The Death of Mrs Westaway: A modern-day murder mystery from The Sunday Times Bestseller

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It seems . . . well, it seems as if Mrs. Westaway did know what she was doing when she drafted that will.” (c) I’ve recently fallen into the terrifying and bizarre world of thrillers. I love a good horror movie, or even some suspense in a movie or book, so it should be no surprise that I started thrillers. A thriller I was seeing all over social media (especially BookTube) is The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. One of my favorite book bloggers, BooksandLala gave the book 4.5 stars, so I had to give it a shot. She calls the novel cinematic and engaging, and the best of Ware’s books so far. The promenade was empty, and the woman had disappeared into the darkness as if made from rain herself.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Ruth Ware for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! After reading the synopsis, throw everything you think about Ruth Ware novels out the window. The Death of Mrs. Westaway will keep you guessing until the very end (seriously, I thought the story was winding down and was completely thrown off by the end). Thank you Scout Press/Gallery Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Death of Mrs. Westaway will be released May 29, 2018.The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware." Book of the Month, https://www.bookofthemonth.com/best-books-of-the-year/the-woman-in-cabin-10-138. Accessed 8 Nov. 2017. Image from https://otava.fi/kirjat/rouva-westaway-on-kuollut/ — Cover art for The Death of Mrs. Westaway (2018) by Ruth Ware. Design by Dan Mogford and Trevillion Images. Too bad Mrs. Westaway isn’t her grandmother, but from her tarot card reading and dealings with the public, Hal knows how to read people and situations and is confident she can pull off the deception. What’s the harm in playing along and walking away with just a little money to help her through this rough patch? Hal hops on a train to attend the reading of the will and ends up staying with the Westaway family. From here, the tension and suspense made this an addictive read that I had difficulty putting down.

The family she meets upon traveling to the Westaway estate, Trepassen House, is hella eccentric and it was a ton of fun watching the truth unfold. And I thought—This is it. This is what I have been waiting all my life to feel, this is what those girls at school used to talk about, this is what the songs mean, and the poems were written for. This is it. He is it. Love in Suspense recommended read: 'The Woman in Cabin 10' by Ruth Ware". Happy Ever After. 11 July 2016 . Retrieved 20 November 2017. The brand new psychological thriller from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.In best-selling author Ruth Ware’s fourth novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway , a young tarot card reader in dire straits is unexpectedly invited to the reading of a will. Though she believes she has been mistakenly named a beneficiary, she decides to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire some much-needed cash. Principal characters She says she goes to the Westaway’s simply for their money, but I don’t think that was her only motive. Hal, this isolated woman, craves connection, and love. Hal is set up as a fascinating character, and receiving the funeral invitation, as well as actually going to the funeral, shows her desperation for not only money, but connection. Ruth Ware does a great job of creating an engaging and intriguing story, and this story had all the elements to make it an interesting story for us all. We loved the gothic feel, the old mysterious mansions with creepy rooms that hold secrets, a shady family with an inheritance and one of our favorite characters an angry and unfriendly housekeeper. Lots of creepy good to this story.

Here we have some discussion topics and questions for your book club. They’re not too specific, so as not to spoil any of the book for those who may not have finished it yet. I am so grateful to NetGalley, to Ruth Ware, and to Gallery/Scout Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Loved the book, but I did not enjoy the audiobook version. Imogen Church is so wonderful when she is straight reading the book. However, there are numerous characters in this one and the overacted, squealing voices she portrays are just cringe inducing. Also, Ware uses the old diary device prominently in this story and I was confused so many times while listening (is this now? or reading from the diary again?). Ugh, I hate that I can't hear italics!😂😂 I went with Kindle in the end and was so glad I switched.

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Ruth Ware was born in 1977 and grew up in Lewes. She studied English at Manchester University, where she developed a fascination with Old English and Middle English texts. The novel reads, “The people who came to her [Hal’s] booth were seeking meaning and control — but they were looking in the wrong place. When they gave themselves over to superstition, they were giving up on shaping their own destiny.” Do you agree? Why or why not? What do you think motivates people to be superstitious? Out of nowhere, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her an inheritance from a wealthy woman she is told is her grandmother. Hal knows an entirely different story of her upbringing, her grandparents and her entire life - she knows this letter was not meant for her. Despite this, her desperation leads her to attending the funeral, attempting to con this family into believing she is who they say she is. From here, things slowly descend into mayhem.