I really enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway a lot. I think this might be my favourite Ruth Ware book to date! When Hal receives a letter stating that she is bequeathed an inheritance from her long last grandmother, she departs on a journey to receive it even though she believes the letter reached the wrong woman. From there we are lead on a journey to a dark gothic mansion and meet a cast of characters with a complicated history with the recently deceased. The plot caught my attention pretty quickly and continued to have me questioning the whole way through. There are plenty of secrets and twists in this family’s history. I really ended up feeling for Hal as well, I liked her character and thought she was well written.

I've been highly anticipating this book and oh did it not disappoint !!! This was actually quite scary at times ! This story is about Hal, who is living by herself, and struggling to pay the bills since her mothers death, receives a letter mentioning she is entitled to some inheritance money. Thinking there was some kind of mix up, Hal is thinking of refusing, but decides she needs the money so bad she will con the family. Hal soon realizes, she might actually not the conning them...

This takes place in this Gothic mansion, where everyone has to stay in for a couple days. This reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie's novels! The whodunit type novel, but I didn't feel that way at the story progressed. You also can't help but to fall in love with the main character Hal, Harriet. Everything that she's been through, you just really root for her.

Additionally, Ruth Ware, as usual, did an amazing job at making you feel like you were in the house as well. She really knows how to set the scene. The magpies, the darkness, the dust. It all comes together beautifully ! I loved every second of it and would highly recommend !!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

This book definitely surprised me. I enjoyed Woman in Cabin 10 but was disappointed with the Lying Game, so I went into this book with low expectations. Well that worked to my advantage as I was pleasantly surprised at this one.

Set in a gothic mansion filled with deception and deep family secrets, this book had me hiding under the covers while reading. I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere of both the setting and the characters. It was a brilliant plot and I would recommend this read to Ruth Ware fans.

3.5 stars - This one was really slow to get started and I can't say that I loved it . It took a long time for the story to 'get started, and there was a lot of time just 'setting up' the story and a little too much time with tarot cards and stuff ( and I actually like fortune telling!) . I did enjoy the last few chapters when the story really started to get interesting!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Ruth Ware is back with her third novel, “The Death of Mrs. Westaway”. In this novel, Harriet (Hal) is struggling to make ends meet after the tragic and unexpected death of her mother. Hal is making her meagre living as a fortune teller, following in her mother’s footsteps even though she does not believe in what she practices. When she receives a letter stating that her grandmother has passed and she needs to attend the reading of the will, Hal sees the obvious miscommunication as an oppourtunity for deception and a quick way to profit. However, when Hal makes the trek to the gloomy manor and meets the Westaways, she realizes that she may have more in common with them than she thinks, and perhaps her mother was the one keeping secrets all along.
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Woman in Cabin 10” however, Ware’s proceeding novels (including this one) have been mediocre at best.
This novel is trite, one of many tales of old English manors, family secrets and unclaimed fortunes. Hal herself is a likable enough character, but it was difficult to keep track of the other characters in the novel (it did not help that many of the characters had similar names, such as Maud and Maggie, Ezra and Edward and even Harding and Hal herself) and it was very easy to get lost in the noise.
The story started off slow and held my attention only by a loose thread. I was expecting suspense, mystery and intrigue, and instead got a family drama, interspersed with some action. The plot itself was entertaining enough to keep me engaged, but it was not at all unique or engrossing. When the ending came, it too was lackluster and disappointing, as well as predictable.
With “Cabin 10”, it was easy to determine that Ware has writing talent, however her other novels (and this one in particular) feel forced. Ware seems to be struggling to find the passion and creativity she once had with “Cabin 10”, and although “Westaway” doesn’t quite hold up to its expectations, I have faith that Ware will find her way back to the mystery/suspense genre and blow us away once again.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review!

This is a novel about Hal, a young down-on-her-luck tarot card reader. She receives a letter in the mail informing her that she is named in the will of a recently deceased elderly woman. She doesn't believe that this woman is her relative, but the possible inheritance is an alluring solution to her financial problems - so Hal decides to try an overcome her moral qualms and pursue the inheritance using her cold reading skills.
Upon arriving at the funeral/family estate, Hal is thrust into decades of familial animosity and tension which is exacerbated by the oddness of the will.

This is a beach-read level thriller, as are her other novels - however, "Westaway" showed growth for Ware as a writer. Between the gothic atmosphere of the family estate and the well rounded cast of characters, she's definitely won me back after the lackluster "The Lying Game". I will continue to recommend Ware's books and I'm looking forward to receiving the physical copy I pre-ordered just about the second it was available!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Ruth Ware - you never, never disappoint me. Book #4 and you still have me on the edge of my seat, for a one-sitting read.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway was the perfect mystery thriller for me to jump back into, after what feels like a long stretch of staying away from my favourite genre. Completely different from her first 3 books in story, but true to form, so deliciously addicting, waiting to see where these twists will take us.

