A Will to Kill (A Harith Athreya Mystery) - Softcover

Raman, RV

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782277323 ISBN 13: 9781782277323

Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo, 2026

Synopsis

This wildly entertaining cozy murder mystery set in India’s snowy Nilgiri Mountains features a fiendish family inheritance drama.

“A modern-day take on the classic locked-room murder mystery... Athreya is a fine detective with a curious mind.”  — The New York Times

Aging millionaire Bhaskar Fernandez has won his family property back after a bitter legal battle. Now, though wheelchair-bound, he has invited his relatives to the remote, and possibly haunted, Greybrooke Manor, a colonial-era mansion high up in the misty Nilgiris. It stands alone in an area said to be haunted by the ghost of an Englishman.

According to legend, every past owner of the house has died a violent death, and every future owner will die violently too.

He knows his guests expect to gain from his death, so he writes two conflicting wills. Which one of them comes into force will depend on how he dies.

Fernandez also invites Detective Harith Athreya, a seasoned investigator, to watch what unfolds. His son, Manu Fernandez is as mistified by the situation as Athreya. When every member of the family has all to gain and all to lose, Detective Athreya must uncover truths no one is willing to reveal.

When the mountainous region produces a cataclysmic landslide, it renders the estate impossible to leave. A body is discovered – the victim’s throat has been cut, and Athreya finds that death is not the only thing that the mist conceals. . .

The 1st book in the internationally beloved Detective Harith Athreya series, this cinematic, expertly-plotted mystery provides a gripping tale of feuds, wealth, and fear in the mountains offering a perfect start for mystery fans’ next obsessive read.

