Ruth Ware's books are always an enjoyable read for me. Often I can figure out what's going on, but it never really dampens the experience. This book was no different. The beginning was a bit slow, but once Hal reached the estate the pace picked up and I finished the rest very quickly. I had a good idea of where the plot was headed about halfway through, but it was still a page turner. A good, easy suspense read.

I think this might be my favorite Ruth Ware book. I love how the writing style of Ms. Ware takes me back to a by-gone era. This book reminds me a bit of the Victoria Holt books I used to read. It has the young heroine trying to get by, a touch of the Gothic atmosphere, mystery and of course, family secrets and drama. Kudos once again, to Ms. Ware on a stellar book.


**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Another well-written novel by Ruth Ware. She continues to tell excellent, believable tales. Overall, the story kept my attention and had me guessing until the end. Thank you to the publisher, as well as netgalley.com, for allowing me to read this.

***Thank you to Netgalley, The publister and author for this arc*****. “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“

Hal is struggling to pay her bills when she gets a letter that she was left the inherternce of Mrs. Westaway. A Slow building suspense, you can feel the tensions building between Hal, her new “family” and Mrs. Warren. Family secrets never stay hidden......
This book is atmospheric, creepy old home, tarot cards, magpies. It was as if you were there while reading!

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is by far my favorite book she has written. I loved the rest, but this one got me. I knew one mystery right away, but that twist at the end, wow!! I met Ruth Ware a week ago at a book signing and she read my tarot card. She did not disappoint in person or in her writing.

I was constantly trying to figure out whodunit! Ruth Ware does an amazing job of creating a creepy setting and developing characters.

A twisty tale full of tarot and secrets from Ruth Ware (who is an absolute auto-buy author for me). This book follows Hal as she recieves a letter addressed to someone else naming her in a will. With a loan coming due and collectors threatening, she has no choice but to follow through on the scam and try to claim the inheritance.

I'll be honest-- I thought I had this one figured out halfway through, but just like THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, Ware shocked me right up until the end. Another great book!

After reading The Woman in Cabin 10 I was a little hesitant to read another Ruth Ware novel. The title, creepy cover and description of The Death of Mrs. Westaway lured me in. The book followed 21 year old Hal as she tried to keep her life together after the death of her mother. She receives a letter stating she is entitled to an inheritance and she decides to go for it- even if it isn't her family so she can get some money to help her pay her bills. She quickly becomes intertwined with this family- but is it hers? The book is full of family secrets, lies, fortune telling that help set the overall tone of the book. It was a little confusing trying to keep everyone straight at times and some parts seemed to drag on a little too much but overall it was a nice read albeit creepy at times. Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC copy.

Ruth Ware does not disappoint in her latest suspense novel. Her poetic writing and subtle scares draw readers into the story of Harriet (Hal) Westaway as she sets out to defraud the family of her supposed dead grandmother. When Hal receives a letter from a lawyer stating that her grandmother, Hester, has left her a bequest, she realizes the mistake; Hal doesn’t have a grandmother named Hester. But desperate for money, she decides to go to the funeral. Little did she know, she was inserting herself into a family buried under years of secrets and lies. Readers will think the beginning of this novel slow and a bit confusing, but the payoff pushing through is great. The twists and turns of this story, in true Ruth Ware fashion, will have readers fervently flipping pages to the end.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

While I have loved Ruth Ware’s first two books, the next two (‘The Lying Game’ and ‘Mrs. Westaway’) are good, but not what I expect.

This story was a family drama with some mystery and thrilling points. The story and the setting were original. While there are some twists, it wasn’t quite as many as I hoped for because it’s Ruth Ware writing! Still, if you like her, read it. You’ll get enjoyment out of it. I did, overall.

Ms. Ware is gaining quite the reputation for family psychological thrillers. This books lives up to the hype. Hal receives notice that she is going to inherit some money and thinks it's not really for her. She attends the funeral of Mrs. Westaway and discovers that she is indeed part of this strange family. Hal has taken over her mother's tarot card reading booth to support herself since her mother disappeared several months ago. Lots of twists and turns and the family secrets are enough to kill you. Good read that you want to finish just one more chapter before put it down. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Tangled webs!

