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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What’s a book! I read this book in three days, could not put it down! After reading it, I immediately loaned it to my mom. She couldn’t put it down either. Every single page leaves you wondering what will happen next, do yourself a favor and read this story!
I thought this book was well written and had an interesting surprise ending.
Great characters. I never knew which way the story would end. Spooky.
I am a huge Ruth Ware fan, this was another nail biter!
Better than The Woman in Cabin 10! I enjoyed this mystery that started out a little slow but once it picked up, I was eager to get to the bottom of it! Ware did a great job with the character development and twist at the end!
A good mystery. A well written book. I’d like to read more by this author.
A wonderful mystery/thriller that keeps you guessing. I recommend it.
Great read with little clues sprinkled throughout–pay attention or you’ll miss them!
A surprise ending. Couldn’t put it down once I started it.
Was reluctant to read this after reading just the sample. Was aware it was on the best seller list. After several attempts , I continued reading and found it was a very, quick, exciting read. Actually, difficult to stop reading! So for me it was a delightful surprise.
First book I have read by this author. Could not put it down. Plan to read some of her other books
I enjoyed reading the book. It has mystery and suspense. I would have given it five stars, but the superpowers held by the protagonist are unrealistic. I understand she grew up blind and an operation gave her sight, but her abilities to use her other senses to such extreme degrees boggles my mind. My mother was blind. Her other senses worked to compensate for her lack of vision. However, she didn’t have super sensitive powers over and over other human beings. Otherwise, the story held my interest.
Extremely disappointing with a need to suspend logic, reason, and events of previous chapters in order for the resolution and plot to make any sense.
Fun and suspenseful
My favorite of Ruth Ware’s so far. Keeps you guessing the whole way.
I really liked this book. I felt like I was reading something from another era-with the spooky house and the intimidating housekeeper. And I was surprised by the ending.
My favorite Ruth Ware book! Excellent, just excellent!
For fans of Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca.”
I think I’m definitely in the minority on this one!
After having time to reflect on this book and read my prior reviews of other books by Ruth Ware, I realized that I simply may not be that big of fan of her work. I really liked In a Dark, Dark Wood, but all of her other books have left me feeling unfulfilled.
This book centers around Hal, a young woman down on her luck and in some serious trouble with a loan shark. She makes a living reading Tarot cards on the pier, but her income is not enough to make ends meet. When a letter arrives informing her that her (mistakenly believed) grandmother has died and named her as a beneficiary of part of her estate, Hal decides to take advantage of the situation. What follows is a convoluted story that slowly eeks out Hal’s past and her actual relationship to Mrs. Westaway.
I had several problems with this book. First, I felt it was highly repetitive. For example, I lost count of how many times Hal was going to tell the truth to the family or how doughy around the middle her uncle was. Second, it lacked substance. The two or three sentence summary I gave above is a pretty thorough summary of the first 100 pages. (The story goes into some detail about what the various Tarot cards mean which was interesting, but at times felt like filler.) Third, I felt the ending was predictable. In fact, when Hal starts questioning who her father is, I actually went back to reread a section because I thought it was pretty evident from something said earlier. Finally, the ending felt rushed and (in my opinion) left a few things unanswered.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate The Death of Mrs. Westaway, I was just left with more of a feeling of indifference, if anything.
Ware has done it again! One of the most popular of the new “unreliable narrator” authors has allowed her protagonist to frankly admit that she is unreliable as she sets out to claim a family inheritance that she is sure does not belong to her.