A Testament to Murder

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Pub Date 18 Feb 2019 | Archive Date 18 Feb 2019

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Description

Suspenseful from the first page to the last, A Testament to Murder is perfect for fans of And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Crooked House

A dying billionaire. Nine would-be heirs. But only one will take the prize...

At the lush Villa Calypso on the French Riviera, a dying billionaire launches a devious plan: at midnight each day he appoints a new heir to his vast fortune. If he dies within 24 hours, that person takes it all. If not, their chance is gone forever.

Yet these are no ordinary beneficiaries, these men who crossed him, women who deceived him, and distant relations intent on reclaiming the family fortune. All are determined to lend death a hand and outwit their rivals in pursuit of the prize.

As tensions mount with every passing second, retired Scotland Yard investigator Jasper must stay two steps ahead of every player if he hopes to prevent the billionaire’s devious game from becoming a testament to murder…

Suspenseful from the first page to the last, A Testament to Murder is perfect for fans of And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Crooked House

A dying billionaire. Nine would-be...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781788633642
PRICE £1.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 65 members


Featured Reviews

Nine heirs and one billionaire. You know there is going to be trouble. Wherever money accumulates very seldom will you find the heirs amicable. This is one difficult bunch of people -relations and outsiders and all heirs to the particular frame of Malcolm's will.

It seems that Malcolm is actually inviting someone to murder him. One attempted murder, two murders, three incidents which are not murder but almost there puts a lot of tension within one house whose inmates are prohibited from leaving till the inquiries are over. The list of suspects can cover all and Jasper, retired British police living in France is giving a hand to the French authorities in trying to solve these murders.

All the people in the house have a history related to Malcolm - our billionaire. Some are known like his ex wife, his ex partner who stole his wife, his secretary, his nephew, There are some who are unknown and when the story unravels it shows all have grudges and cudgels to take up with Malcolm for slights done to them, injustices shown in the past some of which he is unaware to give him his due.

The ending is most enlightening. Something I did not envisage and even that ending though clear enough, still left you with one doubt clouding your vision at the end as to who was the real culprit here.

A very different take on mystery murder, similar to an Agatha Christie.

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Malcolm, an unpleasant and very rich old man, has gathered nine of his equally unpleasant family and associates into a villa and challenged them with his will. What a complicated premise it seems on the surface and clearly it isn't because two of the "heirs" quickly end up dead. Jasper, a retired Scotland Yard detective, is called in to sort things out and find the murderer(S). Things get better once he's on the case. Set in the 1920s, it's more or less a historical cozy. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a quick (it's short) entertaining read.

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A Testament to Murder by Vivan Conroy is the classic mystery set in beautiful French villa where a wealthy dying man has invited his closest family and friends to spend his last days with.
He proposes to write a new will every day with new name in it, and if he dies on that day the person whose name is in the will, will inherit everything.
He has concoted a devious plan and he expects them to fight, argue and even kill for his money.
However his actions will result in a ending that no one sees coming.

Very well written and cleverly plotted, this book has that old fashion feel to it. Not much action but a absorbing psyhological game.
Characters are brilliantly defined, setting is absolutely gorgeous and even a scorching summer sun can't warm up the evil that lurkes beneath.

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Malcolm Bryce-Rutherford is a miserable, cruel misanthrope in possession of a great fortune and the Villa Calypso on the French Riviera. But none of his extended family and associates fares much better: his ne’er-do-well, drunken nephew Hugh with ridiculous artistic pretensions, Hugh’s shallow gold-digger American bride; Malcolm’s greedy ex-wife Cecily, who has remarried with Malcolm’s business partner and borne a possibly sociopathic son; Malcolm’s long-suffering but overbearing former secretary, spinster Theodora Cummings, and a pretty, too-good-to- be-true British nurse, Anna Case. These people are pitted against one another when Uncle Malcolm reveals that he’s terminally ill and that he will leave his vast fortune to a different legatee each day. If he happens to die on that day, the inheritor gets the lot; if not, a new beneficiary will be named at midnight. An invitation to murder? You bet!

Although the novel begins just a tad too slowly, once retired Scotland Yard police superintendent Jasper comes on the scene, I couldn’t put it down. Although newly written, author Vivian Conroy captures the flavor of Golden Age cozy mysteries with a dash (very small) of Patricia Highsmith. Not very many of the characters are what they seem. It would be too easy to reveal too much and spoil Conroy’s novel, so I will leave it at that. I really look forward to the future adventures of retired Superintendent Jasper.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review.

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I haven't read an Agatha Christie book, but this book is pretty much what I imagine them to be. The premise was certainly very interesting. All these different people gather in a villa, trying to kill each other so they can inherit money and fortune. It was filled with murder and mystery, and it managed to keep me entertained throughout the whole story.