I really didn't see the final resolution of this suspenseful novel coming, although the tension throughout fully supports the unveiled dart exploding all previous suppositions.
Margarita Maggie (Hal) thinks she'll just go along with an inheritance that comes her way even though she knows this is a case of mistaken identity. Maybe she'll come away with enough money to pay the loan shark whose threatening her. Maybe she'll be able to move away with her tarot cards, gifted from her mother and continue elsewhere. Cards, that as we read, don't tell Hal's future but do help her to figure her way through the maze she's found herself in. Hal certainly didn't expect the 'inheritance' to be what it was. Complications, surprises--ugly and tragic, dog the pages.
Well worth the read!

A NetGalley ARC

I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware, she is actually one of my auto buy authors. As usual this book is compromised of concise, easy to read chapters. I found myself jumping right back into Ruth’s descriptive writing style. I love that the whole book had diary entires scattered throughout from the past. The fact that you don’t know who exactly wrote these entries makes it that much more interesting. Sadly this one was just too slowly paced and drawn out for me. It makes me upset that I was just let down totally by this read.

The fact that there was an unreliable main character definitely was a great choice. She had a pretty mysterious back story, where you learn bits and pieces about it throughout the whole book. The inner dialogue was a great touch, and the fact that Hal was a tarot card reader. I’m very into the whole psychic aspect of the story. There was a lot of family interaction, between Hal and this new family.

Unfortunately, even though this was a solid murder mystery type book, it just wasn’t action packed enough to me. It was just too slow paced and dragged in a lot of places. The first half of the book was pretty much all back story, that I wasn’t interested in. I will say there was a great twist thrown in. If you like a character driven, quick and easy murder mystery read this one is definitely for you.

Hal (short for Harriet) is scraping by, not even making ends meet, living in the tiny attic apartment she has lived in her whole life, reading people’s fortunes at the seaside where her mother used to do the readings herself. But her mother is dead now, and bills are far overdue. Then she receives a strange letter from an attorney saying that her grandmother has died and she is invited to attend the funeral and be present for the “reading of the will,” essentially.

The letter is clearly meant for someone else because her mother’s parents died years before. And her mother had told her she didn’t even know her father’s name. But as she does a little research, it’s clear that this late Mrs. Westaway, of Trepassen House, was quite wealthy. Perhaps she can benefit just a little from this large estate. Perhaps she can step into the shoes of this Harriet Westaway. She does, after all, have experience cold-reading people, so she might be able to pull off the con. It’s going to be tricky, but getting just a few thousand pounds, maybe, wouldn’t hurt anyone when there’s so much money, and it would certainly help her.

So Hal goes off to the tiny town of St. Piran. But things are not what they seem at the large estate. Trepassen House clearly has seen better days, and the family members are surprised to learn Harriet exists at all. Despite their surprise they’re all welcoming, except for the old, longtime housekeeper, who is cold and mean and puts her in a tiny attic room to stay and almost seems to be threatening her at times.

Of course, strange things happen, and Hal finds herself in danger. She may very well have been much better off (safe, at least) not reading the letter from the attorney. …

The Death of Mrs. Westaway had me hooked early on. It was hard to put down. The situation twists and turns and has Hal (and the reader) wondering what’s happening as surprising information pops up. I actually went back and re-read/skimmed over the book just to see events and clues (and some red herrings) with the perspective of knowing the end, and to enjoy it again.

I am surprised I hadn’t heard of Ruth Ware before this book, given my love of these kinds of gothic stories. I will now definitely check out her other books.

Hal receives a letter from a solictor advising her that she has inherited an estate from her deceased grandmother, Mrs. Westaway. The problem is -- Hal has no living relatives. That she knows of. She decides, however, to go and meet the "family" and try to get some money.

