From the author who brought us “In a Dark, Dark Wood” and “The Woman in Cabin 10”, I must say it doesn’t feel like the same person who wrote “The Death of Mrs Westaway”. I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Ruth Ware’s latest title, unfortunately it did not deliver.

“The Death of Mrs Westaway” seemed to drag on with nothing happening. Ware had a habit of repeating facts and stories over and over again, often leaving me with a déjà vu feeling. Aside from Hal, the main characters (Mrs Westaway’s sons) were easy to mix up. There were a few small facts that I felt did not add up and are still nagging at me! Although the ending was quite satisfying, the 400 pages to get there was not worth it. Would sum up this book as: disappointing, lackluster, exhausting.

While it took a few chapters to get me into this book, eventually I did and from then on I was hooked - for the most part. It’s not my favourite Ruth Ware novel but it did have an intriguing plot and I found it different from her other works which I can definitely appreciate. I’m always a bit flip floppy when it comes to Ruth. I liked The Woman in Cabin 10 but didn’t like In A Dark Dark Wood.

Pros: The book is creepy enough to keep me engrossed through most of it. I thought the characters were well developed and an overall satisfying ending. I’m a sucker for these so that’s why I’m giving it more stars!

Cons: I found the book to be slow at parts, repetitive in describing things too thoroughly and I know, a bit unrelated, I did not love the cover of the book (the wrought iron gate). If I didn’t know it was by Ruth Ware, I wouldn’t have reached for it.

I will elaborate more and make a public review on Good Reads in a few days right before the pub date. Thank you so much for the copy of the book, it was greatly appreciated!

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10. So I was really looking forward to this new book by the same author. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a mystery suspense thriller set in the UK.

The main narrator is Harriet/Hal (3rd person POV). We also have some chapters from the past.

Hal is 21 years old. She works as a tarot reader. Her mother has died and she is struggling to make money. Hal receives a mysterious letter in the mail telling her that Mrs. Westaway has died. And letting her know that she is in the will.

This book started off a bit slow for me. There was not much mystery or suspense at the start. And it took me a long time to understand how this book could be considered a psychological thriller. The last third of the book was my favorite and that was where the mystery and thriller aspects came into play. There were many questions to be answered.

Hal was an interesting character. And I definitely enjoyed figuring out the mystery with her.

Mrs. Westaway's house, Trepassen was creepy and it added a lot to the story. There were secrets and I was interested by what had happened there in the past.

However I think that this book just moved too slowly for me. It took me a long time to read it. And I wasn't truly invested in the outcome until the end The last third of the book was definitely the strongest for me. There were a few interesting twists. However, there was one part of the mystery that was a bit obvious.

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 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.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Hal (short for Harriet) Westaway is in trouble. She's twenty-one years old, and since her mother's death three years before, she has struggled to make enough money to pay the rent and buy food. She has taken over her mother's stall at the Brighton pier, reading tarot cards. In desperation she borrowed money from a loan shark, and his collector is scaring her with talk of violence. She's afraid to go home and to work. Then she receives a letter from a solicitor telling her of her grandmother's death and stating that she's a beneficiary in the will. Hal knows that she's not the beneficiary, but decides that a wealthy family could give out enough money to get her out of trouble without missing the cash and so heads out to Cornwall.

The overwhelming feelings from this book are cold and hunger (it is set in November) and of course danger from somewhere or someone. Very moody and uncomfortable, and just when Hal thinks she's gotten away, she is taken back to the evil house.

I really enjoyed this book. I've seen Ruth Ware described as a modern Agatha Christie, and while I enjoyed her previous books, this was the first one where I really felt that. Perhaps it was the perfectly atmospheric setting of an old isolated house on the coast, or the Christie-approved plot device of a surprising will bequest. The main character, Hal, is sympathetic and believable. Ware excels at writing tension-filled scenes and layering the interconnected past/present plotlines. I will admit that I saw one of the twists coming, but it was still a pleasure to learn the hows and whys. A satisfying book for anyone who loves a classic country house mystery.

“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 is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and In a Dark, Dark Wood. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is her fourth suspenseful thriller and it more than lives up to the impressive catalogue she has been building. Ruth Ware has been called the modern Agatha Christie and I think that title is well deserved.

“The family had arrived. The real test was about to begin.”

