I was really looking forward to reading this book as the premise held possibilities but unfortunately for me it fell way short of expectations. This book was a slow burner that never quite heated up. I was about 75% in before any action took place but by this time it was too late and what little action that did take place didn't improve my overall impression of the book.

Couldn't put this one down and read it in one sitting. An eerie tale, well paced and well written. Highly Recommended.

I always really want to like this author because I love her ideas, and I think we need good modern gothic fiction for women. However it never seems to work, I think because her main characters are always SO reduced and on the back foot you kind of feel apathetic about them. Hal in this story was the same, she had so much going wrong I just couldn't quite believe her or get behind her. The piteousness of her just seemed too much.

The idea of the story was a good one and I believe there is a fantastic tarot card novel waiting to be written, but this wasn't it. Straight away we were told Hal didn't believe in her cards, so I didn't either and the mysticism was lost. And so it became a run of the mill family discovery story.

But it was so confusing even now on finishing the book I am still not quite sure who Hal's mother was, and the motive of the killer was unbelievable. Why would he want to kill his sister, his lover, the housekeeper and his daughter just to hide the fact he had an illegitimate child? He knew he wasn't getting the inheritance so what was all that murder for? Unless I am missing something?

Also the descriptions seemed repetitive - every time Hal picked something up it was 'held in front of her like a shield'.

Rather unsatisfying sadly because as I say I always really want to love this author.

Young girl inherits large house from relative she doesn’t know. Here we go again? Wrong. This book is nothing like that at all. This book changes all your perceptions of what a book that starts off this way will be about.mots full of twists and turns and keeps the reader in suspense until the end.

A creepy mystery filled with family secrets. 4/5 stars.

With her latest book, Ruth Ware brings us a different angle on the disappeared person mystery. Rather than a professional or amateur sleuth digging to uncover the truth, our investigator is Hal, a young woman attempted to con her way to an inheritance.

Fans of mystery tales will get into and feel at home with this story quickly because it contains so many familiar elements from other stories in the genre. For example: the Agatha Christiesque large house, an extended family gathering and a will reading. There are also knowing touches of du Maurier, with one of the characters actually saying that the spooky housekeeper is a bit Mrs Danvers! The author exploits these features to keep us guessing, setting us up for the story to go in one direction before swerving off in another.

The protagonist – Hal – is a reluctant con artist and her situation wins our sympathy. I enjoyed the mostly practical, proactive way she went about ingratiating herself into the Westaway family and investigating her past. The use of tarot was interesting as both a way to explain Hal’s people-reading skills, but also to give us insight into her personality and those of the other characters.

The writing is clear and vivid, making it easy to whizz through the book in an afternoon. In fact, I think the story would be best enjoyed with as few breaks as possible so you can stay immersed in the oppressive atmosphere of Trepassen House and follow the momentum of the story. Reading it in a couple of sittings also gave me a fighting chance of working out what was going on and I’m pleased to say I kept up quite well. There were several surprises, although none of them came as total shocks as Hal’s investigations had laid the groundwork for the reveals.

The tone and events of the narrative are spooky and chilling in places, but I think I was expecting more of a thriller. The Death of Mrs Westaway is a mostly a mystery with some darker spots, although right at the end there is a tense sequence as secrets are revealed and the story comes to a climax.

Overall: good holiday reading for anyone looking for a different approach to a traditional family mystery story.

Dark and mysterious, it does seem to be influenced by Daphne du Maurier. I found it a very unusual page-turner set in Brighton and Cornwall.

I had not enjoyed this author's previous books. And it was with trepidation that I started on this one. And to my surprise, this had a very dark mysterious aura to the entire story which pulled me in deeper into the plot.
Hal as the main character, drowning in debts, was saved by a letter whereby she was benefitted by the will left by her grandmother. On reaching Trepassen House, she got to meet her darker, secretive, not so friendly relatives. The house itself gave off a sense of being unwelcoming.
The author Ruth Ware had done a fabulous job in creating such an atmosphere, whereby I couldn't help but read the book to the end. The plot and the subplots kept me so engrossed that time ceased to matter. The beginning was slow and so was the pace, but the last part just sucked me in with its aura and secrets.
Overall a good read and a great read in the last half.

