plus an exotic setting made it a wonderful read. I highly recommend for mystery lovers who enjoy a fast paced book.

I would like to thank R.V. Raman, Polos and Agora Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

2.5 stars.
I want to thank NetGalley and Polis Books for this arc in return for an honest review. This book was reminiscent of mysteries from the Golden Age of detective stories, especially those of Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr. I have read other mysteries set in India, and have visited part of that country, but A Will to Kil introduced me to a setting that was completely new to me. The author's brilliant and vivid description of the area around the Nilgiri Hills with its mists and fogs transported me. I found myself googling photos of the district and its unusual train. The old Greybrooke Manor, the tragedies that occurred to its former British owners, the ghost seen walking the surrounding vale, and a mudslide that isolated it for days was a great backdrop for a moody, haunting mystery plot.

The owner of the manor, Bhaskar Fernandez, is confined to a wheelchair and fears someone is going to murder him. He has written two wills. One is to distribute his wealth a particular way if he dies a natural death, but a second different will takes effect if he is murdered. Inspector Athreya has been summoned to his home to try to figure out who is planning to murder Bhaskar or to bring the killer to justice if he is killed.

I did not find the characters developed well enough to hold my interest, and I did not feel engaged with them. This was because there were too many names to get sorted and straight in my mind. This detracted from a feeling of tension and suspense. Starting with an unlucky number 13 at the introductory dinner party, and the names of some of the eight staff members; there were relatives, neighbours, a lawyer, and people residing at the Misty Valley Inn to remember. Athreya learns that he is faced with a number of puzzles to sort out. Soon, two people are killed, and the police are called in. To add to one of the perplexing mysteries, names of new characters entered the cast near the end of the book, adding another obstacle for Inspector Athreya and the reader.

I did consider this a well-constructed plot but with so many characters and several overlapping mysteries, I began to think it was over-plotted. The solutions included a number of shocking, surprising twists in a tangled and convoluted ending. Maybe I was just not in the mood and prospective readers who enjoy an old fashioned mystery in an exotic location should give it a try.

I approached this book with great anticipation—it had a classic setting in a mansion filled with feuding relatives and a wealthy patriarch, two wills, a landslide that cut the mansion off from the rest of the world. What could be better for a lover of Golden Age mysteries? Plus it was set in India!
Well, I finished the book. But I found it somewhat tedious. The characters weren’t interesting, the detective was dull, and nothing was made of the Indian setting. It did have a twist filled ending, but it was a long slog to get there.

This is an extremely well written mystery. The characters and plot are both well thought out and entertaining. It really keeps the reader guessing to the very end. I highly recommend for mystery lovers who like a fast packed fun read!