The story begins with Hal (Harriet Westaway) who is down on her luck and quickly running out of money. She receives a letter saying that her grandmother has died and that she is being left a sizeable inheritance. The problem is that all of her grandparents are already dead and she can find no evidence that she is related to the recently deceased Mrs. Westaway. Still, she really needs the money. There is a shady loan collector haunting her. She decides that she has to go try to collect the money from the inheritance, or she will be risking bodily harm, but she is incredibly conflicted about it. Hal knows what she is doing is wrong but she does not see any alternative. She feels like she is uniquely qualified to pass as someone else having honed her skills at cold-reading people by being a tarot card reader on Brighton pier but when she arrives at the stately family manor of the Westaway family she cannot shake that there is something very strange and sinister about the family. When Hal arrives at the estate, and meets her “uncles,” she realizes that she has more of a family connection to the Westaways than she originally thought.

“There has been no time for A levels. She had dropped out of school, taken over the kiosk, and coped in any way that she could – one moment trying to forget, cropping her hair so that she didn’t see her mother’s face in the mirror quite so painfully every day, drinking herself into oblivion when she could afford the alcohol; the next moment holding on to her memories with painful intensity, inking them into her skin.”

A large part of the novel takes place at the dark and spooky Trepassen manor. The house is described to eerie perfection. The lawn is unmaintained, the trees are infested with magpies, the house is cold and drafty, and there are bars on the windows of the top floor to keep its inhabitants in rather than to keep anyone else out. Ruth Ware has a gift for making the settings of her novels come alive on the page. You will feel transported to this estate and be able to visualize every detail.

“She had discovered that the most important truths often lay in what people didn’t say, and learned to read the secrets that they hid in plain sight, in their faces, and in their clothes, and in the expressions that flitted across their faces when they thought no one was watching.”

I loved the character of Hal. She is deeply introspective and a perfect narrator because of her skills at observation. She does, indeed, read people very well. She notices every peculiarity and quirk. She is also a likeable character despite the fact that she goes to Trepassen under false pretenses to do something that most people would find morally reprehensible. We find out early in the story that she has a generous spirit. She gives to charity despite barely having enough money to feed herself. The reader roots for Hal because she is a fighter and only doing what she has to in order to survive. She can be both meek and stammering and strong at the same time. Just like in her other books, Ruth Ware has created compelling characters who find themselves cut off from society and must deal with unusual circumstances that are far outside of what they are used to.

The other characters are equally multi-dimensional. I absolutely loved the frightening housekeeper, Mrs. Warren, who knows everybody’s secrets and has a few of her own.

“It was the look, Hal suddenly thought, of a child who sees a cat appear among a flock of pigeons, and stands back to watch the slaughter.”

Tarot plays a huge role in this novel, which is not something I like for personal reasons, but it is used to great effect. Hal is a tarot card reader, a skill she learned from her mother who died in a hit-and-run car accident three years ago. She has learned to read people well but is never unethical about it. She is in no way a swindler, often refusing money if she feels uncomfortable about the reading she has given.

“Don’t fall into the trap of believing your own lies.”

A big shout-out to whoever designed the cover of this novel. It is absolutely perfect. It captures the tone of the novel in stark black and white. It has the gates of the estate and the magpies on it. It captures how spooky this book is.

This atmospheric mystery/thriller will hook you from the first page. The tension in the novel is palpable. Do not go in expecting a fast-paced thriller. This is more of a slow reveal. Having said that, it is nearly impossible to put down. I read ¾ of the book in one sitting, pausing only when I fell asleep at 3am. This novel will leave you guessing until the very end.

It surprises me that the publishers decided to release this book in the summer. It is not a natural beach read. I would suggest saving it for a dark and stormy night and then devouring it in one sitting.

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, which will be available in bookstores on May 29th, 2018.

Grade: A/A+

Although a huge fan of Ruth Ware, it took me a long time to get through this story. The pace was a lot slower than her other books. It wasn't until the last few chapters that things really picked up and you started to see where the mystery and excitement had been hiding. I found trying to keep the characters stories straight was a bit of a challenge. But if you were expecting to know where the story would end up, you're wrong.
Not one of my favourite books of hers, I'm still a huge fan and will continue to follow this author.

Ruth Ware and I just don't really get along. I love the ideas of her books, they always sound promising, but I do find they always fall flat for me. In saying that, this has been the best Ruth Ware book I have read - but it did fall flat like the rest of them. It would be a great beach read, but don't expect to be up all night trying to finish it.