I don't like writing reviews of books that I didn't enjoy. This one had no menace, no thrills, no suspense and no mystery -- I had figured out what was going on a few chapters in. It seems to have been written for a high schooler and, though I muddled through, I felt that the melodrama and the contrived attempt to create a gothic atmosphere only irritated me. I didn't like the main character, Hal, and the others were so paper thin as to be caricatures. Can someone say the obvious -- DNA test??? Glad I'm done. I won't be recommending.

I do thank NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I found this book very entertaining. I starts off slow but keeps you in suspense. The main character Mel receives a letter in the mail about a huge inheritance from a dead grandmother.. Even though she knows it was addressed to the wrong person she decides to see about this inheritance. Having a job as a tarot and fortune reader doesn't pay very well. and owning money to some mobster type men makes people do crazy things I guess.. This book kept me guessing and I like when a book does that. Having been a bit disappointed in Ruth Ware's previous book The Lying Game., I was glad to see her back in the game with this book.

I'm providing this review based on an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I adore Ruth Ware. Her novels have been something of a slow burn for me over the years, but I think with this latest offering, I've reached peak Ware fandom. Truly, the author gets better with each offering. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a classic British mystery, with a contemporary setting and tone. I can appreciate the classics of this genre but am even happier to find an author creating a modern take on the classic British mystery. Ware's characters have depth and it's a great puzzle to watch their layers peel away throughout the story. This is the type of book that would lead me to grab a cup of coffee and settle in on a cozy rainy day. Of course, all of this is not to say that the story is the least bit dull. The world-building and characters keep the pages turning briskly until you reach the lead-up to a very tense final act. I hope Ms. Ware continues on this trajectory.

Creepy cover and the creepiness continued throughout this book. Then, strange things started happening to Hal.

On a mission to deceive due to her circumstances, Hal discovers a heinous relative that will kill anyone who knows the truth.

I must admit, while I enjoyed this book, I didn't get the physical suspense factor. I rarely had a racing pulse or triple digit heartbeats that I enjoy in most suspense books. Actually, it took a while before I even had some semblance of anything like it.

In my opinion, had this book been shortened and things left out, I think it would have been a much better read. I know that is a horrible thing to say about the new "queen of suspense" but you got to have that suspense throughout the book to really be the queen, IMO.

Thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I don't know what it is about Ruth Ware but she can do no wrong when writing her novels! From the first page and to the last I can picture what is going on in this story, you can't help but be pulled into her world of mystery and suspense. In the beginning I could not figure out what was going to happen (which is what I like, to keep on guessing) and her main character, Hal, was so intriguing she pulled the whole story together. Another part of this book that I absolutely adore are the flashbacks. Who doesn't love to get a little peep at what is to come in the story? All in all this is a must read just like every other one of her books! You won't be able to put it down, trust me.

I read Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed. At the time, however, I wrote “I think she’s an author worth giving another chance, even if this book had problems.” I’d been hearing a lot of positive things and The Death of Mrs. Westaway seemed like one of the to-read books of this summer. I just don’t think I’m ever going to be a Ruth Ware fan.

Hal is a bit desperate. She owns money to a loan shark and is barely (not quite) making end meet as a tarot card reader. Out of the blue comes a letter about an inheritance. Hal knows it must be a mistake, but she’s out of options, so she takes the gamble and heads out to Trepassen House.

I liked Hal for the most part. She’s a survivor. And the atmosphere at Trepassen House was appropriately spooky and gothic. I guess, maybe Ware can be a bit heavy-handed and she’s going for the surprise twist, but it’s never quite as big a surprise as I’m expecting it to be. There’s too much repetition and telling us don’t forget it’s gloomy here and feels like secrets. Despite being billed as this generations Agatha Christie, Ruth Ware does not write simple mysteries. I categorized The Death of Mrs. Westaway as psychological suspense, and it’s fine. There are tons of secrets and a general feeling of menace, but it’s not outstanding, which is what I’m expecting based on the pre-reviews and advertising.