Nearly three million copies of Ruth Ware’s books sold worldwide. The highly anticipated fourth novel from Ruth Ware, The Globe and Mail and New York Times bestselling author of the In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game. Harriet Westaway–better known as Hal–makes ends meet as a tarot reader, but she doesn’t believe in the power of her trade. On a day that begins like … but she doesn’t believe in the power of her trade. On a day that begins like any other, she receives a mysterious and unexpected letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person–but she also knows that she can use her cold-reading skills to potentially claim the money.
Hal attends the funeral of the deceased and meets the family…but it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and that the inheritance is 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.
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Hal, the young, very broke, fortune-telling orphan, from Bristol receives an propitious letter: she’s received an inheritance. No, that can’t be right! All her family is gone and had no money to speak of. But she’s broke and has loan sharks harassing her for money so she goes to Cornwall, hoping some money will come her way. It’s Rebecca, It’s Agatha Christie. It’s truly gothic with a creepy old house, a family legacy, and secrets galore. Love Ruth Ware and love her reader, Imogen Church.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Ware’s novels. In particular, I loved how the setting almost became another character. The family dynamics and mysterious plot unfolded in an expert way.
A well written dark and twisty mystery. The story grabbed me from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down. A good plot with lots of twists. Lots of interesting characters. Loved the variety of characters, some were not as likable as others made for a interesting read. 4 stars! Well done!
The Death of Mrs. Westaway is my second book by Ruth Ware. I love a Psychological Thriller that deals with the mystic―fortune-telling and tarot cards. And this novel did not disappoint me. Mrs. Ware’s writing deposits the reader into the protagonist’s, Harriet (Hal) Westaway, angst-ridden mind from the beginning and keeps building interest to the very end. Hal is down on her luck, although she holds the fortune of many of her customers in her hands as a Tarot Card Reader, she’s broke, can’t pay the rent or utilities and a loan shark is breathing down her neck with dangerous threats she can’t escape.
“We know where you work. We know where you live. And we will come back.”
But wait, luck just dealt Hal a hand of fortune when she receives a letter stating she’s one of the beneficiaries of Hester Mary Westaway’s, of Trepassen House, estate. But there must be a mistake.
“Because…Hal’s grandparents had been dead for more than twenty years.”
After the loan shark sends his guys to her Kiosk on the Brighton Beach Promenade where she works, making harmful threats, Hal begins to wonder if she can play it off, put on a pretense of being Mrs. Westaway’s long-lost granddaughter. She doesn’t want much.
“…a share, however small… could give her back the security she had lost when her mother died. Even a few hundred pounds would give her more breathing room than she could remember for months.”
When Hal researches Trepassen House on Google she’s dumbfounded by the Georgian style home.
“That was Trepassen House. Not a Modest little bungalow, or a Victorian terrace with a pretentious name. Buy a bona fide country seat.”
With trepidation, Hal makes a decision that hurls her toward an unknowable future. When she arrives at Trepassen House, the miserable, unkempt estate overgrown with weeds and paint chipping on the facade, looks nothing like the Googled image.
The numerous magpies on the property evoke an old rhyme her mother told her as a child.
“One For Sorrow, Two for Joy, Three For a girl. Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told.”
When the unpleasant housekeeper Ms. Warren’s greets her with a dagger-laced voice and ominous words, Hal is incensed, frighten, and then curious about this woman.
When she meets members of the Westaway family, Hal’s certain she’ll slip up when asked questions about her past and her mother. How in the world will she pull off this charade? Hal lets her Tarot reading experience guide her.
“It’s the first rule of cold reading―be as vague as possible, try not to offer specific information, unless you can retract or twist the meaning if you’ve got it badly wrong.”
But soon after Ms. Warren guides her to a cold, austere room with bars on the window, she finds etched on the window the words: HELP ME. When a photo of her mother posing with the family materializes, Hal senses Dishonesty, Family Secrets, and perhaps MURDER. Is her life in danger as well? Seven for a secret, Never to be told.” What is the secret of Trepessan House?
The Death of Mrs. Westaway grabbed and held my attention. The pace is just right for a psychological thriller. Ms. Ware’s protagonist deliberates repeatedly, but who wouldn’t under the circumstances? I love this story’s OMINOUS TONE and the MYSTERY of Trepessan House. At times, it felt a little like an Agatha Christie Mystery with a discernible Ruth Ware style. I love the use of Tarot Cards throughout the story, which shows the author was thorough in her research. Although I’d guessed the outcome from the first couple of chapters, there were enough TWISTS AND TURNS and FASCINATING CHARACTERS to hold my interest. I highly recommend Ruth Ware’s novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway.
