First of all, thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
That said, this book has already been publishes in Australia as "A Testament of Character" 2020 and is coming out in the US under this title on January 18, 2022

"In fear for his life, American millionaire Daniel Cartwright changes his will, appointing his old friend Rowland Sinclair as his executor. Soon murder proves that fear well founded. When Rowland receives word of Cartwright's death, he sets out immediately for Boston, Massachusetts, to bury his friend and honour his last wishes. He is met with the outrage and anguish of Cartwright's family, who have been spurned in favour of a man they claim does not exist. Artists and gangsters, movie stars and tycoons all gather to the fray as elite society closes in to protect its own, and family secrets haunt the living. Rowland Sinclair must confront a world in which insanity is relative, greed is understood, and love is dictated; where the only people he can truly trust are an artist, a poet and a passionate sculptress."

This book is not a Cozy Mystery! I thought it would be by the description and the cover, but it is not. It's a Standard Mystery, but it's a good one. Although I had lots of trouble getting into the book. I feel this is a series one should read from the first book. This book is the tenth one in this series. It's a good mystery with lots of historical details as the author involves real historical characters and events in the story.

The characters are easy to enjoy, especially Edna, she is a force to be reckoned with, a woman who knows her way in a men's world. They have a great friendship going on, you can easily read that. There's action in there as well, but I do need to give a word of "warning". There was a quite a large amount of bad language as well as a brief sex scene, which was not graphical but still. I feel I need to put that out, for those who do not like that.

All in all a good book, but it's not the series for me.

Sulari Gentill brings to life a period in Australian history that is not very much written about. The mid 1930s urban
Melbourne was very British, with all the good but with all the racism and so much more that was not so good. The story
a very good blend of history, suspense and murder highlights life for the rich and famous (Rowland Sinclair) and also
the way in which life was lived.

The story is perfectly good as a stand alone though it is No. 10 in the series.

Rowland Sinclair, rich, privileged is a different man to his peers - he has never let his wealth make him arrogant
though he may be unaware of how he appears to outsiders at heart he is a straight forward, kind man. He leaves the
machinations of power and wealth to his brother Will who he has to call upon in times of emergencies though.

In this story we go to America where Rowland has been declared the executor of his friend Daniel Cartwright's will.
Not straightforward at all, the will ruthlessly cuts out Daniel's brothers and sister, even turfing them out of the
house they've always lived and handing over the entire huge estate to a total unknown.

Finding Otis involves Rowland and his faithfullcrew into one serious mess after another. The claimants to the will
apart from people who know who Otis is and who are pretending otherwise do not want enquiries made. They want Rowland to go away leaving them to share their late brother's fortune which they think is their right. Rowland will not give
up and several dangerous mishaps happen.

The story is convoluted but extremely interesting. Going from Australia to America it delves into the underworld and
how gangsters operate in every part of the world.

Sent by Poisoned Pen Press for an unbiased review, I am very appreciative that I got this book. Sulari Gentill is
originally from Sri Lanka and that gives me a personal stake in reading all her books! Sent via Netgalley.

‘I don’t know why Danny appointed me his executor.’

1935. Rowland Sinclair and his friends Clyde Watson Jones, Edna Higgins and Milton Isaacs are in Singapore on their way back to Australia when Rowly receives a telegram. His American millionaire friend Daniel Cartwright, whom he had met at Oxford University, has been shot dead. His body, dressed in evening attire, was found in Harvard Yard. Rowly has been named executor of the will. And so, Rowly and his friends travel to the USA.

Who murdered Daniel Cartwright and why did he name Rowland Sinclair as his executor? When the will is read, Daniel Cartwright’s siblings find that he has left the bulk of his estate to an Otis Norcross, whom no-one seems to know. Rowly and his friends set out to try to locate Otis Norcross, and things quickly become ugly. Members of Daniel’s family want to challenge the will, but Rowly is determined to do his best to locate Otis Norcross – even when it becomes clear that he and his friends are in danger.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tenth instalment in Ms Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair series (also published as ‘A Testament of Character’). The caste of characters includes cameo appearances by Marion Davies, Errol Fynn, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald as well as Joseph Kennedy. The backdrop is complex as well: organised crime, family secrets and a stark reminder of the difficulties faced by those in same sex relationships during this period. Ms Gentill kept me guessing who killed Daniel Cartwright until close to the end. There are more than a few twists,with some obvious (and not so obvious) villains. Another action-filled adventure for Rowly, Edna, Milt and Clyde.

