“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned --- or a family disinherited,” to misquote William Congreve.

American millionaire Daniel Cartwright, an aspiring artist and the youngest son in a powerful Boston family, had survived the stock market crash of 1929, while his older siblings lost nearly everything. Tragically, Danny, dressed in formal clothing as if he was planning to meet someone, has been found shot dead by an unknown assailant along the Charles River in Harvard Yard.

Danny’s siblings are shocked to learn that he recently had altered his will, naming his former Oxford classmate, Australian artist Rowland Sinclair, as the executor. He left virtually nothing to them except a small amount to his sister. The remainder of his considerable fortune is left to Otis Norcross, whom nobody knows and Rowly is tasked with finding.

"If these mysteries are not on your shelves and you appreciate clever, witty writing, adventure and tantalizing, twisty plots, you’re missing out on the best escape reads ever."

The disinherited siblings maintain that Danny was mentally unstable due to certain proclivities concerning other men. All expenses for settling the estate are to be paid from the proceeds of the will. Rowly expects this to be a complex undertaking requiring his presence in the United States, so he prepares to go to Boston from Singapore where he and his associates have been on business. Keep in mind, this was no simple task in 1935 --- months if by sea, weeks if by air.

Still recovering from the Wall Street crash, the US is slowly crawling out of the damage done from the Great Depression. However, the growing threats of Nazism and Fascism in Europe are just beginning to creep into America.

The search for Norcross begins in Boston, so Rowly travels there with Clyde and Milton, his bohemian friends, and Edna Higgins, the stunning nude model for his famous paintings. They will discover fairly quickly that the danger there is every bit as threatening as their past exploits in Asia and Europe, but in very different ways.

If you’re new to the adventures of Rowland Sinclair and his companions, you’ll soon realize they’re an unusual lot. But as the Aussies would say, they are jolly well interesting. Milton seems capable of quoting everyone from Shakespeare to Sinclair Lewis. Clyde comes in handy when the going gets rough, especially in books four through six. Edna fends off movie industry mogul Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. His clandestine ties with underworld Irish and Italian mobs of the era, not to mention his open anti-Semitism and womanizing, play an unexpected role in this saga.

Gentill works clever historical notes and renowned celebrities into the plot. Rowly seems to be acquainted with everyone from Sinclair Lewis to F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. He bumps into John Barrymore and old friend Errol Flynn. They go to see the Lindy Hoppers at the Savoy and hear Ella Fitzgerald belt out “Stompin’ at the Savoy.” Gentill also begins each chapter with authentic newspaper clippings of the times, espousing everything from fashion to celebrity visits from luminaries, hairstyles and Nazi protests --- each of which relates to coming events.

WHERE THERE’S A WILL is the 10th entry in this outstanding series. If these mysteries are not on your shelves and you appreciate clever, witty writing, adventure and tantalizing, twisty plots, you’re missing out on the best escape reads ever.