First off, I absolutely love Ruth Ware and I don't know why! I generally give her books 3 stars and yet I find them so compulsively readable that I always come back for more. I should probably start rating them higher because I cannot say no to a Ruth Ware mystery.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway was quite different from all of her other novels. It still features a young English woman as the protagonist, but the mystery element was structured differently in this book and I wouldn't call this one a thriller. At times the central mystery seems quite obvious, but you're never really sure what is going on or if you have it right.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway tells the story of Hal Westaway and the Westaway family. Hal is just 21 years old and after losing her mother 3 years prior in a hit and run, she is very much alone in the world. She has no family and in her struggle to make ends meet and pay the bills, she has lost contact with any friends she once had. Her mother was everything to her and she takes over her mothers booth as a tarot card reader on the Brighton Pier to survive. But Hal is falling further and further in debt and they are starting to catch up with her.

Then one evening she receives a letter about the death of Mrs. Westaway, her grandmother, and that she has been named in the will and requested at Mrs. Westaway's estate. The problem is that Hal's grandparents have been dead for 20 years and she believes she must have received the letter in error. But the promise of a handout is too alluring and Hal wonders if she can trick this estranged family and walk away with enough money from the will to pay off her debts.

Things are definitely off with the rest of the Westaway family though and Hal quickly starts to wonder whether everything is actually as it seems. I think Ware does an excellent job writing Hal in this story. She is totally believable and I could totally empathize with the financial mess she's found herself in and the desperation of trying to do whatever she can to pay her bills. I enjoyed her story arc and growth throughout the novel.

I didn't like the rest of the Westaway family though, which I guess is kind of the point because they're all flawed and their flaws make you wonder what is actually going on with this family and what is their real history. But I found it hard to connect with any of the other characters and I didn't find the main twist very surprising. It's more of a "wtf is going on in this book" moment and when the twist is finally revealed it's not really that shocking - it was totally what I was expecting, I just wasn't really sure how the author would take me there. I also thought the red herring was super obvious, although still pretty ominous and I do think it added to the story.

Overall not my favourite Ruth Ware book, but don't doubt for a second that I won't still be first in line to read whatever she writes next!

I was torn between giving this a 3.5 star review and a 4 star one ... but decided to round it up.

I liked Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood but didn't enjoy The Woman in Cabin 10, and haven't read The Lying Game ... so I'm "so-so" about her as an author.

That said.

This book reminded me of old fashioned mystery novels - Agatha Christie-esq - with tension, half told truths, the reader really having very little idea as to what is going to happen. It also reminded me slightly of Rebecca - with our main character being thrown into a situation that is completely out of her hands.

Hal - a penniless orphan, receives news that her grandmother has passed away and that she is set to inherit. Due to her circumstances, Hal doesn't actually believe that she is the correct person, but she needs money badly enough that she sets out to convince the remaining family that she is the rightful heir.

And then things gets mucky.

Hal finds herself in Cornwall surrounded by uncles she never knew about and a mystery that keeps getting more and more complicated until finally we reach the final conclusion (this sounds cryptic, but I don't want to give any spoilers away).

I liked the way this was written, I liked the pace of the plot, and the twists and turns. It's not to say that some things weren't predictable - but it was still an enjoyable read.

Rather than the type of "thrillers" we are all reading at the moment, this is a good and proper mystery - no big bang at the end, simply a solid story, that falls together really well.

Recommended read.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is about a wealthy family with many hidden secrets.

Hal, alone and on her own, receives a letter out of the blue bequeathing her a family fortune she did not even know existed. Living on a fortune teller's pay and running from loan sharks, Hal devises a plan to scheme the fortune from the rich snobs who think Hal is a long-lost niece. She's already a pro at deception, what's one more scam that could finally turn her life around.

Another great thriller from Ruth Ware! I've read all four of Ruth Ware's novels and this one is by far my favorite. I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: May 13, 2018. Novel Publish Date: May 29, 2018.

I really enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway - my only qualm about it was that I read it in May! This book is so terrifically suited for a stormy October night - it's Gothic, dark and would be a perfect autumn read. It was an atmospheric novel and more than a little reminiscent of Rebecca, a perennial Gothic favorite. The protagonist, Hal, is an orphaned tarot-card reader who is struggling to keep her head above water. When she receives a letter from a lawyer who details a legacy left to her by the late Mrs. Westaway - but it's not the grandmother she knew. Hal thinks it must either be a mistake - or possibly the answer to her troubles. Despite its' May 29 publication date, this book doesn't really say "summer/beach reading' to me, but I will recommend this book to anyone looking for a spooky read to cozy up with by the fire this fall.