And, given a surprise twist towards the end, I really wonder what will happen next.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Rowland Sinclair series never disappoints. This is another strong addition to the series. The plot is exciting, the characters are getting more three dimensional in this new installment. Rowland's adventures only gets more intense and exciting as the series continues. As usual, the history tidbits at the beginning of each chapters are informational. Love this new book!

Where There’s A Will by Sulari Gentill is like a delightful recipe that offers a complete story made up of multiple interesting parts. It is a wonderful example of gestalt, and indeed the novel is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Those parts themselves are interesting, and unique, and help to create some good entertainment for the reader.

There’s the main character, Rowland Sinclair, a wealthy Australian artist who lives and creates with his three best friends. These four share everything which means none of them worry about money because Rowland has so much. There’s the poet, Milton, fellow artist Clyde, and sculptress Edna. These four are well drawn, eccentric in a delightfully “arty” way, and operate much as you might expect a current four musketeers to operate. All of this takes place in the 1930’s with a focus on the wealthy who have survived the stock market crash.

Rowland receives a telegram advising him of the death of a college friend who has named him executor of his will. Roland arrives in America, along with his three close friends, he discovers it’s not going to be a simple task of making sure monies are portioned out correctly. His friend, Daniel Cartwright, has left his entire estate to a friend who is nowhere to be found. No one even claims to know the man.

Rowland is a man of high principles, so he sets out to find the heir and do what is expected. Meanwhile, the victims sister and two brothers begin an intense campaign to get Rowland to go against his friend’s request and give the money to the family. They employ various ways of coercing Rowland into doing things their way, including threats of exposing him as a homosexual (he is not, but it is still illegal in that time and could present problems) In addition, Daniel’s sister tries to seduce Rowland, unaware he is head over heels in love with Edna, Italian Mobsters try to threaten Rowland into abandoning the current will, and Irish mobsters try to intimidate Rowland by kidnapping Edna.

Throughout the book there are well researched glimpses into life among the extremely wealthy in the 1930’s including glamorous parties, opulent hotels, and fabulous automobiles from that era. Gentill punctuates many of these stories with actual people placed in a fictitious setting like William Randolph Hearst, Errol Flynn, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Joe Kennedy. In these encounters Gentill exposes some personalities as well as some of their tendencies such as Joe Kennedy trying to control starlets, Hearst and his famous mistress, and F. Scott Fitzgerald well into his alcohol addiction. She also touches on the belief by more than a few of the wealthy, Kennedy included, that facism and Nazism are systems that might be beneficial with negotiation.

The mystery is a good one, with various twists and turns that serve to keep the reader on their toes. Even if you solve the mystery, as did this reader, the book is still entertaining as the characters and the depiction of the period are all enjoyable. It is an easy read, with just enough angst to provide tension without so much that it threatens sleep or causes nightmares.

If you’re looking for a mostly cozy book that still has some physical involvement and angst, this is one to check out. The time period is well researched and each chapter is introduced with a genuine clip from a news outlet during the era which Gentill then ties loosely into the story. While this is part of a series, the book can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. Don’t be surprised if you enjoy this one so much you decide to go back and read the others in the series.

I would like to express my thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book for review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.

The artistic book cover caught my eye but I do dislike beginning a series on book ten so I found book one and loved it so much I read straight through to this one! If you haven’t hit on this series, love an intelligent mystery, witty characters and a humourous twist to serious happening, don’t miss out on these books by Sulari Gentill.

Our Australian friends have redirected from their return home when Rowly is named executor of the will of his old varsity mate in New York. It’s the 1930s, full of glitz and grit and it becomes apparent very quickly that they are in the midst of a mystery. In the hope of tracking town the truth, they are once again putting their lives on the line.

I love the interactions amongst the four friends, they are such fun! And I love the art references and descriptions. All in all, I am most grateful to the creator of the cover that drew me in and to Sulari for this wonderful adventure, I am looking forward, most eagerly, to the next one! It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended!