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Great standalone suspense novel in which a young woman struggles to discover who she really is. Set in the UK.
5 Stars
I am one of those people that just does not get people that are not fans of Ruth Ware. I really do find her books to be so atmospheric. She really knows how to paint a picture. This was the best book I have read from her yet!
Harriet (Hal) is in deep and she doesn’t know how to get out of it. She has barely been able to keep her head above water since her death of her Mother. Hal makes her living the way her Mother did, doing Tarot readings on the pier. The problem is Hal owes a lot of money and loan sharks are at the door threatening her. Then one day out of the blue a letter arrives that could change everything. It seems that Harriet Westaway is an heir to an estate. Is she the Harriet Westaway they are looking for? Maybe not but after spending her whole life struggling she feels like maybe passing herself off as the proper heir is pretty much a victimless crime. A quick search shows that the Westaways have so much, she is certain that they could spare a little money. Just enough to pay off what she owes and maybe catch a little bit of a break.
The thing is the moment Harriet arrives at the imposing gothic Trepassen House something feels off. From the magpies that darken the sky to the creepy maid that seems to hate Hal at first sight. Trespassen House was a character all on its own much like Manderly in “Rebecca”. You can almost feel the house breathe. It feels like there is something lurking in every shadow.
Though this is definitely a psychological thriller it feels almost supernatural/horror in the way it is written. Will you figure out the twist? I am guessing so but you know what? This book is so fun it really doesn’t matter. It was such a rich,addictive read.
This is a tale of Harriet (Hal) who is living day to day, still grieving over the loss of her mother. She is in debt, and can’t figure out how to pay the mounting bills. Then, she receives a letter advising her that her grandmother has died, and she needs to attend the reading of the will. How can this be, as she knows that her grandparents are already dead.
Because of her dire financial situation, Hal decides to go to the reading, and try to deceive the family that she is the heir. When she arrives at this spooky Gothic home, she wonders if she can pull it off.
I enjoyed this novel, but I did figure out the conclusion to the book about midway through the novel. There were too many clues to ignore.
#TheDeathofMrsWestaway #RuthWare
It reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery layers being peeled and quirky characters a relaxing read
This was a good solid mystery with exceptional writing and characters. It started really slow for me–even though the author piled on so many problems for the protag, the reader realized she didn’t really have any options, she was so desperate. The characters were complex with intriguing nuances, and the ending was wonderful. Lots of clever twists. The story built and built. But somehow–and I’m not sure why–I didn’t love it quite as much as I thought I would. But it was really good.
Ruth Ware knows how to keep you guessing.With a host of characters you’re not sure about, you can feel the tension of the heroine and you keep hoping she’ll make it out alive. You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough to find out the end. This is a great book.
This book is about a poor girl who discovers she is related to a wealthy family. Her mother got disinherited because she had Hal out of wedlock.
The story is a slight take on “Rebecca”. However, I figured out the whodunit about halfway through, but it was interesting enough to keep reading to the end to see if I was right as well as find out the motive.
My experience with Ruth Ware books has been mixed. I will read one and cannot put it down, then the next is kind of meh (which I abandoned), then another great, then another meh. This one was a meh. I did not think she flushed out the characters very well. I did not think the protagonist’s motivations or actions were at all realistic and everything could have been wrapped up in 30 pages. While Ware is an excellent and skilled writer, with wonderful and evocative descriptions, the plot here was weak.
I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up late last night just to finish. I had to know what happened!!! I would definitely recommend this book. I was surprised at some of the things in the book!
This was my least favorite Ruth Ware book. It’s a very slow build and sad.
This story kept me guessing until the end. I love when I’m wrong. The surprise endings always make me smile. Great job!
Good story, but the ending was a bit disappointing. And she really lost me when she described a lake in August as having ice on it.
It is my first book written by this author. I had figured out several mysteries, but the author tried to distract the reader to make the book unpredictable. Then, my prediction was confirmed anyways. I skipped several paragraphs, because there were too many descriptions of the settings that were not important. I enjoyed very much the two stories together (the diary and the story). It is a great book for beginners in this genre and to study adding detail to a story if you are an English teacher.
I don’t even know where to start! I am not familiar with Ruth Ware’s books; this was my introduction to her work. I was pleasantly surprised at how intricate the story was. I was always trying to guess what the outcome would be and every time I thought I had it figured out, something would change and I’d be back to having so many questions with no clue who to trust.
Loved the book. Page turner I would’ve thought she truly become to the right person . Love how well written … The words are written sometimes very poetry.