Thank you to NetGalley for this novel. I have not read any of her previous work but will definitely look them up now. I finished this novel late into the night last night as I didn't want to put it down. All the characters were well drawn. I felt very connected to the main character and was anxious to find out what was going to happen to her. All the pieces of the mystery came together towards the end of the novel. Overall I feel the book was very well written, engaging and an exciting story. I would highly recommend.

The book I was most excited to read, and the first book I finished in August, was The Death of Mrs Westaway which is this summers latest thriller. We follow Hal as she is being pursued by a loan shark, facing the prospect of being evicted and is struggling to survive after the tragic death of her mother so when a letter arrives stating that she is the recipient of the will of an unknown grandmother, she travels to Trepassen House where she finds a family she has never known, the cawing of magpies, dark secrets and an eerie message of 'help me' scratched on a window.

This is the first Ruth Ware book I've read and I loved it, it was so so close to a solid four star read but the beginning was a little slow and it felt fairly familiar as it seemed to be in the style of Agatha Christie so it lost some of it's uniqueness to me. I absolutely adored the bleak, eerie setting of Trepassen House and Cornwall in general (less so Brighton). I also adored the dark tone, secretive characters, the easy writing style and the tension, mystery and secrets throughout the book. It was a fairly quick read and I definitely enjoyed it, especially the mysteries and the latter third of the book which was definitely atmospheric, eerie and compelling! I would highly recommend this book!

I liked this one. I haven't read any of Ruth Ware's previous books but I loved the writing style and the storytelling.

Harriet Westaway, known as Hal, is on her own, is totally skint and owes money to a loan shark. She works as a seaside fortune teller in Brighton, doing tarot readings, having taken over the business from her late mother who was killed in an accident.

She's pretty low when a letter arrives from a solicitor saying she is a named beneficiary in the substantial estate of her late grandmother, advising of the funeral date and extending an invitation to family members to stay at the grandmother's house.

Hal knows the letter isn't meant for her. Her grandparents died a long time ago but knowing that she's good at cold readings of people she decides to travel to Cornwall for the funeral and try to pass herself off as the real beneficiary in the hope of securing just enough to clear her debts.

Despite this dishonesty I really liked Hal and felt sympathy for her. She's not a bad person – just desperate for some help to clear debts.

She gets to Cornwall just in time for the funeral where she meets Mr Treswick the solicitor. She's cold, wet, hungry and afterwards he gives her a lift to the house where the ancient housekeeper Mrs Warren isn't very welcoming, and puts her in a cold attic room away from the rest of the house. Of course Trepassen House is a big, cold and gloomy house, not helped by the presence of Mrs Warren the housekeeper. It all sounds quite gothic.

When she is introduced to her three 'uncles' who have never met her she has to have her wits about her to answer and/or deflect their questions. She seems to pass without committing any dreadful error or giving too much away while waiting for the solicitor to read the Will. While the 'uncles' seem to accept Hal as a niece they didn't know about, it becomes clear Mrs Warren has really taken against her.

She ends up having to stay a bit longer than intended and the longer she's there, the more troubled she becomes. She suspects she may have some kind of connection to the family but what that is, isn't clear.

The present day story about Hal and the family is interspersed with what looks like journal entries from years earlier, written by someone unknown and they do seem to help carry the story forward in some way. It's all quite intriguing.

But there are secrets still to be revealed and Hal senses that not everyone is happy that she's a beneficiary. Someone apparently wishes her ill. Her search for the truth reveals lies and betrayals and someone is desperate to silence her permanently.

I don't feel the title does the book justice. I'm not sure it would have encouraged me to buy. the book but I would now certainly recommend the book as a good, enjoyable read.

Dark, atmospheric and tense, this Cornish-set psychological thriller from the author of In A Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 is not to be missed. It’s an incredibly creepy, chilling mystery that’s packed with menace, and we promise you’ll struggle to put it down as you try to unlock the truth.

