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The Philanthropist's Danse
by
Paul Wornham (Goodreads Author)
Twelve people. Five days. One fortune.
Johnston Thurwell, one of the world’s richest men, dies unexpectedly. His family expects to inherit his wealth, but instead discover the dying philanthropist has spent his last days planning something called The Danse. The twelve most important people in his life are brought together to decide the most important question at the end of...more
Johnston Thurwell, one of the world’s richest men, dies unexpectedly. His family expects to inherit his wealth, but instead discover the dying philanthropist has spent his last days planning something called The Danse. The twelve most important people in his life are brought together to decide the most important question at the end of...more
Kindle Edition, 1, 366 pages
Published
June 21st 2011
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Unique, intriguing, entertaining
This novel had the most unusual, interesting plot. Attorney William Byrd, following the written instructions of his deceased client, the famous philanthropist Johnston C. Thurwell, had to locate twelve people and get them to his client’s mansion. Johnston Thurwell III, known as Junior, Bethany Thurwell and Philip Thurwell, were the three children of this man, all difficult; Dennis and Janice Elliot were house staff at one of Thurwell’ mansions; Winifred Tremethick...more
This novel had the most unusual, interesting plot. Attorney William Byrd, following the written instructions of his deceased client, the famous philanthropist Johnston C. Thurwell, had to locate twelve people and get them to his client’s mansion. Johnston Thurwell III, known as Junior, Bethany Thurwell and Philip Thurwell, were the three children of this man, all difficult; Dennis and Janice Elliot were house staff at one of Thurwell’ mansions; Winifred Tremethick...more
I picked up a copy of The Philanthropist’s Danse, after reading the summary. I found the idea of a group of people, some related, some strangers, who are called together to decide on their own, how a wealthy, deceased man’s fortune is to be divided, to be an interesting story line. The story did in fact hold up to its description. I felt the author did an excellent job of creating curious and varied characters – each with their own mystery/secret. The writing flowed nicely, and the detailed desc...more
I must say this is one heck of a debut novel.
The premise intrigued me.. Ive previously read a story with a similar plot "billionaire screws greedy family." And wanted to see how this author would handle it. While many of the situations were the same, (ne'er-do -well kids; illegitimate offspring etc) the author manages to put enough of a twist, in addition to a novel method of handling contingencies.(I'll. Never look at a yellow envelope the same way again)
One star off for style : there are entir...more
The premise intrigued me.. Ive previously read a story with a similar plot "billionaire screws greedy family." And wanted to see how this author would handle it. While many of the situations were the same, (ne'er-do -well kids; illegitimate offspring etc) the author manages to put enough of a twist, in addition to a novel method of handling contingencies.(I'll. Never look at a yellow envelope the same way again)
One star off for style : there are entir...more
Mar 05, 2012
Indie Books List
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of all things mystery related.
This review originally appeared at http://www.indiebookslist.com
People like stories about wealthy people. My particular affinity for lifestyles the super-rich is not based on the things they own, or the power they possess. I am more interested in the psychology of the rich: The mindset and choices that brought them to, and kept them at the top.
The Philanthropist’s Danse delivers smart, psychological drama of the type I haven’t seen in quite some time.
Take “12 Angry Men”, the psychological gymnas...more
People like stories about wealthy people. My particular affinity for lifestyles the super-rich is not based on the things they own, or the power they possess. I am more interested in the psychology of the rich: The mindset and choices that brought them to, and kept them at the top.
The Philanthropist’s Danse delivers smart, psychological drama of the type I haven’t seen in quite some time.
Take “12 Angry Men”, the psychological gymnas...more
I simply can not believe that this is Paul Wornham's first book. I am convinced he has a few hiding somewhere or under a different name because if this is his first full novel then the Mystery world better prepare. Mr. Wornham is going to be causing quite a scene!
Mr.Wornham requested a review through my blog and I was thrilled. No matter how many times it happens, I am always surprised when I get a request because I revere storytellers so much. The irony is I am told I can be a tough reviewer an...more
Mr.Wornham requested a review through my blog and I was thrilled. No matter how many times it happens, I am always surprised when I get a request because I revere storytellers so much. The irony is I am told I can be a tough reviewer an...more
When Johnston Thurwell. one of the world's wealthiest men, dies unexpectedly, his family expects to inherit his wealth, but the dying philanthropist has spent his last days planning something called The Danse. 12 of the most important people in his life are brought together to decide who will inherit his fortune.
His children are sequestered in Johnston's remote country mansion with a group that includes his best friend, two of his servants, and his greatest business rival. They must agree who am...more
His children are sequestered in Johnston's remote country mansion with a group that includes his best friend, two of his servants, and his greatest business rival. They must agree who am...more
I’ve always found interesting things happen when you trap characters together, add some stress, and sit back and watch the show. This reminded me some of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” or the movie “Clue” but without murders. All the players are invited to a remote mansion under the pretext of meeting with a well known businessman and philanthropist Johnston C. Thurwell – but he’s already dead. Some of the guests are his children, some coworkers, and some it’s not really clear at t...more
A recently passed billionaire gathers family, friends, and enemies together at a reclusive mansion to split his fortune amongst them. Every midnight they do not come to an agreement the fortune is reduce by 20%. Sounds like a simple plan: they should just split it evenly right? Well what if the family feels they should get more? What if his business associates they should get equal?
