From the #1Β New York TimesΒ bestselling author ofΒ In a Dark, Dark Wood,Β The Woman in Cabin 10, andΒ The Lying GameΒ comes Ruth Wareβs highly anticipated fourth novel.
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 personβbut also that the cold-reading skills sheβs honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.
Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceasedβ¦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 Wareβs signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
A case of mistaken identity turns the tide for a struggling young woman when she receives a surprising inheritance in THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY.Β In Wareβs signature style, the narrative unwinds gradually, ratcheting a sense of unease and tension.
We meet Harriet βHalβ Westaway, who reads tarot cards at Brighton Pier and struggles under the weight of overdue bills. Worse yet, a loan shark is circling, ready to collect an old debt, or else. But her luck seems to be turning when she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her of a sizeable bequest. Quickly she realizes they meant to send it to someone else, but feeling trapped and out of options, Hal knows her skills at reading people could help her find a way out, a little extra money in her pocket to settle her debts.
With hardly any money left, she sets off to claim the inheritance and meet the family of the now deceased Mrs. Westaway. What she discovers is a derelict house, a surly housekeeper, an estranged family and more secrets than she can processβsecrets that suddenly have her questioning everything.
The story has a suspenseful, gothic vibe to it and tells us of a family and the secrets they keep. While there are no huge, action-packed thrills (thatβs not her type of book), Ruth Ware does an exceptional job of creating a sinister, threatening atmosphere that keeps you entrenched, flipping the pages until you finally know how it all ends. Sheβs so adept at creating suspense, youβre on the edge of your seat, waiting for the situation to explode off the page. There were even notes of horror woven throughout.
Hal, our heroine, was a great character and anchor in the story. She had real depth and relatability. Youβll really feel her sense of desperation and struggle throughout, and on many levels. Overall, the book was just so well done, it was very clever and engagingβ¦ my favorite of Wareβs to date.
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