The Death of Mrs Westaway is one of those reading gems where you can just give yourself over to the story. Ruth Ware will take you into the life of Harriet (Hal) Westaway and you will want to follow her and learn her fate.

Hal is living on a breadline. She is telling fortunes, reading tarot on the seaside pier and living in a small flat which she can ill afford. She has borrowed money from a local lone-shark and the interest is ramping up, so much soat someone has been sent to meet Hal to “encourage” her to pay up.

With things looking grim a ray of salvation lands on her doorstep. Hal has been identified as the beneficiary of her grandmother’s estate, she needs to go go Cornwall to claim her inheritance. Only problem…the deceased woman cannot be Hal’s grandmother so Hal should not be claiming any bequeathment.

Readers can follow Hal’s predicament and if you feel that the choices she makes are not appropriate then it creates a moral dilemma for the reader. As we see Hal’s choices start to generate problems she could not have foreseen will you find any empathy for her predicament?

A great story is guaranteed with Ruth Ware and The Death of Mrs Westaway is no exception. Definitely a book to seek out and I enjoyed it a lot.

This was my first novel by Ruth Ware, and it definitely won't be my last. Cor, this author can really write.

The Death of Mrs Westaway has a great premise: when Harriet Westaway receives an unexpected letter telling her she’s inherited a substantial bequest from her Cornish grandmother, it seems like the answer to her prayers. There's just one problem - Harriet's real grandparents died more than twenty years ago. The letter has been sent to the wrong person. But using the skills she's acquired as a fortune reader on the seafront in Brighton, can she convince the family she's the right person?

The sense of place in the novel is phenomenal - though for a wimp like me, it veered a little too near the Gothic and I had to read with all the lights on (I am such a scaredy-cat, it's ridiculous). It brought to mind Daphne du Maurier's Manderley - in fact, there were some nice nods to Rebecca, in both place and characterization.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an early copy. Now - to buy Ruth Ware's other books and catch up on her back catalogue! (Are they all this spooky?)

When Harriet Westaway receives an unexpected later telling her she's inherited a substantial estate from her Cornish grandmother, it seems like the answer to her prayers. She owes money to a loan shark and the threats are getting increasingly aggressive : she needs to get her hands on some cash fast. There's just one problem - Hal's grandparents died more than twenty years ago. The letter has been sent to the wrong person. But Hal knows that the cold reading techniques she's honed as a seaside fortune teller could help her con her way to getting the money. If anyone has the skills to turn up at a stranger's funeral and claim a bequest they're not entitled to, it's her. Hal makes a choice that will change her life forever. But once she embarks on her deception, there is no going back. She must keep going or risk
Hal travels down to Cornwall on the train and finds herself in the middle of a large family who have gathered to pay their respects to their mother and grandmother. It seems that this is a messed up family with a lot of hatred for each other. The family all stay at the family house whilst they await the finalisation of the will and start getting to know each other.
I found this a really great read. This is such good writing. I kept turning the pages, kept picking the book to finish

Ruth Ware gets so much hype and even my husband had read one of her previous books (and he isn't a big novel reader!). I had yet to read any of her work so I was grateful to be given the chance to read and review The Death of Mrs Westaway.

The book had a brilliantly spooky atmosphere and the background story and characters were built up so well. Hal was such an intriguing main character and I loved learning more about her as the story developed. The cast of characters are diverse and Ware did a great job of balancing different personalities and character quirks. The story had me guessing right until the last minute.

It isn't one of the most gripping thrillers I've read but I do recommend it if you enjoyed Ware's previous works. After finishing this book I quickly devoured my husband's copy of In a Dark, Dark Wood - which I adored! I'll certainly be making my way through the rest of her books.

This story is about a young women called Hal who is working as a tarot card reader on Brighton Pier. Following the death of her mother she is barely making enough money to survive and has a debt collector after her. She’s in trouble.
One morning a letter arrives addressed to her claiming she is the recipient of a bequest from a will of Mrs Westaway. However Hal is certain the letter isn’t exactly meant to be for her.......but she’s desperate.........