Filled with vengeance, friendship, riches, and hidden secrets, this book goes to great links to show what people will do for money, on the one hand, and what people will do for friendship, on the other. This mystery will keep you wondering until the end, as a good mystery should. To me it became a little bit confusing in the second half, but straightened itself out and still provided a good escape. If not for that, I would have given it five stars, but I’ll have to settle for four. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

1935, Boston, NYC, inheritance, organized-crime, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, lawyers, false-information, family-dynamics, friendship, series, intimidation, artist, class-consciousness, celebrities, historical-fiction, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, crime-fiction, abduction*****

The mystery/sleuthing is every bit as terrific as the (this time it's US) history lessons from the time of the lead in to World War 2! Twisty and so full of red herrings! This one stands alone better than some of the others because it has less personal history references that are alluded to. There are crazy family members of the deceased, lying lawyers, feuding ethnic gangs, fantastic autos, victims of the depression (but not the maker of the board game of Monopoly!), Hollywood and political (rich) scumbags, and all this on top of that dratted will and the murder of its legator! The publisher's blurb is a good hook complete with a little name-dropping. Like all of her historical mysteries, Iwas totally drawn in and I LOVED IT!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I'm hooked. This book was just brilliant. I may be a little late to the party by starting at book 10 but I was immediately drawn to the characters and their easy friendship. Their dedication to each other doesn't mean there isn't tension and the personalities are so different, Edna, in particular, is a force to be reckoned with. The plot is complicated, making it an intriguing murder mystery to boot!

The historical backdrop with the inclusion of some well-known personalities of the times adds further interest and charm

I just couldn't put this book down and look forward to tracking down and reading the others in the series.

I'm really grateful to my daughter for introducing me to these characters, and this incredibly talented author!

With thanks to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

"Where There's a Will" is a mystery set in 1935 in New York. This is the tenth novel in a series. This story referred back to events that happened in previous books, but it can be read as a standalone novel. This book did not spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries. The main characters were interesting, caring people. Interesting historical details were woven into the the story.

Rowland and his friends searched for clues as to who murdered their friend and for the unknown man who inherited most of the estate. Suspense came from threats and actual physical harm from those who wanted the money for themselves. Rowland passed on the information they found to the lawyer and detective. I strongly suspected whodunit, though it could have easily been one of several people.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There was a brief, not graphic (as in, no descriptions of body parts) sex scene. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful novel.

This was my first book in this series, but it was a great intro to the series and the characters; no problems following along with the new story and you're only left with a few minor questions about what happened in past books. The mystery was really good, very fast paced and fun, and the historical setting was lovely. The historical tidbits and famous folks and events woven in were nice touches. I didn't know what to expect reading this, but I was hooked pretty much from the start with the great cast of characters and sped through from there.

An Unenviable Position…
The next instalment in the excellent Rowland Sinclair series finds Rowland in an unenviable position as an executor of a will in a case where an old friend has been shot dead. No one is more surprised than he - except that is for the family of the dead man. Things are about to get messy. As ever, so well drawn with a superb sense of time and place, fully credible characters and an engaging storyline. A very worthy addition to the series.

Australia descends upon New England and comes to the rescue in order to save the day in this utterly compelling whodunit full of unexpected surprises and enough twists and turns to keep the reader on his/her toes from start to finish.

The winsome Rowland Sunclair and his friends are coming to America after the rather unexpected death of a friend but very soon will find themselves enmeshed in a dark web of family secrets, warring siblings, bitter grudges, murder, jealousy and all around deceit...

Nothing is at it looks in this brilliantly plotted whodunit blessed with a colorful cast of characters always navigating some very treacherous waters full of venomous creatures and murderous traps....
As for the unforgettable denouement, it left me totally gobsmacked!!! But I will keep mum, of course🤫😉

This delightful novel was my first encounter with the works of Sulani Gentill and rest assured it won't be my last. Elegantly written and suffused with lots of great historical details from the late 30s, this wonderful fictional journey deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for this terrific ARC

5★
“‘What are you working on?’