This is what ensues in Wornham's first novel. The first thing I thought as did I see others did when reading about...more
This is what ensues in Wornham's first novel. The first thing I thought as did I see others did when reading about...more
I'm looking forward to his next novel.
This is a book I kept picking up to read every spare minute I had and it was frustrating that I had a particularly intense work week. Friday evening finally arrived and I read all night until I finished it.
This novel could do with some editing and a bit of pruning. But when it ended, I wanted to know what happens next to each of the characters, good and bad, so I would've liked it to last longer. That's not to say the ending wasn't a good one -- it was. I th...more
This is a book I kept picking up to read every spare minute I had and it was frustrating that I had a particularly intense work week. Friday evening finally arrived and I read all night until I finished it.
This novel could do with some editing and a bit of pruning. But when it ended, I wanted to know what happens next to each of the characters, good and bad, so I would've liked it to last longer. That's not to say the ending wasn't a good one -- it was. I th...more
I enjoyed the suspense and drama of the story, especially once their pasts are revealed and you get a better understanding of everyone's relationships. I also enjoyed the fact that the characters are very human at times. For example, after (view spoiler)
However, there were a few major scenes where everyone seemed to act...more
However, there were a few major scenes where everyone seemed to act...more
It is hard to explain how satisfied I was with this story. I picked it up based on the good reviews received by other Amazon reviewers and, for once, the reviews did the story justice. The story reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" (Although I always thought that it was called 10 Little Indians until I looked it up). I will forgo the plot explanation as there are ample reviews that contain that. Suffice it to say, that despite the limited locale the author does an ex...more
I enjoyed the premise of this book. The characters were interesting and I was eager to see what would happen in the end - so much so that I easily finished the whole thing in less than a day. The only thing bugging me intensely about this book was the excess of grammatical errors, the most egregious of which was the often seen misuse of the word "I" when it should have been "me." Everyone nowadays tries to be proper and use "I" everywhere... like "between Sandy and I" or "she gave cookies to Mik...more
3.5 stars
In the vein of a classic whodunnit plot, The Philanthropist's Dan$e gathers a group of people at a country mansion in New York. However, instead of a murder occurring on the first night, the group is assigned the chore of dividing the fortune of the already decreased Mr. Thruwell. Plotting, scheming and aligning allegiances ensue. For mystery readers that lean towards classic plot and characterization reminiscent of the BBC classics, Murder She Wrote episodes, or Agatha Christie type re...more
In the vein of a classic whodunnit plot, The Philanthropist's Dan$e gathers a group of people at a country mansion in New York. However, instead of a murder occurring on the first night, the group is assigned the chore of dividing the fortune of the already decreased Mr. Thruwell. Plotting, scheming and aligning allegiances ensue. For mystery readers that lean towards classic plot and characterization reminiscent of the BBC classics, Murder She Wrote episodes, or Agatha Christie type re...more
I'm sorry, I've read some dry stuff before but I simply could not finish this book. The characters were shallow and really very cliche. I don't want to give things away but it makes no sense as a sustainable plot. We're following the characters and think we understand the rules of the game they're playing but suddenly the rules are tossed out. The family does everything within the rules that are laid out but then when it's convenient for the writer he brings out a secret rule that the players an...more
Twelve people, five days, no outside contact and a fortune to be shared. This book caused two sleepless nights as I couldn't put it down. The intricate negotiations, the backstabbing to win allies, and the anticipation of an outcome that will change lives forever are the driving factors of this story. Well written, clear description making each situation as real as the chair you sit in, excellent characterizations of people thrown together by a surprise invitation and finding they have to work f...more
Very intriguing idea/concept for a story. How greed devours the best in people. I had a hard time relating to the philanthropist though; he seemed like a bully to me. So I understood why his sons turned out the way they did. I get why the philanthropist is doing the "danse" (and that's spelled that way for a reason that I won't spoil). Some lines just didn't sit well with me, but overall I thought it was a pretty good read. 15 characters to get to know and you don't really get to know any of the...more
I loved this book. I am amazed that this is a first time author, because he is better than the best. You better get ready to see Mr. Paul Wornham's name on the best seller's list, because he is that fabulous an author.
This author did a great job with his character development. He threw us into a room with over twelve characters, yet his development was so well done, I knew them as well as if I were sitting in the room with them.
It's a page turned from beginning to end.I would recommend this book...more
This author did a great job with his character development. He threw us into a room with over twelve characters, yet his development was so well done, I knew them as well as if I were sitting in the room with them.
