This book is atmospheric in a way that was present in Ware's first two novels, but sadly lacking in her third. I'm so glad that the atmosphere is back and creepy as ever. This book hooked me and had me guessing the whole way through. Definitely recommend to fans of Ware's previous books, and if you are waiting for an opportunity to give her books a shot, this is the perfect place to start.

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 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 really enjoyed this newest book from Ruth Ware. It wasn't an edge of your seat thriller, but it had enough twist and turns to keep you guessing all the way up to the end. Hal is low on funds and big on debts when she gets a letter in the mail telling her her grandmother has left her something in her will. She knows it's a mistake but can she pull off a deception and walk away with some much needed money? What she doesn't count on is that her past is not what she thinks it is.

This novel has all of the characteristics a lover of gothic mysteries looks for. There is an old, rundown country mansion where the cold seems to seep into the reader's bones as well as the characters'. The elderly housekeeper seems imbued with a menace that she turns toward our heroine. Frightening dark stairways and rooms unentered for decades play important roles in the plot. A family fraught with discord comes together for a shocking announcement at the reading of its matriarch's will. The past is full of mysterious connections between the characters. And the ingenue of a heroine finds herself in deep peril from one of the family members.

Ruth Ware updates the gothic to modern times, with the dark events taking place in the time period between the 1990s and the present. In Hal, the main character, she has convincingly created a young woman who is both old beyond her years as well as young and impressionable. When Hal's life seems to have reached just about rock bottom, she receives a letter informing her that she is named in the will of Mrs. Westaway, her grandmother. Hal is sure that Mrs. Westaway is not, in fact, her grandmother, but she hopes to walk away from the funeral and reading of the will with some small bequest that will fix her financial woes.

Hal struggles with her conscience after having met Mrs. Westaway's children and realizing that it is real people she intends to defraud. At the same time, she attempts to determine what happened to her mother and aunt during the last summer they lived in the house called Trepassen. Her investigation opens her to danger while the clues it uncovers cause her to question her true relationship to her "uncles." Ware plays fair with the reader, dropping hints as to upcoming revelations without causing the reader to question Hal's intelligence for not recognizing them sooner herself. The characterization is very strong, with Hal, especially, emerging as a fully formed and complex personality.

The damp cold is so well described that I found myself looking for an afghan as I read, even in the dry heat of the American southwest. The rooms filled with decades of dust made me sneeze. And the characters, revealed over time as Hal got to know them, seemed very much like real people. Picking this book up was like stepping through a portal into a foreign world, and the visit I took there will stay with me.

What I Liked

The Death of Mrs. Westaway started off really well for me. Right off the bat I was drawn to the main character Hal. She is strong, intelligent, and has something I can't quite my finger on. I was rooting for her right away. Apart from that I love the use of tarot in this book. I have always enjoyed tarot cards and the symbolism that saturates them. Ware did a wonderful box intertwining that throughout the story without making it gimmicky, you can tell she did some serious research in this regard. 

Also, I liked that this story was rooted in something that is very much real. You sadly  hear stories of people passing away and then there are issues regarding an inheritance. While I will not say more than what is in the description I will say that she takes this sadly common occurrence and builds upon that. Throughout the story I was surprised, on edge, and I felt myself become more and more invested in Hal. I read this book within a few hours, I was very much drawn into the story. 

The writing itself was also really well done. The pacing was spot on. It was like goldilocks, it was just right.The characters Ware created were ones that has distinct characteristic and mannerisms. Even minor characters you can tell she put a lot of thought into. That cannot be said about a lot of books. The use of symbolism in this book was just grand. I also enjoyed the nods to Agatha Christie, which are like fun easter eggs throughout the book. 

What I Didn’t Like

Normally I break my reviews into two sections. What I liked and what I didn't like. This ended up being a 5 star read for me, I found no faults in the book. I found it thrilling and unpredictable. The writing was great and the characters were distinct. 