He smiled. ‘This is Joe Lombardo. He lends himself to oils, I think.’

‘Would he sit for you?’

‘Maybe. But you wouldn’t want to disappoint him.’”

If you did, you could probably kiss your tomorrows goodbye! This is the mid 1930s, ‘between the wars’.

Rowland Sinclair, acclaimed Australian portrait painter, is sketching one of the men he saw in Boston’s Cocoanut Grove club. Edna Higgins, his usual model (and ‘secret’ love of his life), is peering over his shoulder as he draws. He is one of those people I admire who can capture a likeness with a few lines. Magic! It proves handy when he wants to describe someone to the police.

Rowland, Edna, and the other two of this Aussie foursome, Clyde Watson-Jones and Milton Isaacs, are in Boston because Rowland has been named the executor of an old friend’s will. Only he is allowed to carry out the instructions. Matters are complicated by the fact that the relatives have been cut off and the beneficiary seems to have been dead and buried for the last couple of years.

Danny was a close friend of Rowland’s at Oxford. He came from a wealthy Boston family and also became a successful, if eccentric, painter. Along with being summoned to Boston to read the will, Rowland is informed that Danny was murdered. So rather than head home to Australia from Shanghai, where they have just finished their business, they repack to head to the US to set things right for Danny.

This is the 1930s, when the world was witnessing the rise of Fascism in Europe, a movement that was gaining some traction in the US as well. Rowland and the others barely escaped some dangerous times in Europe before going to Shanghai, and they are highly sensitive to the worrying gossip of some Americans and the fanning of the flames of discontent by various radio announcers. [Some things never change?]

“’It’s like everybody’s lost their minds,’ Edna said, using Rowland as a shield against the cutting wind.

Milton shook his head. ‘Fascism offers easy answers. It tells people that they are not to blame and that the situation can be fixed if only the Jews or the Negroes or the Chinese or the Communists would stop being who they are.
. . .
It takes energy to resist easy answers, and people are tired. Struggling makes people tired. Perhaps we see things the way we do because, thanks to Rowly, we don’t have to struggle.’”

No, they don’t struggle for money because Rowly is rich, the kind of rich that doesn’t need to ask the price because they can afford it. They all live together in the family mansion in Sydney – when they are home – and they travel together, stumbling across people in distress and evil-doers and very famous people!

As with all the previous stories in the series, the politics and history of the times forms the backdrop. Each chapter is introduced with a cutting from a newspaper of the period. Gentill mixes her characters with real people on real occasions so believably that you wonder if she’s pinched someone’s diaries. She puts you in the time and place with Orson Welles, Errol Flynn, Joe Kennedy, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others.

At a party thrown by Marion Davies, Joe, father of JFK, is a movie studio owner at the time (among other things). He is absolutely smitten with the gorgeous Edna, who has no time for a man who seems to approve of Hitler. He seems a nasty piece of work. Young John is, well, young. A girl at the party tells Milton that all the boys are boring.

“’What about him?’ Milton asked, pointing to a boy who stood awkwardly by the window with his gaze fixed rather ambitiously on Edna. ‘Thick hair, good teeth, a little skinny, but he’ll probably fill out.’

‘John Kennedy? No way! . . . thinks his father’s going to be president! . . . .His old man is Joe Kennedy.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘All the Kennedy boys think they’re the cat’s pyjamas!’”

Well, we know how the Kennedys fared later. Meanwhile, back to the Aussies. They talk to the police, set out to find Danny’s murderer themselves, dodge Danny's furious brothers and his tearful sister who seems to have set her sights on Rowly, much to his consternation and everyone else’s amusement.

There are gangsters of various ethnicities after them, and Rowly comes off second best in a few brutal dustups. But whenever they are threatened, it’s never himself he’s worried about, it’s Edna.

“Rowland looked blankly at him, terrified now and becoming more so with every moment. Smythe’s words: ‘… so many more ways you can hurt a woman…’”

This is quite an adventure as they work their way up and down the east coast of America, not knowing exactly who their friends or enemies are and not knowing who the man is they’re looking for. Their own bonds are as strong as ever, especially between Rowly and Edna, but I will say no more!

