The Death of Mrs Westaway
by Ruth Ware
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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 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 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 show more 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. show lessTags
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First, I want to point out that stunning Gothic book cover: bleak foggy weather, black iron gate, and menacing magpies looming overhead... It fits this dark, atmospheric tale perfectly!
Harriet Westaway, who goes by Hal, ekes out a living as a tarot card reader on the pier in Brighton. Hal is alone in the world, and life is a struggle, especially during the off-season when clients are scarce.
Things are pretty bad for Hal, until one day she receives a letter telling her that she's been named as a beneficiary in her grandmother's will. However, the deceased Mrs. Westaway isn't her grandmother - but does that really have to matter?
Hal thinks that maybe her years of reading tarot cards will help her pull off a grand deception and walk away show more with the inheritance money. So, she's off to Mrs. Westaway's creepy ramshackle estate and the dark secrets hidden there...
This was an eerie, suspenseful, and well-written Gothic mystery. I could definitely see influences from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (which I loved). I enjoyed trying to figure out how Hal's puzzle piece fit in with this haunted family. The sinister atmosphere and delicious twists kept me glued to the pages.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. show less
Harriet Westaway, who goes by Hal, ekes out a living as a tarot card reader on the pier in Brighton. Hal is alone in the world, and life is a struggle, especially during the off-season when clients are scarce.
Things are pretty bad for Hal, until one day she receives a letter telling her that she's been named as a beneficiary in her grandmother's will. However, the deceased Mrs. Westaway isn't her grandmother - but does that really have to matter?
Hal thinks that maybe her years of reading tarot cards will help her pull off a grand deception and walk away show more with the inheritance money. So, she's off to Mrs. Westaway's creepy ramshackle estate and the dark secrets hidden there...
This was an eerie, suspenseful, and well-written Gothic mystery. I could definitely see influences from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (which I loved). I enjoyed trying to figure out how Hal's puzzle piece fit in with this haunted family. The sinister atmosphere and delicious twists kept me glued to the pages.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. show less
If I saw a gate, wreathed in fog, and swirling with magpies like on the cover of Ruth Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway, I would high tail it right back to my comfortable, safe existence and try to forget what I'd seen. I almost felt this way about picking up and reading this novel too. Would it be too creepy for me? Would it give me nightmares? Would I be able to read it with both eyes open and/or after dark? It turns out I didn't really have all that much to worry about, especially since one (or more!) of the major plot points was telegraphed incredibly early on in the book, making the rest of it feel less scary over all.
Harriet (Hal) Westaway reads tarot cards on the Brighton pier, barely eking out a living after the death of her show more mother in a hit and run. The season has turned so she doesn't have many customers. What she does have is a big, looming debt that she cannot repay, owed to a loanshark threatening violence if she defaults so when a letter arrives informing her of an inheritance from her recently deceased grandmother, it couldn't have come at a better time. Except the dead woman is not Hal's grandmother; her grandmother died years ago. Hal decides to go the funeral and Trepassen House anyway, and using her skills as a tarot reader who can bluff and intuit quite a lot about human beings thanks to their mannerisms and tells, perhaps still claim the inheritance. She is soon immersed in a spooky house, populated by her "uncles" and "aunt" and an ancient, surly housekeeper as she tries to figure out the secrets everyone is keeping in this spectacularly unhappy family, especially after she uncovers a very real connection between her mother and this disconcerting place.
Ware has created an interesting premise, filled it with menacing atmosphere, and set it in a gothic landscape. The weather reflects the story and her main character's (perhaps justified) paranoia is rising. The sense of foreboding should augur well for the story. But it doesn't. Hal is not nearly as prerceptive as the reader is told. In fact, she somehow discovers the truth despite her strangely self-aware bumbling, which is frustrating. The other characters are not particularly well drawn, making it hard to differentiate them from each other. The late Mrs. Westaway's character is a caricature of the spiteful, nasty mother and the ancient housekeeper mainly just shuffles around in a cloud of toxic suspicion, muttering gleefully dire warnings. The flat characters combined with the ponderously slow narrative made for a slog of a read for me. Many readers love Ruth Ware. I'm just not one of them. show less
Harriet (Hal) Westaway reads tarot cards on the Brighton pier, barely eking out a living after the death of her show more mother in a hit and run. The season has turned so she doesn't have many customers. What she does have is a big, looming debt that she cannot repay, owed to a loanshark threatening violence if she defaults so when a letter arrives informing her of an inheritance from her recently deceased grandmother, it couldn't have come at a better time. Except the dead woman is not Hal's grandmother; her grandmother died years ago. Hal decides to go the funeral and Trepassen House anyway, and using her skills as a tarot reader who can bluff and intuit quite a lot about human beings thanks to their mannerisms and tells, perhaps still claim the inheritance. She is soon immersed in a spooky house, populated by her "uncles" and "aunt" and an ancient, surly housekeeper as she tries to figure out the secrets everyone is keeping in this spectacularly unhappy family, especially after she uncovers a very real connection between her mother and this disconcerting place.