The gothic ambience in the Trespassen house was perfect for all the family secrets.

You'll spend the whole book trying to figure if/how the main character is related to everyone and who's lying!

A great read! (3.5)

Ruth Ware has a way of writing these mysteries with dark, atmospheric settings. Each page leaves you wanting more. The last third of the book is a blur. I just sat down after supper and finished it off. Left the dishes in the sink because I just needed to get to the end. I won't bother quoting the synopsis, you can read that for yourself. But that's all you need to know. Each little piece of the puzzle will leave you looking for the next. And the next. And the next...

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Death of Mrs. Westaway! I was super excited to read it after finishing (and loving) The Woman in Cabin 10 earlier this month.

I had to take the weekend to decompress after reading this book. Ruth Ware so easily immerses me in her stories and I come out of them like I've been in hibernation, looking around and squinting in the sunlight.

Like The Woman in Cabin 10, I was struck by the fact that the story wasn't *scary* per se, it's more that there's this underlying feeling that something isn't quite right. (Though there was one particular scene that made my skin crawl! When you read it, you'll know exactly which one!) The setting of the big, Gothic mansion that's permanently freezing and has fallen into disrepair suits this ominous feeling so well and I loved the addition of the magpies, which are probably the creepiest animals ever. The magpie poem ("One for sorrow, Two for joy, etc.) also appeared in Magpie Murders which I read earlier this month.

The pace picked up a lot near the very end and I found my eyes skipping ahead because I desperately wanted to find out the truth. Ware is SO good at making you trust a character, and then only pages later making you absolutely certain that they are evil incarnate. I love the way she's able to keep me guessing until the big reveal.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is definitely worth buying, first so that you can read it right away, and second because the cover art is so haunting and beautiful.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Harriet, who goes by Hal, is down on her luck. She reads tarot cards on the Brighton pier and struggles to make ends meet. She is all alone after her mother was tragically is killed by a hit-and-run a few years earlier. When she receives a letter that bequeathes a large inheritance, Hal knows it to be a mistake but acts on it anyway. She only needs a few thousand pounds to change her luck once and for all—she deserves a bit of happiness.

She makes the trip down the English coast to attend the funeral of her "grandmother" and meet her "family". Being able to read people as well as she does, Hal quickly realizes that something is very wrong with the situation and finds herself at the centre of it because it revolves around the inheritance.

It turns out what she thought was a lie, may actually hold some truth, and someone is determined to keep it a secret.

Ruth Ware, this is fantastic! I loved it as much as The Woman in Cabin 10. You truly are a master of your genre.

She's checked all the boxes: a creepy old house, suspense, symbolism. But the best part is the writing—Ware reveals just enough to keep the reader completely enthralled, but doesn't give anything away. I especially loved the use of the tarot cards to help Hal figure out what's going on. "Don't rush—her mother's voice in her head. Build your story. Lay it out—card by card." That's exactly what Ware does. Brilliant!

I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware and this is my favourite book of hers to date. It is a hard-to-put-down mystery full of family secrets and gothic atmosphere that is a perfect summer read. The main character, Hal, is especially well developed. Reading this book felt like peeling an onion, as layer upon layer of the plot revealed itself. I can hardly wait for Ruth’s next novel!

With gratitude to Ruth Ware for this highly entertaining book and to Simon & Schuster Canada, Scout Press/Gallery Books and netgallery for my advanced ecopy.

Hal Westaway is invited to attend the funeral of her grandmother but as far as Hal knows, her grandparents have been dead for years and she has the documents to prove it. An orphan with nothing to lose, Hal decides to attend the funeral and pretend to be a member of this family in the hopes of coming away with a little bit of money to help her out. When she arrives at  funeral and meets her "family" and discovers that there is a substantial inheritance at steak, Hal starts to realize that that the situation she is in is much stranger and more dangerous than she could have imagined.

I have read all of Ruth Ware's novels and while this is not my absolute favourite, I enjoyed it although the ending was a bit of a snooze.

I absolutely loved this novel. I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the main character Hal. I loved the family dynamic of the novel as well as the great mystery aspect as well. This novel has everything; suspense and family drama. The Death of Mrs. Westaway has a few surprises also.