Overall Thoughts

Overall I thought this was an outstanding thriller. It was distinctly different from other thrillers I have read. I liked the story telling, the twists, and just everything. If you like thrillers or you are curious about trying this genre I think it would be a wonderful book to read. I have already told people they needed to read this in my personal life and I am telling you as well. Read this book! 

* I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so good! I couldn’t put it down. Hal’s story is mysterious and there are so many layers. I love books about dark country houses. Very Agatha Christie like!

Ruth' Ware's newest novel doesn't begin like her other thrillers. Instead it has a slower burning quality instead of your typical fast-paced thriller. Set in an old mansion and with plots centered on wills and tarot cards, it has the feel of an old gothic novel. The only downside was a hasty wrap up that didn't fit with the rest of the novel.

Just when I think Ruth Ware can't get any better, her fourth novel (in just as many years) proves without a doubt that she is more than well deserving of her reputation as "the Agatha Christie of our time," and although I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her previous novels, The Death of Mrs. Westaway is by far my favorite one yet! Also, I have to say that out of all May's many new release fiction books that I've had the pleasure to read, The Death of Mrs. Westaway holds the top spot as my favorite read and release for the month!

Hal Westaway is an utterly wonderful protagonist, who is bright, observant, and resourceful, and she is one reason I loved this novel so much.  She's been supporting herself by doing tarot card readings ("cold readings") in a booth at a pier in Brighton (just like her mother before her death), but she's extremely down on her luck and can barely afford food or rent. When she receives a letter that she's been bequeathed a large inheritance, she knows she must take it even though it has to be a mistake and even if it means she has to pretend to be someone she's not.

It is through Hal's eyes, her skillful observations honed through years of reading people while doing tarot, and her desire to discover the truth about the Westaway's after she realizes she really is related to them that the clues are slowly unveiled and pieced together. Ware has certainly done an excellent job in building up the tension and suspense in the novel and focusing on the why of the mystery surrounding the Westaway family, which is just as important to the reader as the who and the how. This is a slow paced novel full of uneasiness, intensity, and twists yet even though it is a slow burn, it is a perfectly paced, dark, compulsive, and gripping read where long-hidden family secrets are slowly unraveled!

Not only does The Death of Mrs. Westaway have a contemporary, Christie vibe like her previous novels with its "locked room mystery" feeling and the small cast of characters (or should I call them suspects?) but with The Death of Mrs. Westaway, Ware has departed a bit from her previous works and written a fabulous gothic novel that has a Daphne du Maurier vibe, especially reminiscent of Rebecca right down to the sinister housekeeper, the deteriorating mansion with its own malevolent atmosphere, and the setting of Cornwall itself with its cold, grey weather that seems to purposely act against the characters and mirror their moods. Since gothic suspense is my all-time favorite genre (especially after spending time researching and writing about the genre for my doctoral dissertation), I was thrilled to see such a fabulous author as Ware move so flawlessly into that genre.

I read this in one sitting and did not want it to end! Perfectly crafted. Expertly written. I could not recommend you read The Death of Mrs. Westaway more, and I know it will remain one of my favorite books of the year. A must read this summer!

**Thank you, NetGalley and Scout Press/Gallery Books for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.**

Another great mystery/thriller by Ruth Ware! I like how they mystery unfolds throughout the story. I did feel like some parts were a bit slow, but this is still worth a read! Right when I would think I had figured something out, we would learn something new. Would definitely recommend for a quick summer ready!

Hal Westaway is down to her last few dimes. Working at the pier as a psychic like her mother once did keeps the memories close, but leaves her to subsist with little ends. With a loan shark looming like a black cloud over her head, Hal needs to find a way to cover her arrears. Not a stranger to cryptic notes, she receives a strange letter stating that her grandmother, Mrs. Hester Westaway of the grand Trespassen Estate has passed away. The letter is an invitation to attend her funeral. Hal pauses at the letter and then decides to take on the role of her life and a journey to see her grandmother laid to rest. She will finally become a granddaughter and niece to her estranged uncles. But as we well know, her grandmother passed away many years ago.

