The main character, Hal, was likable enough and I enjoyed reading about her interactions with the family, but this is definitely a slow building novel. It might be partly because I listened to this on audiobook, and I find stories need to be really gripping to keep me hooked when I’m listening instead of reading. I have read and really enjoyed other novels by Ruth Ware but for this one it took around 60% of the novel to get to a point where I was actually intrigued. The Death of Mrs Westaway was an entertaining story but not one that hugely grabbed me. 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. 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. Overall, the book was just so well done, it was very clever and engaging… my favorite of Ware’s to date.On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. You’ll really feel her sense of desperation and struggle throughout, and on many levels. Hal, our heroine, was a great character and anchor in the story.

There were even notes of horror woven throughout. She’s so adept at creating suspense, you’re on the edge of your seat, waiting for the situation to explode off the page. While there are no huge, action-packed thrills (that’s 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. The story has a suspenseful, gothic vibe to it and tells us of a family and the secrets they keep. What she discovers is a derelict house, a surly housekeeper, an estranged family and more secrets than she can process-secrets that suddenly have her questioning everything. With hardly any money left, she sets off to claim the inheritance and meet the family of the now deceased Mrs. 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. But her luck seems to be turning when she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her of a sizeable bequest. Worse yet, a loan shark is circling, ready to collect an old debt, or else. We meet Harriet “Hal” Westaway, who reads tarot cards at Brighton Pier and struggles under the weight of overdue bills.

WESTAWAY. In Ware’s signature style, the narrative unwinds gradually, ratcheting a sense of unease and tension. A case of mistaken identity turns the tide for a struggling young woman when she receives a surprising inheritance in THE DEATH OF MRS.

The death of mrs westaway book review