Ware has created an interesting premise, filled it with menacing atmosphere, and set it in a gothic landscape. The weather reflects the story and her main character's (perhaps justified) paranoia is rising. The sense of foreboding should augur well for the story. But it doesn't. Hal is not nearly as prerceptive as the reader is told. In fact, she somehow discovers the truth despite her strangely self-aware bumbling, which is frustrating. The other characters are not particularly well drawn, making it hard to differentiate them from each other. The late Mrs. Westaway's character is a caricature of the spiteful, nasty mother and the ancient housekeeper mainly just shuffles around in a cloud of toxic suspicion, muttering gleefully dire warnings. The flat characters combined with the ponderously slow narrative made for a slog of a read for me. Many readers love Ruth Ware. I'm just not one of them. show less
I became so frustrated with The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I liked the idea of a modern gothic novel. The setup is excellent. Young British woman reads Tarot cards in Brighton Beach England. Economically broken, she borrows funds from the local hoods. She receives a letter telling her she has inherited a possible fortune. So far my attention has been satisfied. The writing is flourished with British detail. Unfortunately as the novel progresses, the convoluted plot swirls your head. Relatives keep popping in and out of the story. It turns into a crime novel. The final suspense thrills hardly resonate. The contrived surprise revelations are ho-hum.
When Hal (Harriet) Westaway receives a letter stating that her grandmother has died and she is named in the will, she is sure it is a mistake – her grandmother died a long time ago. However, she owes money to some very dangerous people so she decides to pretend she is who they think she is. She has developed skills reading people as a fortuneteller and figures, since it is likely just a small sum, she should be able to fool them. However, when she arrives, things are not what she had expected nor, she suspects, what they seem. In fact, it looks like she has stumbled into a situation much worse than the one she had hoped to escape. Her destination has turned out to be a crumbling old mansion replete with ravens in the stiflingly show more overgrown garden, a housekeeper reminiscent of Mrs Danvers from Rebecca, a passel of feuding siblings, along with a decades old mystery concerning not only her mother but a missing cousin. She begins to suspect that the inheritance was a ploy to get her here but Hal doesn’t know why – someone has deliberately decided to set a cat among the pigeons but it is not clear which role she is meant to play or if she will survive long enough to find out
Damn but Ruth Ware knows how to create one creepy dark gothic tale. Her latest, The Death of Mrs. Westaway is full of twists and turns, atmospheric settings, seemingly sinister characters, and a sympathetic protagonist. This is definitely one to put time aside for because it’s gonna keep you up and awake long after you finish it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
Damn but Ruth Ware knows how to create one creepy dark gothic tale. Her latest, The Death of Mrs. Westaway is full of twists and turns, atmospheric settings, seemingly sinister characters, and a sympathetic protagonist. This is definitely one to put time aside for because it’s gonna keep you up and awake long after you finish it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
I've read Ruth Ware's first two books and whilst I enjoyed them, I think she's gone to another level with the fantastic The Death of Mrs Westaway. Despite being set mostly in the present day, it has a very gothic feel that almost belongs in a different era. I think the author did an amazing job at creating that level of atmosphere without having to take us back to Victorian times or the 1930s/40s.
Harriet Westaway, known as Hal, reads tarot cards on Brighton Pier. She's young and is just getting over the death of her mother, living in a small flat and owing money to the potentially violent Mr Smith. So a letter telling her that she is a beneficiary in her late grandmother's will is very welcome, except Hal doesn't have any family. Or show more does she?
Hal is a fantastic creation. She's clever and used to telling the people she reads for exactly what they need to know. So she knows that she could possibly pull off a deception - can she pretend to be Mrs Westaway's long lost granddaughter? She needs the money, after all.
Trepassen House in Cornwall, the home of the late Mrs Westaway, is the archetypal gothic dwelling. I could imagine creeping round it, peering into all the rooms trying to work out where I should be and getting completely lost. But the house is well past its prime and the lack of upkeep only adds to Hal's sense of unease whilst she is there. It makes it all so much more creepy. Not to mention the housekeeper, Mrs Warren, who has her own suite of very private rooms. She's rather unpleasant and Hal doesn't know why she seems to have it in for her.