What a unique great story guise for a thriller and mystery. Characters are complex and well detailed, including our protagonist. The main character Hal is layered with emotion and history. After the death of her mother 3 months ago, she has had to forgo her college dreams to keep her mother’s psychic business afloat. But this has left her continually crawling out of the hole. Ruth Ware gives us glimpses inside Hal’s thought process which creates realism in a character that could have easily not been believable. The “uncles”, Harding, Able, and Ezra are equally individual with distinguishing idiosyncrasies. But the star who steals the show is Mrs. Warren, curmudgeonly perfect with an unparalleled loyalty to an old-fashioned matron.

The mood of this gothic tale is dark and haunted, but not supernatural. The characters, the house, and the ever-looming foreshowing of the Magpies create an atmospheric mood. The letter’s scratched on a window pane at Trespassen is just the surface of many secrets that the estate holds. What are Hal’s place at old Westaway home and the secrets of the past?

Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, never to be told.

This novel is definitely worth a read for the Ruth Ware fans.

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Ruth Ware's latest. This was a twisty, page turner. There are some gothic elements of Rebecca here as well as 'not what they seem' relatives and a decaying English manor house. Hal (Harriet) is a Tarot reader who sort of believes her trade and in need of the inheritance that seems to good to be true. I set aside an afternoon to get to the end of this. I've loved Ruth Ware's previous novels and this did not disappoint!

Ruth Ware's books have been hit or miss for me - I blame this mostly on publishers who insist on pasting "IF YOU LIKE GONE GIRL, YOU"LL LOVE THIS!" Lately, I see Ruth Ware also being compared to Agatha Christie in such blurbs. Look, let her just stand on her own as a writer - those buildups always have me expecting way more than any book can live up to. I probably wold have enjoyed her previous books more if these comparisons would just stop!

That said, I tried to go into this novel without trying to compare it to other books. I have to say that even if I tried, I honestly can't think of another writer or another plotline to compare this one too. This is an original story with an original voice. Death of Mrs. Westaway was well written, clues were subtle enough that they didn't spoil the ending too soon, and the main character's career as a fortune teller was so well woven into the story that it took the novel to an interesting new level. This was an intriguing and interesting mystery/thriller.

The first Ruth Ware book we read was “The Woman in Cabin 10”, then “A Dark Dark Wood” & we just finished this most anticipated best seller “The Death of Mrs. Westaway”. If there’s one thing Ruth Ware does NOT do, it’s disappoint! Sometimes when a bunch of “hub pub” surrounds a book and people talk it up like crazy, by the time you read it, you wonder what all the fuss was about. WELL… no way! Not with this one! Listen up… listen carefully… not only do you want to read this book, it’s also one that you must own in paper copy because you’ll want to revisit it and smell the pages that are dripping with family secrets and mysterious happenings! We swear that when you crack open the book that will be hot off the press, you’ll actually smell the musty, dusty, spooky-old-house mothball smell that Trespassen house will emit right through the pages!
Ok with that said, let’s talk about this book… we have had this in our TBR pile from the moment we were approved on netgalley and have been itching to begin reading, when one day we happen to tune into a live reading of the first chapter by RUTH WARE herself! What a treat! Listening to her read (We Americans just love a British accent), the beginning was like pulling up to a fabulous storyteller with your PJ’s on and a bowl of popcorn! We were sucked right into the story!
Ruth Ware creates characters that are so memorable and loveable or memorable and awful!
Hal, a young girl who has happened upon many losses in her life and has gotten herself in a spot of trouble with some loan sharks, received a letter about a family inheritance that will change her life forever!
When Hal packs her belongings and tarot cards into a bag with her hopes and dreams, she sets off for Trespassen, the property that her family once lived in before her grandmother passed away and left her a fortune!
But…what Hal discovers while staying there will leave you in disbelief! You think YOU have family secrets? Nope… you have nothing on Hal!
You’ll feel like you have been transported back into an old Agatha Christie book, but you’ll have to remember it is written in the present time. We LOVED this story immensely and we challenge anyone who thinks they are bigger fans of Ruth Ware than TWO GIRLS AND A BOOK OBSESSION to say so!
We also have the pleasure of meeting her on her tour to the US! Yay!!!!

