The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a look into the gnarled and twisted branches of an English country seat’s family tree. Ruth Ware’s latest is an excellent thriller about Hal, a down-on-her-luck young woman, who is given a glimmer of hope when she receives a note announcing a possible inheritance. After her mother’s untimely death two years ago, Hal was forced to take over her tarot reading booth on Brighton’s West Pier. In the slow winter months, she gets behind on her bills and goes to a loan shark to try to get even, but only finds herself further in debt and physically in danger. Hal’s only choice is to escape one danger in Brighton to others at Trepassen House.
While the first half of the novel may be described as a slow burn, the second half is full of twists on every page and is well worth the wait. Ware expertly threads the knowledge of tarot reading throughout the narrative in a way that deftly furthers both the plot and the characters’ developments. It is very enjoyable to follow the character of Hal as she tries to use her dexterity with the tarot cards to read the people around her.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book for its unique twist on the inheritance mystery.

5 out of 5 stars

Comes out on May 29th, 2018.
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ruth Ware for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.