About this title

About the Author

Following a corporate career spanning three decades and four continents, RV Raman now lectures on management, mentors young entrepreneurs, serves as an independent director on company boards, and writes. A Will to Kill is the first novel in the Harith Athreya series, with four subsequent novels in the series also available from Pushkin Vertigo.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The visitor was ill at ease, fidgeting with his watch’s metal strap, locking and releasing the clasp repeatedly. He had already made two attempts to convey the message he was carrying, and had pulled up short both times. He glanced around the near-empty, wood-panelled restaurant at Chennai’s New Woodlands Hotel where the late-afternoon crowd was yet to arrive. Across the table, under a large painting of young Lord Krishna stealing butter, Harith Athreya waited, studying the willowy young man who had given his name as Manu Fernandez. The sealed envelope Manu had brought remained unopened on the polished wood table, beside a steaming tumbler of filter coffee.
Manu had just invited Athreya to his family mansion in the Nilgiris on his father’s behalf, and was ineffectively trying to pass along the rest of the message. When he made little headway the third time, Athreya stepped in to encourage him.
‘You are only the messenger, not the author of the message,’ he said quietly. ‘Don’t feel awkward about it.’
He paused as a waiter brought them hot, steaming idlis. Manu leaned back in his green-covered chair to let the waiter serve the snack with sambar and chutney. A determined look crept on to his lean, clean-shaven face as he watched the waiter do his job. Once he was out of earshot, Manu squared his shoulders and took the mental plunge.
‘You see, Mr Athreya, Dad has written two wills,’ he blurted. ‘Surely, that isn’t a problem. The later will would prevail.’ ‘Normally, yes. But in this case, both wills are dated the same,
and Dad has gone to the extent of writing the exact same time on both. He has also got witnesses to sign the wills simultaneously, in the presence of a lawyer. Neither of the two can be said to supersede the other.’
‘That’s interesting!’ Athreya’s curiosity was piqued. He had not encountered such a situation before. Manu’s father seemed to be an unusual man. Athreya found himself looking forward to meeting him, for he already knew that he would be accepting this intriguing invitation. He leaned forward. ‘Why did your father do that?’ he asked.
Manu shrugged, avoiding both the question and Athreya’s eyes. Instead, he spooned a piece of idli into his mouth.
‘From what you say,’ Athreya went on, ‘both wills would be considered equally valid.’
‘Yes.’
‘Then which one will take effect when your father… er… passes away?’
Manu dropped his spoon and touched his lips with a napkin. ‘That would depend on the manner in which he dies,’ he replied.
Athreya’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘I’m afraid you lost me there,’ he said.
‘It… it’s like this…’ Manu stuttered. ‘If Dad dies of natural causes, one will takes effect. But if he dies… unnaturally, the other one comes into force.’
‘By “natural causes”, you mean—’
‘Old age or a naturally contracted illness,’ the younger man explained.
‘But if he dies as a result of anything else, the other will takes effect?’
‘Yes. That includes death by accident as well.’
‘I see,’ Athreya murmured, frowning as his right index finger traced invisible figures and words on the tabletop. Clearly, the developing puzzle had captured his imagination. As a retired investigator, his interest in commonplace crimes had waned. Although no crime had yet been committed, the situation at the Fernandez family mansion intrigued him.
‘Does your father expect to die… er… unnaturally?’ he asked Manu.
‘That is a question you should ask him.’
‘I can’t, as he is not here. But you are, so tell me what you know.’
After an uncertain pause, Manu’s face suddenly broke into an apologetic smile.
‘Some say that a curse hovers over Greybrooke Manor, our family mansion. According to legend, every past owner of the house has died a violent death, and every future owner will die violently too. I don’t know if it is true, but I remember my grandfather laughing it off when I was a kid. My grandmother was furious that he had talked about this dark legend with us kids.’
‘How did your grandfather die?’ Athreya asked softly.
‘In an accident. He was standing by the open door of a moving train, smoking his pipe, when he slipped and fell out. His head was crushed when he hit a rock. Death must have been instantaneous.’
Athreya sat back and gazed at the younger man for a long moment, stroking his fine-haired beard, which had a patch of silver at the chin.
‘An accident, no doubt?’ he asked.
‘Of course. No reason to believe otherwise. He had been drinking heavily on the train.’
‘And who had owned the mansion before your grandfather?’ ‘A string of Britishers. I don’t know much about them, except the last one, whose heir sold the estate to my grandfather. This
was after the heir’s father had died.’
‘And how did that Englishman die? Do you know?’
‘Had his throat slit when he was asleep in bed. He was said to have molested a local girl the day before. The girl’s father slipped into the mansion at night and killed him.’
‘I see… am I to assume that your father wrote two wills on account of this legend?’
‘It could be the legend, or it could be his fascination with crime fiction. He absolutely devours those books. Sometimes I feel that he lives in a world of his own—part fictional, part real. I really can’t think of any other reason. As I said, this is a question that is best put to him directly.’
‘Tell me,’ Athreya asked as he stirred his coffee, ‘who benefits from your father’s death?’
Manu squirmed in his chair. It was apparent that he had hoped Athreya wouldn’t ask this question. But he answered it nevertheless, presumably due to his father’s instructions.
‘That depends on which of the two wills comes into force. The contents of one will—let’s call it the first will—are common knowledge. This is the one that takes effect if he dies of natural causes. But the contents of the second will are a secret known only to Dad.’
‘OK. Who are the beneficiaries in the first will?’
‘Several people, but I benefit the most. As his only child, I inherit the lion’s share of the estate, including Greybrooke Manor.’
‘And who are the other beneficiaries?’
‘My cousins and some neighbours. What they will receive isn’t trivial by any yardstick. The pieces of the estate due to them are pretty valuable at today’s prices.’
‘Not trivial, eh? Your father seems to believe that the chances of his dying unnaturally aren’t trivial either.’
Athreya took a sip of his coffee and studied Manu over the rim of his tumbler. He was beginning to understand why Manu’s father, Bhaskar Fernandez, had invited him to Greybrooke Manor.
‘One practical way of looking at it,’ Athreya went on when Manu didn’t respond, ‘is that some people have a reason to kill your father. But if they do, they will not inherit their share. It’s a stalemate of sorts. Is your father trying to protect himself by writing two wills?’
Manu shrugged and dropped his gaze.
‘Why does he want me to come to Greybrooke Manor?’ Athreya asked.
‘Honestly, Mr Athreya, I don’t know.’ Manu’s gaze was riveted to the tabletop. ‘But I suspect he wants to consult you. Besides, being crazy about crime fiction, he would love to chat with you. He has his own stories to tell, too. He’s wanted to meet you since he heard about you from a mutual friend. We are having a house party with family and neighbours. He probably wants to take advantage of that and have you, too.’

Edition details

• Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1782277323
• ISBN 13: 9781782277323
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272