This was published as "A Testament of Character in Australia "in 2020 and is coming out in the US under this title in January 2022. I recommend starting with the first in the series, because they are much more fun that way.

I also listened to a bit of the audio, and I think Rupert Degas does a great job with the various voices and accents.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy from which I've quoted.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…a cast of intriguing characters who get into their own escapades and then get out…the author shows the characters instead of telling…they come to life on the pages……fun read…

3.5 stars

Very enjoyable read, and for this to be the 10th book in the series I was impressed by the fact that I never felt like I was missing parts of the world building or understanding who the characters were, and the spot on portrayal of grief that Will displayed for the death of his good friend. Another thing I really enjoyed were all of the little cameos from famous Hollywood society, the action that never veered to the unrealistic, and the well written found family. I would definitely recommend for people who are interested in murder mysteries, and I’m really excited to start this series from the beginning.

ARC given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was the first of the Rowland Sinclair books I have read and absolutely loved it! I enjoyed it so much, I went and read the rest of the series. The characters are fascinating - Rowly and his artist friends - Edna, Milton and Clyde - are fun, original and each unique. Their different views on the world, society and its problems add to each story. Rowly's loyalty to his friends, even after they are deceased, is center to this book. When you find out that those you love have flaws you were unaware of and make mistakes, is doesn't negate the relationship you had with the person. Danger follows the group from Boston to New York and back. The plot is extremely well done and I admit, it took me awhile to figure out the murderer. I look forward to reading more about Rowland and his adventures. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #WheretheresaWill.

Intriguing mystery set in mid-depression era America. Upon the death of a friend, Australian friends Rowland, Edna, Milt, and Clyde come to the States to finalize the friend's estate and are drawn into investigating his murder. In order to do so, they must make sacrifices to find the heir and keep him safe. Cameos of well-known American celebrities, the introduction of certain games, and the practices of health care help to ground the reader in the era.

An interesting but good historical mystery novel. It’s very well written with lots of attention to detail and character development. The story itself kept me interested and had some twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author.

Where There's A Will (also published as A Testament of Character) is the tenth book in the Rowland Sinclair series by award-winning Australian author, Sulari Gentill. Rowland Sinclair’s shock at the sudden death of his long-time friend, Daniel Cartwright is eclipsed only by his puzzlement at the news that Danny had named him executor of his will. It’s a duty that Rowly is more than willing to perform for his dear friend, but before long, he realises that Danny has saddled him with a dangerous responsibility.

Of course, his close friends, Edna Higgins, Milton Isaacs and Clyde Watson-Jones refuse to allow him to travel to America without their loyal support, so some two weeks later, the party of four is met in Boston by Danny’s lawyers, conveyed to the opulent Copley Plaza Hotel and suitably outfitted for a Massachusetts autumn funeral.

Rowly is forewarned by lawyer, Oliver Burr that the Cartwright siblings are unlikely to accept the terms of their brother’s will and is disturbed to learn that his friend was murdered. Nor has the major beneficiary, Otis Norcross been located. His brothers want Danny declared insane so the will is invalid; his sister, Molly Cartwright, claims that Otis Norcross must have murdered her brother.

In their quest to carry out Danny’s last wishes, Rowly and his friends acquire a Cadillac Madame X and travel to New York and Boston and into North Carolina; they discover that there is more than one Otis Norcross, and more than one Rowland Sinclair; there are parties and dancing and galleries; and there are threats, both subtle and more direct; assaults with fists, guns, knives, arrows and brass knuckles; and abductions; soon enough, Danny’s paranoia about whom he could trust appears to be vindicated;

Where today a victim of a mugging might produce a photo of the assailants on a mobile phone, in 1935 a talented portrait artist like Rowland Sinclair furnishes a quick, accurate sketch that police can recognise.

A certain (married) movie-maker learns that Miss Edna Higgins cannot be had, not for flowers, not for expensive jewellery, not for expansive promises, unless she so chooses; Clyde accidentally acquires a dog he later has cause to regret; the Australians encounter homophobia taken to extremes; one of their party gets married; and there’s finally a certain moment that avid fans have been anticipating for nine books. This is another excellent dose of Australian historical crime fiction and more will be eagerly awaited!