I enjoyed this book, a good mystery with enjoyable characters and teasers you into thinking you have worked it out but then gives you another twist at the end.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Family ties... 5 stars

Hal (Harriet) Westaway is struggling to keep her head above water. The bills keep pouring in and in these winter months she doesn’t get enough custom at her kiosk on Brighton’s West Pier to pay them all. Things are reaching a crisis. So when she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that she has been left a legacy by her grandmother it seems like the answer to a prayer. There’s only one problem – Hal knows there’s been a mistake. Her real grandmother died years ago. But the temptation is overwhelming, and Hal knows that the skills she uses in her tarot-reading will help her to con her way through the situation. And so she sets off to Trepassen House in Cornwall, to meet a bunch of people who think she’s the daughter of a long-lost relative...

I know I’m very critical of modern crime fiction but truly I don’t ask much. A good story well told; some characters I can like, hate, worry about, mistrust; enough uncertainty about how it will play out to keep me turning pages; a minimum of unnecessary padding; and told in the past tense, preferably third person. And that’s exactly what Ruth Ware has given me in this hugely enjoyable thriller. Add in a dark and dusty old house full of attics and cellars and narrow little staircases, the shade of a wicked old woman who tyrannised over her family, a bunch of squabbling siblings, and a scary old housekeeper who knows more than she’s telling, and I’m pretty much in modern-Gothic heaven!

To be honest, I had a fair idea from pretty early on of the solution to the central mystery, but I found it didn’t really matter. There was enough doubt in my mind to keep me reading, and I didn’t know how it would all come to a head. Although it’s a fairly slow-burn book, and quite long, I found the pacing was just about perfect. I never felt my attention dip, nor had that sensation of wishing it would all hurry up and get to the end. This is because the quality of the writing makes it a pleasure to read, and the characterisation is great, with a sufficiently large and well-developed cast to provide a lot of interest. And the creepy old house itself becomes a character too – a deliciously scary one.

I loved the way Ware manages to make Hal so likeable and easy to empathise with, despite the fact that she’s trying to commit fraud. Hal’s mother had died a few years earlier when Hal was just about to finish school, leaving her penniless and with no relatives to help her out. This makes her financial woes understandable and we see at the same time that she’s doing everything she can to get her life back on track. She doesn’t believe in the mystical side of tarot herself, but is nevertheless sympathetic to the people who consult her, doing her best to give them the space to think through the problems that have brought them to her. And while initially she goes to Cornwall purely for the money, she can’t help beginning to wish she really was part of this big family with aunts and uncles and cousins – all the things her lonely heart craves.

The other characters are just as good, though obviously not all done with the same depth. I loved that Ware makes room for a lot of kindness and generosity of spirit amidst the danger and evil – something modern thrillers often forget to include, but it makes the whole thing more emotionally involving, I find. Plus, for me there’s more tension to be got out of a feeling of “oh, I hope it’s not her/him!” as there is in simply wondering which of an unsavoury bunch will turn out to be the guilty one.

This was my introduction to Ruth Ware, goaded on by the relentless stream of glowing reviews for her previous books from so many of my book-blogging friends, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a pleasure to read a book written without all the stylistic fol-de-rols so many contemporary authors seem to think necessary – a strong story well told doesn’t need “creative writing”, just good writing. Highly recommended – I’m off now to get hold of Ware’s earlier books!

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.

The Death if Mrs Westaway, Ruth Ware’s latest offering is an atmospheric gothic thriller, which is reminiscent of the old time greats of Agatha Christie complete with creepy old house managed by a creepy old lady and built on foundations of family secrets, lies and betrayals.