There were too many characters, though. Names were just being thrown out and I didn't know who was who. Ultimately, A Testament to Murder was an entertaining and quick read, just not my cup of tea.

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This is another book featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Jasper. This time he finds himself in a situation reminiscent of And Then There Were None. Set in the 1920's in a glamorous villa, a group of individuals have been brought together in a mysterious environment where it doesn't take long for a murder to occur. And then we're off and running! Written in the style of Agatha Christie, this is very well plotted and keeps you guessing about motives, victims and whether or not Jasper can figure things out in time. I will say, there are mostly very unlikeable characters in this story but they all fit into the story nicely and you aren't sad when one of them becomes a victim!
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy to read for review.

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A Testament to Murder features a group of people invited to a villa in order to witness the dying days of an eccentric billionaire. There, as they arrive, he gives some the hope of being the sole heir to his fortune. This includes his ex-wife, the new wife of his nephew, and his old secretary. In the process, buried secrets are revealed and things take an unexpected direction.

It’s set in the 1920s and you can really see some Gilded-age style classism and worship of wealth and power. I liked the setting and there’s some pretty spooky And Then There Were None vibes going on. Given my love for that book, these vibes added to the overall feel of the story and my enjoyment of it.

There are quite a few characters present and their personalities shine through in the book. All of them have their own agendas and reasons for wanting to get their hands on the fortune. I also liked how these characters are not surface-level and what we see doesn’t necessarily reveal what’s underneath. The author really kept some cards close to her chest here. It’s only towards the end that everything is revealed and it was pretty dramatic. If you like rich-people drama, this has that in spades.

I liked the character of retired Scotland Yard investigator, Jasper. While as an investigator, he should be impartial but he has his biases. I think it made him a more compelling character because as we dive in to his thoughts, we see that there are people he desperately wish to be innocent and he struggles to reconcile the need for impartiality with that. For me, it really humanizes the character.

The plot revolves around a dying billionaire playing a game with his guests. Every day, a new heir is chosen. If he dies on that day, the heir gets everything. It’s a dangerous game and one that can lead to his death. Indeed, he even states that he wants to see who would be brave enough to kill him and smart enough to get away with it. Predictably, this is alarming to some people, especially Jasper, and perhaps, tempting for his guests.

I liked the mystery in this book. I really enjoyed the fact that while it is a murder mystery, it doesn’t just revolve around it, and it’s not the only mystery either. In fact, the murder/s don’t even happen until around halfway through the book. There are other mysteries to solve, other questions requiring answers.

The murders weren’t shown in explicit detail and happen off-screen, as with many cozy mysteries. It also has one of the hallmarks of the mystery genre-the red herring. While I did find the red herring obvious, the actual murderer wasn’t and I wasn’t able to figure it out until it was revealed.

Overall, I liked A Testament to Murder for being a nice, atmospheric read. It’s the perfect read for a cold night and best enjoyed with a blanket and a hot drink.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC

This is a great murder mystery to accompany cold winter nights and will keep you guessing until the end. The first part of the book is perhaps a little slow but then it does take time to assemble its cast of characters in its highly murderous setting. Pretty much all the characters are unlikeable but this is in no way a bad thing, it actually makes it more enjoyable as everyone has a motive and is therefore a suspect. The author’s love of Agatha Christie shines through and the reader has to find the clues and red herrings when attempting to solve the crimes.

I found the ending highly satisfactory - if you’re a fan of old fashioned murder mysteries, playing detective and having fun while doing so then give this book a go!

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A retired Scotland Yard detective is invited to an estate in the French Riviera to investigate 2 murders where a Billionaire who is dying is playing a game, with friends, family and frenemies. He plans to change the sole heir of his will every night at midnight. The catch no one knows on any given day who is named the heir. Uncle Malcolm is playing a rather twisted game with deadly consequences. None of the characters are particularly likeable. Clearly has the Agatha Christie style and I did enjoy the mystery. Worth the read.

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From the very start of this book, I felt the Agatha Christie pulse. And as I read more and more chapters, I could definitely feel the Christie landscape.
With that being said, this book has its own tempo and I enjoyed the ease of the writing. The cast of characters all have a scathing personality and I wanted them all to hang for being criminals.
The theme of the book is simple: Malcolm is dieing and he invites a bunch of people to his home to play a game of "Who Wants to Inherit My Fortunate". Each day the heir on the will changes to another persons name...and no one knows when their name is listed but it only stays there for 24 hours. If he dies, and your name is on the will, you inherit the fortune.

While I was not shocked at the end, when the plot is revealed, this was still a wonderful read and I would recommend it to others.

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