It's a page turned from beginning to end.I would recommend this book...more
A very wealthy man dies, and sets up an elaborate plan to divide his wealth - 12 people (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) gather at his mansion to determine who gets how much of the money. Only proposals receiving 75% of their vote will be accepted. Greed, secrets, violence, and unlikely alliances abound. Each day no agreement is made, 10% of the inheritance is removed. Interesting cast of characters, interesting premise. A fun read (but LOTS of grammatical errors, should have hired a proofrea...more
I came across this in the download chart when it was free a few days ago, and was immediately intrigued by the storyline. In essence, the concept of a remote country house whose inhabitants are stuck there whether they like it or not while a mystery plays out, has been done before (in a lot of ways this book reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel brought into the present day, albeit set in the States rather than the UK).
Although the scenario is of course deliberately far-fetched - and the dubio...more
Although the scenario is of course deliberately far-fetched - and the dubio...more
There were times that this book was very slow-going but the times that it wasn't, more than made up for those slower pages. The way the author was able to weave the characters together was amazing. It could not have been an easy feat considering there were 14 main characters in the book. I need to give credit for that as well. Character development is one of the biggest struggles that I think most authors face and Wornham was able to do it, flawlessly, not with two or three characters but with f...more
When I read the synopsis for this, I immediately made the decision to buy this book as I felt it was a cracking plot. However I felt let down by the execution - it was too long and complicated. Paul would have benefited from having a good editor as I felt momentum was lost after the first third and it all became a bit ridiculous. I was also expecting some kind of twist at the end that never came. Quite disappointed, but a good effort for a self published author.
Really enjoyed this debut novel which I got as a feebie on my Kindle.
Fantastic story that shows people's true colours and what greed does to families when there is a large inheritance at stake.
The characters were well developed and the novel set a cracking pace with unexpected twists and turns.
Actually made me think of Lord of The Flies in some ways, with regards to people's baser instincts taking over.
Will certainly look out for Paul Wornham's next novel!
Fantastic story that shows people's true colours and what greed does to families when there is a large inheritance at stake.
The characters were well developed and the novel set a cracking pace with unexpected twists and turns.
Actually made me think of Lord of The Flies in some ways, with regards to people's baser instincts taking over.
Will certainly look out for Paul Wornham's next novel!
Reading the back cover summary had me curious to read the novel. A decreased wealthy philanthropist's fortune has to be divided between tweleve individuals; some strangers and some related. But the catch to the storyline is no one could leave the manison until a decision which everyone agrees on is made. After finishing this novel. I was not disappointed, but satisfied with my choice of book.
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this novel. It's reminiscent of classic who dunnit without being overly convulated.
i became aware of this book when it was offered as a free kindle book.
Very admirable for a first novel. Looking forward to reading more by Wornham in the future.
Occasional grammar problem/ missed edits that make a little hesitant to give this 4 stars.
Not bad especially for the author's first novel. It did need a little help in editing, there were some errors that I spotted. other than that is was well written and quite intriguing. It was slightly anticlimatic, it felt like there was going to be a bigger twist when there wasn't. The twists it did have were well written though and the plot was well executed.
This book really kept me interested by all twists and turns of the plot until the very end of the book. The book was a bit similar to Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie in that the characters were more or less held captive at the estate by the weather and also by a provision of the will. I heartily recommend this book.
In this intriguing novel, a wealthy man calls together 12 people following his death: family members, friends and foes- to decide how his fortune is to be split. There are time penalties and rules to be followed which results in various twists and turns.
The plot is clever, the characters interesting and the ending is satisfying. A very clever and enjoyable read.
The plot is clever, the characters interesting and the ending is satisfying. A very clever and enjoyable read.
Really liked this. A very Agatha Christie-esque scenario leads to 12 people ensconsed in a remote house fighting over a fortune. Lots of twists and secrets with alliances being made and broken, tempers fraying and the fortune diminishing. Will look out for future offerings from Paul Wornham with great interest (and can't believe that this was his first novel!).
A well-developed story about 12 people who gather at a diseased philanthropist's mansion to inherit his fortune if they can agree how to share it. Things turn ugly quickly and there are lots of twists, turns, and deal-making before the Danse is concluded and the fortune awarded. An enthralling story---really enjoyed this book.
I really enjoyed this book. The beginning, while similar to the movie Clue, was set up with just enough questions and information to get the reader engaged quickly. I really wanted to keep reading to know what would happen and to learn more about the characters. I especially enjoyed the variety of characters and found the entire thing to be well-written.
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Paul is the author of the indie-published novel The Philanthropist's Danse
Paul was born & raised in England but has lived in Canada for over fifteen years. He carries two passports and feels very James Bond about it.
He lives and writes in Southern Ontario.
More about Paul Wornham...
Paul was born & raised in England but has lived in Canada for over fifteen years. He carries two passports and feels very James Bond about it.
He lives and writes in Southern Ontario.
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