The first Ruth Ware book we read was "The Woman in Cabin 10", then "A Dark Dark Wood" & we just finished this most anticipated best seller "The Death of Mrs. Westaway". If there's one thing Ruth Ware does NOT do, it's disappoint! Sometimes when a bunch of "hub pub" surrounds a book and people talk it up like crazy, by the time you read it, you wonder what all the fuss was about. WELL... no way! Not with this one! Listen up... listen carefully... not only do you want to read this book, it's also one that you must own in paper copy because you'll want to revisit it and smell the pages that are dripping with family secrets and mysterious happenings! We swear that when you crack open the book that will be hot off the press, you'll actually smell the musty, dusty, spooky-old-house mothball smell that Trespassen house will emit right through the pages!
Ok with that said, let's talk about this book... we have had this in our TBR pile from the moment we were approved on netgalley and have been itching to begin reading, when one day we happen to tune into a live reading of the first chapter by RUTH WARE herself! What a treat! Listening to her read (We Americans just love a British accent), the beginning was like pulling up to a fabulous storyteller with your PJ's on and a bowl of popcorn! We were sucked right into the story!
Ruth Ware creates characters that are so memorable and loveable or memorable and awful!
Hal, a young girl who has happened upon many losses in her life and has gotten herself in a spot of trouble with some loan sharks, received a letter about a family inheritance that will change her life forever!
When Hal packs her belongings and tarot cards into a bag with her hopes and dreams, she sets off for Trespassen, the property that her family once lived in before her grandmother passed away and left her a fortune!
But...what Hal discovers while staying there will leave you in disbelief! You think YOU have family secrets? Nope... you have nothing on Hal!
You'll feel like you have been transported back into an old Agatha Christie book, but you'll have to remember it is written in the present time. We LOVED this story immensely and we challenge anyone who thinks they are bigger fans of Ruth Ware than TWO GIRLS AND A BOOK OBSESSION to say so!
We also have the pleasure of meeting her on her tour to the US! Yay!!!!

Meh. Interesting premise, but sadly doesn't hold up to her previous efforts. Unfortunately, it kind of plods along towards the conclusion, and by the time you get there, you're relieved that the book is done rather than satisfied with a great read. Adding an extra star in the hopes she'll return to form in her next book.

*4+ stars.

Twenty-one year old Harriet ‘Hal’ Westaway is desperately trying to hold her life together. Three years before, her mother was killed by a hit-and-run driver and Hal took over her tarot reading kiosk on the pier in Brighton to support herself. But during a hard financial stretch, Hal went to a loan shark for help and now she is being threatened with bodily harm over non-repayment of the ever-increasing amount.

So when a letter from a lawyer appears in her mail, Hal expects another threat..but instead, it informs her that her grandmother Hester Westaway has died and she is in line for a sizable inheritance. Oh happy day!

The problem? Hal’s maternal grandparents died before she was born and she never knew her father—she was supposedly the result of a one-night stand and Westaway is her mother’s maiden name. So obviously some mistake has been made, a case of mistaken identity. But she so desperately needs the money…could she pull off the deception that she is indeed the long-lost granddaughter??

She convinces herself she can, packs a pathetic suitcase, and scrapes enough money together to take the train to Cornwall for the funeral. As she gets her first view of Trepassen House, dark and forbidding, she notices magpies circling the house:

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

Ruth Ware has created a rather gothic tale of dark, hidden secrets with a likable character in Hal and an interesting cast of supporting characters. The tension builds deliciously and just when the reader thinks she's figured it all out, the story twists again.