Hal (Harriet) Westaway, a struggling, young tarot reader is sent a letter alluding to an inheritance in her name - it is clear to Hal that there has been a mistake. But her reality is, it’s winter, no one is coming to her booth on Brighton Pier to have a reading, she can’t make ends meet and due to a desperate decision made she also has a loan shark pursuing her for ‘interest’ owed of £3000, so she does what most of us would do in these circumstances, she takes what little cash she has, buys a train ticket and goes to claim the inheritance, hoping it will be sufficient to see her through the winter and pay off the loan shark, but the inheritance is more than a few hundred pounds, more even than a few thousand, much, much more in fact, and claiming this inheritance will be much more complicated than she envisaged.

On entering the world of Trespassen (creepy house previously mentioned) Hal becomes embroiled in her Mum’s history, a history that Hal had thought died with her when she did 3 years ago, a history that paints a picture of a family divided, unhappy and full of secrets.

A great ‘page turner’, full of red herring (as any good Agatha Christie is) but ultimately ‘workout able’. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Thoroughly enjoyed.

The devil is in the details! I'd never read Ruth Ware before but I shall read her previous novels having read The Death of Mrs Westaway. Hal is a young woman living by the coast. Essentially an orphan, she reads tarot cards in a kiosk by the pier. She's barely surviving on her meagre income and is dangerously in debt to a local loan shark. Then she receives a letter. This letter tells her that her grandmother has recently died and has left her a legacy. The problem with this is that Hal is pretty certain it's a case of mistaken identity. Only her desperation for money would make her pursue the legacy. Is she making a huge mistake? Will her "family" be welcoming? No spoilers here. A great read.

"When Harriet Westaway receives an unexpected later telling her she's inherited a substantial estate from her Cornish grandmother, it seems like the answer to her prayers.  She owes money to a loan shark and the threats are getting increasingly aggressive : she needs to get her hands on some cash fast.  There's just one problem - Hal's grandparents died more than twenty years ago.  The letter has been sent to the wrong person.  But Hal knows that the cold reading techniques she's honed as a seaside fortune teller could help her con her way to getting the money.  If anyone has the skills to turn up at a stranger's funeral and claim a bequest they're not entitled to, it's her.  Hal makes a choice that will change her life forever.  But once she embarks on her deception, there is no going back.  She must keep going or risk losing everything, even her life..."

The book starts with Harriet in her life in Brighton.  She lives in a very small flat on the top floor of an old building and she reads tarot cards for tourists from a room on the pier.  Harriet, or Hal as she is referred to, is in trouble financially.  She struggles to make enough money to pay her bills and at some point in the past has taken a small loan out from a loan shark which is now worth about 100 x more than what she ever borrowed.  She has tried to avoid the debt now and is in trouble, being threatened.  Aside from the loan threats she receives a letter from a solicitor in Cornwall who informs her that her grandmother has died and that there is an inheritance.  She knows that this woman in Cornwall is not her grandmother but is so desperate for the money to pay off this loan that she figures that if she can read people well enough to tell them their futures then she can read this family in Cornwall well enough to convince them that she is the lost granddaughter.

Hal travels down to Cornwall on the train and finds herself in the middle of a large family who have gathered to pay their respects to their mother and grandmother.  It seems that this is a messed up family with a lot of hatred for each other.  The family all stay at the family house whilst they await the finalisation of the will and start getting to know each other.  Does Hal convince them?

I found this a really great read. This is such good writing.  I kept turning the pages, kept picking the book up, wanted to know what happened.  There was a definite air of Manderley about the family home and I realised that this may well be deliberate when the housekeeper was compared to Mrs Danvers, the scary house-keeper in Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.  I'm not a big fan of copying Rebecca which is my favourite book but I have to say that actually this was done really really well and the house was definitely scary and moody.  The story was ok I'll be honest.  It ended a bit like a James Patterson tends to end, with me thinking mmm, really, a bit far fetched maybe?  But I really enjoyed reading it nevertheless.  And I noticed that the hardback is only £5 in Tesco (£5, how mad is that?  What sort of money is the author getting when they're selling the hardback for £5.  Crazy!).  So if you fancy a book you'll enjoy reading I would definitely recommend this but don't blame me about the ending xx