Written by Sam Ali
A dysfunctional family, a quiet troubled protagonist, a mystery ensuing, and secrets revealing – these are the makings of Ruth Ware’s newest novel. Ruth Ware is famous for her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Lying Game. Her novels portray strong, independent female protagonists that are challenged by mysteries and thrilling situations. But her newest novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway may be her best novel yet, and it’s most definitely my favourite Ware novel thus far.
The book starts off with a 1994 diary entry from an unknown narrator. Shortly after, the first chapter begins and we are introduced to Hal. A quiet, black-haired girl trying to live her life as best she can after experiencing a tragic loss. Immediately you can tell that Hal is lonely, troubled, confused and lost when it comes to her personal life. A couple of chapters later, Hal receives a letter stating that her grandmother has passed away and she is now entitled to a large inheritance. But how could this be? She has no family, and no friends – all she has are a mountain of bills, an unaffordable rent, and a dead-end job. The novel continues with Hal wondering if this was a mistake – could this letter be for a different Harriet Westaway? Or should she bite the bullet, go to the funeral, and get that money to pay for her financial woes?
This may seem like I am giving away too much here, but that’s not the case!!! There is so much more to this story. The characters introduced later on all have such unique personalities and histories, and the dialogue was as if it was straight from an Agatha Christie novel.
If you haven’t ever read an Agatha Christie novel.. firstly you should! And secondly, Christie tells her stories solely through dialogue between her characters. The dialogue holds a majority of the story, rather than the story being set by description or thoughts from the main character, and I think that is my favourite thing about Christie AND this novel!
I read this book on an eight-hour flight, and I absolutely devoured it! I loved Hal as a protagonist, and I loved each character. This is the kind of book you want to keep reading just to find out more about these characters and how they came to be who they are. This novel had everything I looked for in a mystery – great dialogue, great characters, relatable protagonist, and family secrets!
If you are looking for a lighter suspense novel, that is bursting with family secrets and mysteries, then this novel is for you!
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware will be released on May 29th 2018 and can be found on Amazon, Book Depository, and all good book retailers.
Will you be checking out this new book? Or have you already read it? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware’s highly anticipated fourth novel.
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 center of it.
Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