Hal Westaway is struggling. Working as a cold-read tarot card reader on the local pier, collecting final notices for her bills, alone in the world, Hal cannot imagine how she will make it to the next week without becoming I LOVED that Hal reads tarot - as someone who loves tarot cards without end. It made for such a fresh twist on a lead character, and such a creative way to unravel details of the story. I also loved how perfectly paced the story was - it kept ratcheting up the tension knowing that something was wrong, but not being able to put your finger on where the threat was coming from. The characters are wonderfully diverse in personality, with perfectly real flaws and tics that made them feel very real as you were reading them. It can also not be left unsaid, that Ruth knows how to write a creepy atmosphere - as a reader, I can feel the damp and chill coming off the page, and I read this book wrapped up in a pile of blankets with a huge cup of tea, and then wine, to stay warm.
homeless, or worse.

And then she receives a mysterious letter in the mail - a letter saying she is to inherit a substantial amount. She knows this must be a mistake - but her desperation makes her wonder if she could bluff her way into this money. Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a situation where nothing makes sense, except her instinct that something is very, very wrong.


Twisty and atmospheric, this will be one that mystery lovers are going to devour.

Atmospheric, dark, twisty. Ruth Ware does all of these things very well.

I have read all of her four books, and I would have to say this one falls in the middle between love and hate. There were a few times when I wanted to DNF this book, but I would think, ok, one more chapter, and then I'd be sucked in again. A decent read.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and the character development was on point. It was a story that haf me intrigued from veginning to end.

This engaging thriller has a Gothic feel to it, what with the creepy old mansion, family secrets and damsel in distress. I guessed the ending about halfway through but that didn't dampen the reading enjoyment at all! Very entertaining.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy.

I will admit, I have never read any of this author's previous works but I am glad I started with this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and had a hard time putting it down. A great novel with interesting characters and setting. Will definitely go back and try her other books.

I've been waiting to read this book since December and have been following all updates that Ware has made on the book such as the title of the book and the cover. So when NetGalley approved my request imagine how happy I was.

I've always been a fan of Ruth Ware. Every time someone asks me to recommend a good thriller I always tell them to read The Woman in Cabin 10, which is one of my favorite books. It's no secret that Ware knows how to write an amazing thriller. She knows how to hook her readers from the first chapter and has them flipping through pages of the book to get to the conclusion.

As a 17 year old, I tend to get bored easily when I find that a book has some unimportant information in the middle of the book (fillers) to try and make it longer. I never have to worry about this when I read a Ware novel. I know that she will captivate me with her words from the first few pages of the novel.

Hal (Harriet) receives a letter in the mail telling her that she has an inheritance handed down to her from the death of her grandmother. Hal realizes that they have sent the letter to the wrong person. But Hal is broke and owes lots of people a ton of money so she uses her skills as a tarot reader to try and claim the inheritance. But as she arrives, she realizes that there is something wrong with the place and this inheritance. Hal is lying to claim the inheritance, but is everyone there telling the truth? Did something bad happen in the place?

This was such an addictive read! I was up late night reading it because I wanted to know how it would end. Ware is the master of plot twists. You always think there's only a few. Where would she possible put the next one? And then it comes out of nowhere and it shocks you to your very core. I did get a lot goosebumps reading this novel. It was a creepy one, but in a good way. I wouldn't recommend reading this late night.

The setting of the novel was just amazing. I could picture an old house with magpies everywhere. Ware describes everything with such detail that I felt that I was Hal myself and it scared me because of its eerie setting. The characters as usual, were perfect. Not a huge shocker. Every character has their own complex story and Ware knows when to share each story with us in a way that readers will love.

The plot was just enthralling. I don't even know how to describe it, but it's not one that you will guess. I never do guess Ware's plots as they are so complex that you need Hercule Poirot to figure it out. I do see how Ware is compared to Agatha Christie and I have to agree. I did feel as I was reading a Christie novel, but in a new, fresh voice which I loved.

This is a must-read and I'm ecstatic that I read it. I cannot wait what Ware has next in store for us!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was already a Ruth Ware fan going into this book.
Every book I read is better than the last, and that’s a big deal considering her first book was awesome!!!
I loved this book, it was so easy to get into and I had no idea where it was going as it was twisting and turning throughout.
Just when I thought I had it figured out....I didn’t!!
I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
Excellent read!!!
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Can I give it more than 5 stars???

This is the first book I've read by Ruth Ware. I can assure you it won't be the last. It speaks volumes that I don't typically read e-books because they trigger migraines for me. I read it from start to finish with just one 15 minute break. That break was me arguing with myself about need for sleep vs the need to see the book through to the end. The book won. I was engaged after just a couple of chapters. The writing flows really well and the characters are great. Hal, the main character, was definitely my favourite. She starts off in the book as a fortune teller who is struggling financially, and dealing with shady loan sharks who have started hinting at a violent outcome if she can't pay up. It seems fortune is smiling down on her as she receives a letter from a lawyer notifying her that she is a beneficiary of an unknown relative's will. From there the pages are filled with difficult choices, the exploration of this new family, and a mystery that left me guessing and second guessing the ending numerous times. It's an emotional and thrilling read that is the literary version of a hostage situation, the reader being the hostage. If you read only one thriller this year, make it this one.