The Death of Mrs. Westaway
Author: Ruth Ware
Published: May 29, 2018
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 2-20, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.
Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it.
Jessica’s Review:
The premise of Mrs. Westaway had me intrigued and I could not wait to read it! I was able to get it on audio from my library. There is nothing wrong with Ware’s writing, in fact I love it, but I just did not connect with Hal. She is dealing with hard times financially and once she gets this letter she plans on conning the family as she is not the intended recipient of the inheritance. She shows up and then things just get out of hand. “Don’t Lie!” should be the moral here.
It is a character driven novel with a gothic feel to it. There are many mysteries occurring throughout the novel. What kept me reading was that I wanted to know what was going to ultimately happen. When the twists occurred, I didn’t really feel anything, due to my lack of connection with Hal. If I had connected with Hal I am sure I would have loved this novel. When it was over I did not really know how to feel: The mysteries were solved, but I still am not sure how I feel about the direction taken.
Imogene Church has narrated all of Ware’s novels and I love her! She narrates the novels wonderfully. My favorite Ware novel is The Woman in Cabin 10. All of her novels are character driven, so be prepared for a slow moving novel (Which I do not mean in a negative way) all the way up to the conclusion.