Interspersed with Hal's story are journal entries written by a young woman living in the attic room at Trepassen House in 1994...a woman who gets increasingly desperate as she realizes she is pregnant. Someone who may have been the one who scratched 'HELP ME' in the pane of the room's barred window...

Grandmother Hester had written a French phrase which translates to something like "After me, the flood." Was she hoping or predicting that all their family secrets would be revealed after her death? And what will the truth unleash if it is revealed?

Another winner from Ruth Ware! Put this on your summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an arc of this new suspense thriller for an honest review.

I've heard so much hype about Ware's books, and this one served as my introduction to her work. Many of the early reviews are touting it as her best book yet; if this is indeed true, then she may not be the author for me. Ware is a perfectly capable writer, and this book has both an intriguing setup and atmosphere to spare. However, I never feel like the story completely took off to have the kind of urgency that compelled me to keep turning the pages. Most of the plot reveals are either predictable or convoluted, plus I didn't find protagonist Hal to be particularly interesting. I feel like an opportunity to create a truly memorable tale reminiscent of classic suspenseful literature was squandered, which is disappointing.

This book had all of Ware's usual goosebump-inducing suspense, but with a decidedly more Gothic feel. Seriously, Daphne du Maurier would be proud, I think. I was certainly sucked into the story, and I really liked Hal, despite the fact that her life was totally alien to me. I would argue that Trepassen House had much more presence than Manderlay, and Mrs. Warren is definitely a modern-day Mrs. Danvers. There seemed to be a lot more family to keep track of than in the classic Gothics, and while it was difficult at first, their personalities and places in the family fell into place in my mind. The central thread of Hal (and her mother)'s tarot cards and whether they actually have powers or whether it's the subject's mind who give them meaning - that really added an interesting dimension to the novel as various characters have their cards read or interpret the readings. The eerie feeling of the story never really developed into full-on "fear" for me (unlike in In a Dark, Dark Wood, in particular), but the slowly creeping dread certainly keeps the pages turning. I think I lost a bit of the impact because I was pretty sure I knew the big secret, so that took away from the drama. (It's funny, in some books I want to be able to work out the mystery and in some I don't. I think the difference is whether it's meant to be more mystery or suspense.) Anyway, I definitely recommend all of Ware's books, and this one especially to fans of the classic Gothic novels.

Ruth Ware is the Agatha Christie of our time. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a Gothic mystery with many logical twists that will keep pages turning. Evocative prose and a strong heroine make this mystery novel highly recommended

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Ruth Ware is one of those authors that I put everything down to read - I've read each of her books so far, discovering her when she was signing copies of her debut book, In a Dark, Dark Wood at Book Expo back in 2015. Since then, I've been such a fan - and I'm so excited that she will once again be at Book Expo this year - I so hope to see her again, so I can gush about her books!!!

As much as I have enjoyed her previous books, I think this latest one might be my favorite one yet. I love it as much for the characters as for the atmosphere - this one definitely has a much more Gothic feel to it and it works so well. Even the tarot card angle added to the overall creepiness of this book - all these layers give this book such dimension and suspense to create a well-rounded, utterly dark, unsettling sense of foreboding that makes up this book.

This book is not so much a fast-burning mystery as it is a more slow-burning one, which I also really liked. And I loved the diary entries interspersed throughout the chapters that added to the overall mystery. At first, you are trying to figure out who they are written by and then you are trying to figure out who they are referring to. The overall mystery of this book is made up of many layers, so while you might figure out one, it's unlikely you will figure out everything...and that's the fun in this book. It really will keep you on your toes as all the pieces are slowly unraveled.

This was such a creepy, twisty read. It is intriguing and cleverly crafted so that you just don't want to put it down. This is definitely going down as a favorite!!!