Pages: 368
Source: Purchase
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2019
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware’s fourth novel, “her best yet” (Library Journal, starred review).
On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.
Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.
Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
Ruth Ware, known for her atmospheric thrillers, delivers an exceptional tale of suspense and mystery in The Death of Mrs. Westaway. With its intricately woven plot and psychological tension, the novel captures the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go until the very end.
The story follows Hal, a struggling tarot card reader, who receives a letter informing her of a substantial inheritance from a woman named Mrs. Westaway. The catch? Hal quickly realizes the letter was meant for someone else, but a spark of opportunity flickers within her. With her sharp instincts honed from reading people and situations, Hal decides to claim the inheritance, despite the fact that it’s not legally hers. This decision sets off a chain of events that leads her to the remote Westaway estate, where she becomes involved in the mysterious aftermath of Mrs. Westaway’s death.
One of the standout features of this novel is its atmosphere. Ware masterfully creates a sense of foreboding, from the gloomy seaside cliffs where the Westaway estate stands to the eerie, almost haunted, family secrets that linger within the house. The setting becomes a character in itself, casting a shadow over the narrative and heightening the sense of danger that grows with each new revelation.
Hal, as the central character, is well-crafted and complex. Her backstory—shaped by loss, deception, and a need for survival—makes her sympathetic, and her cleverness and quick thinking add to her relatability. Her internal struggles as she navigates this tangled web of lies, greed, and mystery make her journey both compelling and emotionally engaging.
The pacing of the novel is superb, with just the right amount of tension building at each twist and turn. Ware’s writing is sleek and polished, and she expertly keeps the reader on edge, balancing between revealing clues and holding back secrets to maintain suspense. The plot is full of twists that will leave readers second-guessing their theories right up until the final pages.
At its core, The Death of Mrs. Westaway explores themes of identity, deception, and the price of greed. The novel does a brilliant job of blurring the lines between right and wrong, leaving readers questioning whether Hal's actions are justified or morally dubious. The moral ambiguity of the characters adds depth to the story and makes it more than just a typical whodunit.
Meet the Author:
Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family.
Visit www.ruthware.com to find out more, or find her on facebook or twitter as @RuthWareWriter
