“… the narrative tradition of Christie and Doyle has found a worthy successor in RV Raman.” – National Herald

Enjoy a nostalgic trip back to your teenage years when crisp crime thrillers kept us awake for long nights.” – The Telegraph “… the influence of Agatha Christie on the author’s writing is unmissable. “… a whodunnit modelled on the lines of classic mysteries with an old world charm …” – The Hindu It’s an ingenious plot, and Raman takes obvious delight in teasing out the suspense to great effect.” – CrimeReads Knowing he’s at risk of coming to an untimely end at his relatives’ hands, he draws up two wills, in sharp conflict with one another, with one set to prevail depending on the exact manner of his death. When a patriarch emerges from a legal battle victorious and with his estate again free to dispense, he summons his family to a mansion in the Nilgiris valley. “In this kickoff to a new series, Raman brilliantly evokes Agatha Christie’s classic country estate mysteries for modern-day India. There are Cluedo-esque maps of the manor and family trees to enjoy, as well as Athreya himself, the sort of brilliant detective who is a joy to watch piecing together the answers.” The Guardian (UK): “A Will to Kill is a slice of sheer pleasure: a locked-room mystery that blends the feel of classic crime with the modern world, while presenting a proper, thorny puzzle. Raman makes the most of his version of a locked-room mystery, endowing Athreya with an omniscience rarely seen in today’s jaded detectives.”

The Sunday Times (UK): “RV Raman’s hugely engaging novel A Will to Kill is set in modern-day India, but its origins lie in the golden age of crime fiction. The New York Times: “… a modern-day take on the classic locked-room murder mystery, transported to a remote mansion high in the hills of southern India.” … “Athreya is a fine detective with a curious mind, a cool eye for the chance detail, a skill in synthesising disparate threads and a talent for resisting the insults of the requisite police officer assigned to the case.”

NYT recommends this book.Ī WILL TO KILL named one of the best traditional mysteries of 2020. With murder and intrigue as accompaniments.Ī WILL TO KILL is the New York Times Editor’s Choice (January 2021). From the misty Nilgiris to the lofty Himalayas, from serene backwaters to a wooded riverbank in Central India, these books take readers on a virtual tour of the Indian hinterland. This new series, which features the gentleman sleuth Harith Athreya, is set in remote and picturesque locations in the vast Indian countryside.

A Will To Kill by R.V. Raman