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tayparks's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
4.0
Let’s take a trip to the French Riviera, shall we! And while we’re at it, let’s travel back in time to the Roaring Twenties! Now we are where and when we need to be, let’s go and visit Uncle Malcolm! Although I don’t think it’ll be a nice visit… He’s a shrewd, manipulative and rather cruel old man, that one. He’s been very poorly lately, so poorly in fact, that he’s requested all his relatives and friends (if you can call them that) to come and visit him before he dies. And to make his last days / weeks (?) more entertaining, Malcolm has decided to play a little game with his heirs: every night he’ll make a new testament, leaving his fortune to one person who is to inherit everything if Malcolm happens to die within those 24 hours. Interesting idea, to say the least, because who knows what effect this little game will have on the heirs in question, who’s to say one (or more) won’t figure out when it’s their name on the testament and try to kill Malcolm? So at first this is a cosy murder mystery without any actual murder but with lots of murderous thoughts. Until… the first person is killed and it’s not Malcolm… Dumdumdumdum! Was the killer just thinning the herd to tilt the odds in their favour, was it some kind of revenge, did the deceased know too much?
I thoroughly enjoyed the Agatha Christie vibe of it all, all the mystery, all the questions raised, and the very satisfying ending, the teensy bit of venom in this tale’s tail. At less than 200 pages, this was a quick and fun read that I’d happily recommend to any and all cosy mystery fans.
Thanks to NetGalley, Canelo and Vivian Conroy for the free eARC! All opinions are my own and I was not paid to give them
I thoroughly enjoyed the Agatha Christie vibe of it all, all the mystery, all the questions raised, and the very satisfying ending, the teensy bit of venom in this tale’s tail. At less than 200 pages, this was a quick and fun read that I’d happily recommend to any and all cosy mystery fans.
Thanks to NetGalley, Canelo and Vivian Conroy for the free eARC! All opinions are my own and I was not paid to give them
dogearedandfurry's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this from NetGalley, in return for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.
The positives - the plot is a really good premise. An old man apparently dying, gathering all his potential beneficiaries together and changing the sole beneficiary name on his will at midnight each day - but none of those gathered know if it’s their day or not. Lots of potential reasons and motives for each person.
The negatives - the characters need a little polishing. I understand you need to dislike them all because they could be potential murderers. But they sometimes felt a little pantomime villainesque, rather than fully fleshed out people with nuances and shades. It was hard to feel much when for instance some of the women were so vapid and clearly thinking “I should cry here for sympathy” or “I want all the money”.
A little polishing of the characters - toning down the over the top baddy and dialling up the more serious character development - would really turn this book into quite a force.
The positives - the plot is a really good premise. An old man apparently dying, gathering all his potential beneficiaries together and changing the sole beneficiary name on his will at midnight each day - but none of those gathered know if it’s their day or not. Lots of potential reasons and motives for each person.
The negatives - the characters need a little polishing. I understand you need to dislike them all because they could be potential murderers. But they sometimes felt a little pantomime villainesque, rather than fully fleshed out people with nuances and shades. It was hard to feel much when for instance some of the women were so vapid and clearly thinking “I should cry here for sympathy” or “I want all the money”.
A little polishing of the characters - toning down the over the top baddy and dialling up the more serious character development - would really turn this book into quite a force.
ilikerainydays's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
emci's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
justinekorson's review
5.0
This is the second book I read by Vivian and this one is my favorite of the two!! I’d compare the premise to Knives Out except with more murder and intrigue! It was a very good read and I’d really recommend it to anyone who loves a good plot twist
julie7's review against another edition
mysterious
3.5
3.5 ⭐ =Quite Good.
This is the first in this series.
If you like Agatha Christie, I expect that you'll enjoy this. It had the classic 'come together at the end to reveal the murder' style. Lots of suspects and a good storyline.
This is the first in this series.
If you like Agatha Christie, I expect that you'll enjoy this. It had the classic 'come together at the end to reveal the murder' style. Lots of suspects and a good storyline.
mollyfiddler's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this mystery full of reminder of Golden Age books.
It was engaging, entertaining and interesting.
The book is well written and I liked both the setting and the historical background.
There is no highly likable or relatable character, each of them - detective included - comes with a more or less hidden agenda but they were fun to read, even if a bit over the top.
The mystery was good, no plot hole, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC
It was engaging, entertaining and interesting.
The book is well written and I liked both the setting and the historical background.
There is no highly likable or relatable character, each of them - detective included - comes with a more or less hidden agenda but they were fun to read, even if a bit over the top.
The mystery was good, no plot hole, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC
softstarrynights's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up A Testament to Murder because I was craving a cosy murder mystery, and this was just waiting on my Kindle. Set in the 1920s the book begins with various relatives arrive at a man's deathbed. However, this man has yet to decide who will be the sole heir of his considerable fortune. I can't tell you how much fun I had with this book. In a book like this one, you have certain expectations based on your experience with the genre. It is impossible not to draw Agatha Christie comparisons because the set-up seems like something she would write. To combat this the author plays with the pacing very cleverly and holds off on certain events which definitely serves to throw the reader off. The character were all decently written, and I didn't have a lot of trouble differentiating them. They were nicely rounded so that I couldn't immediately discern who was going to be murdered. I absolutely love the way that the ending unfolded, and you could tell that there was a lot of intention about the way that this was done. All I wanted from this book was a nice cosy murder mystery to keep me occupied, but in fact, I got a really interesting, and well-plotted story. I wasn't planning on starting a new mystery series, but Vivian Conroy has left me no other choice.