A Will to Kill by RV Raman

Harith Athreya, a private investigator is called to Greybrooke Manor, a British bungalow in the misty Nilgiris. An aging and wheelchair-bound patriarch, Bhaskar Fernandez believes someone is out to kill him. Mr Fernandez has made two wills – one of them comes to force if he dies a natural death and the other if he’s murdered.

When Athreya reaches the place, the manor is cut off from the rest of the place, thanks to a landslide. The next day, Athreya finds a wheelchair-bound man in the chapel – this throat is slit and he’s in a pool of blood.

A modern-day whodunit written in a classic locked-room mystery style, A Will to Kill is the first book in Harith Athreya series by RV Raman.

The first thing that caught my attention was the Indian touch to a locked-room mystery. A mystery set in the scenic Nilgiris (a favorite getaway place of mine), I was eager to see what twists and turns would the author include in this book.

I must say I am impressed with the setting and Athreya’s sleuthing skills. The story drags a tad halfway through but overall, A Will to Kill is an interesting read.

There are a lot of characters in the story and in the first few chapters, I had some difficulty remembering who’s who. We also have a couple of side stories (of few characters) giving the story what I would call, a Tadka. (Tempering)

The story seemed a tad longer than the ones I usually read. A little toning down on the details and I would have liked the story more. (The rating would have gone up by a 0.5 for sure).

The ending is impressive. An unexpected and surprising conclusion. If you are looking for a whodunit (written in mystery classic style) with an Indian touch, you might want to give A Will to Kill a try.

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Many thanks to Polis Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

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