There's nothing like a novel chock full of family secrets and the Westaways have plenty of them. Hal meets Harding, Abel and Ezra, the sons of the late Mrs Westaway. Can she trust any of them? Can Hal herself be trusted, given that she is trying pass herself off as somebody she is not, the daughter of the late Maud Westaway. It's all so deliciously dark, sinister and thrilling and despite Hal's deception I was rooting for her, hoping that she could escape Trepassen House and build a better future for herself.
I read this book in instalments and I have to say that I couldn't wait to read the next one. It's truly a gripping story and I didn't see any of what happened coming. It's full of twists and I delighted in each one. Ruth Ware has written such a compelling and addictive story and I highly recommend it. show less
Harriet Westaway, known as Hal, reads tarot cards on Brighton Pier. She's young and is just getting over the death of her mother, living in a small flat and owing money to the potentially violent Mr Smith. So a letter telling her that she is a beneficiary in her late grandmother's will is very welcome, except Hal doesn't have any family. Or show more does she?
Hal is a fantastic creation. She's clever and used to telling the people she reads for exactly what they need to know. So she knows that she could possibly pull off a deception - can she pretend to be Mrs Westaway's long lost granddaughter? She needs the money, after all.
Trepassen House in Cornwall, the home of the late Mrs Westaway, is the archetypal gothic dwelling. I could imagine creeping round it, peering into all the rooms trying to work out where I should be and getting completely lost. But the house is well past its prime and the lack of upkeep only adds to Hal's sense of unease whilst she is there. It makes it all so much more creepy. Not to mention the housekeeper, Mrs Warren, who has her own suite of very private rooms. She's rather unpleasant and Hal doesn't know why she seems to have it in for her.
There's nothing like a novel chock full of family secrets and the Westaways have plenty of them. Hal meets Harding, Abel and Ezra, the sons of the late Mrs Westaway. Can she trust any of them? Can Hal herself be trusted, given that she is trying pass herself off as somebody she is not, the daughter of the late Maud Westaway. It's all so deliciously dark, sinister and thrilling and despite Hal's deception I was rooting for her, hoping that she could escape Trepassen House and build a better future for herself.
I read this book in instalments and I have to say that I couldn't wait to read the next one. It's truly a gripping story and I didn't see any of what happened coming. It's full of twists and I delighted in each one. Ruth Ware has written such a compelling and addictive story and I highly recommend it. show less
More than any of her previous novels, The Death of Mrs. Westaway truly does have the feel of Agatha Christie. Some of that is due to the Gothic setting. A decrepit estate complete with overgrown grounds and a menacing housekeeper certainly fits the part. Then there is the family. The Westaway family is full of characters and secrets. Add in the mysticism of the tarot cards and you have a novel befitting something out of the early 1900s rather than the early 2000s.
In fact, everything about the novel screams turn-of-the-twentieth-century. Outside of mentions regarding cell phones and Internet searches, the novel could take place when estates still ruled England. It is a phenomenal piece of writing to make you forget just when the story show more takes place.
The writing is so good, and the story is so intriguing that it is easy to ignore certain idiosyncrasies. Some of what happens is predictable. Normally, that would be a deal breaker for me in any mystery, but I was completely enthralled with the story enough to ignore the predictability. In fact, I rather enjoyed seeing how my predictions would come to pass. It became a game with me, but one I played subconsciously because I was enjoying the story too much to give my hypotheses more than a passing thought. For me, this more than anything shows just how impressive the novel is.
I am not going to give anything away about this eerie and engrossing story. I do think this is one of her strongest, if not her best, novel to date. Hal is a great character, stronger, more real, less caricature-like than some of her previous characters. The setting is outstanding – perhaps one of the best, ranking right up there with Manderley or Tara. It is one of those novels that helps you forget the steamy summer temperatures outside, filling you with the same chill as Hal experiences. The mystery may not keep you guessing but the way it unfolds is fantastic. If Ms. Ware keeps writing novels like this, she is going to become one of my must-read authors. show less
In fact, everything about the novel screams turn-of-the-twentieth-century. Outside of mentions regarding cell phones and Internet searches, the novel could take place when estates still ruled England. It is a phenomenal piece of writing to make you forget just when the story show more takes place.
The writing is so good, and the story is so intriguing that it is easy to ignore certain idiosyncrasies. Some of what happens is predictable. Normally, that would be a deal breaker for me in any mystery, but I was completely enthralled with the story enough to ignore the predictability. In fact, I rather enjoyed seeing how my predictions would come to pass. It became a game with me, but one I played subconsciously because I was enjoying the story too much to give my hypotheses more than a passing thought. For me, this more than anything shows just how impressive the novel is.
I am not going to give anything away about this eerie and engrossing story. I do think this is one of her strongest, if not her best, novel to date. Hal is a great character, stronger, more real, less caricature-like than some of her previous characters. The setting is outstanding – perhaps one of the best, ranking right up there with Manderley or Tara. It is one of those novels that helps you forget the steamy summer temperatures outside, filling you with the same chill as Hal experiences. The mystery may not keep you guessing but the way it unfolds is fantastic. If Ms. Ware keeps writing novels like this, she is going to become one of my must-read authors. show less
In The Death of Mrs Westaway, Ruth Ware has crafted a compelling book driven as much by the atmosphere as the mystery.
Hal, a woman struggling to stay afloat after the tragic death of her mother, thinks her salvation may be at hand when she receives notice of an inheritance. All she has to do is show up for the funeral and bring along some ID. The only problem is that Hal has never heard of the woman before and she certainly wasn’t Hal’s grandmother. Desperate for a lifeline Hal decides to use her cold reading skills from her job as a fortune teller to deceive the family and make off with whatever modest sum was granted to her namesake. But once Hal gets to the funeral things quickly get out of hand and Hal may be more involved than show more she realized.
Much of The Death of Mrs Westaway will feel familiar to the long time mystery reader. The setup is a well worn classic of the genre after all - the remote estate, the well off but troubled family brought together by an inheritance, the interloper who may not be what they seem. From these well worn treads, Ware skillfully weaves an unexpected tale with surprising and deft twists.
Despite the heavy gothic atmosphere of Trepassen house, the main setting for much of the novel, there is an underlying urgency as the plot unspools that make it a hard book to put down. Will Hal get caught? Why did Hal receive the inheritance letter? What happened to the woman they think is Hal’s mother? And ultimately, who is Hal?
I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less
Hal, a woman struggling to stay afloat after the tragic death of her mother, thinks her salvation may be at hand when she receives notice of an inheritance. All she has to do is show up for the funeral and bring along some ID. The only problem is that Hal has never heard of the woman before and she certainly wasn’t Hal’s grandmother. Desperate for a lifeline Hal decides to use her cold reading skills from her job as a fortune teller to deceive the family and make off with whatever modest sum was granted to her namesake. But once Hal gets to the funeral things quickly get out of hand and Hal may be more involved than show more she realized.
Much of The Death of Mrs Westaway will feel familiar to the long time mystery reader. The setup is a well worn classic of the genre after all - the remote estate, the well off but troubled family brought together by an inheritance, the interloper who may not be what they seem. From these well worn treads, Ware skillfully weaves an unexpected tale with surprising and deft twists.
Despite the heavy gothic atmosphere of Trepassen house, the main setting for much of the novel, there is an underlying urgency as the plot unspools that make it a hard book to put down. Will Hal get caught? Why did Hal receive the inheritance letter? What happened to the woman they think is Hal’s mother? And ultimately, who is Hal?
I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less
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Ruth Ware grew up in Lewes, in Sussex. After graduating from Manchester University she moved to Paris, before settling in North London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. In a Dark, Dark Wood is her début thriller. Ruth's second novel, The Woman in Cabin 10, became a Sunday show more Times and New York Times bestseller. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- The Death of Mrs Westaway
- Original title
- The Death of Mrs. Westaway
- Original publication date
- 2018-05-29
- People/Characters
- Harriet Westaway; Maud Westaway; Hal Westaway; Ezra Westaway; Harding Westaway; Mrs. Warren (show all 8); Abel Westaway; Maggie Westaway
- Important places
- Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK; Penzance, Cornwall, England, UK
- Epigraph
- 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 - Dedication
- For my mum. Always.
- First words
- The magpies are back. (29th November, 1994)
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
The girl leaned, rather than walked, into the wind, cluthing the damp package of fish and chips grimly under one arm even as the gale plucked at the paper, trying to unravel the parcel and send the contents away down the seaf... (show all)ront for the seagulls to claim. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)One for the future. (29th November, 1994)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She had the truth. And that was all that mattered. - Blurbers
- Finn, A.J.; Witherspoon, Reese
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- English
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