This book is about Hal. Hal is a tarot reader who is down on her luck, she is on her own since her mother died in a car crash and she owes money to an unscrupulous money lender. She receives a letter informing her her grandmother has died and has been left something in her Will. It doesn’t sit right with her but she decides to go and find out anyway.

I was really excited when I heard about this book. Although I was expecting this to be creepy it was more of a mystery. I spent the whole of this book wondering which characters were telling the truth and who was lying. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns. My only criticism is that I got a bit confused with a few of the characters towards the end and had to reread a paragraph a couple of times to work out the ending.

Firstly, I loved the premise of 'The Death of Mrs Westaway' by Ruth Ware - an intriguing mystery with plenty of twists perhaps? When I began to read, however, it wasn't what I had been expecting at all. Not to say that that's a bad thing. Rather, this is very much a mixed bag of several genres and very dark in places but it's a good read, well told, with a surprising twist to the tale. It keeps the reader guessing throughout with suspense levels high. An enjoyable read.

My favourite of Ruth Ware's has to be In a Dark, Dark, Wood... until now!  The Death of Mrs Westaway is astonishingly good and awesomely creepy.  Ruth really captivates you with an eccentric bunch of characters; an estranged family that once all resided at Trepassen House, which having been left unloved for many years, is now pretty spooky.

Hal is streetwise.  She had to grow up pretty fast, and learn to look after herself, when her mother was killed in a hit and run when Hal was only 18-years-old.  Now at the tender age of 21, she has to make a life-changing decision, does she seek out what the letter beholds, or does she leave the past where it belongs?

I loved the gothic feel to Trepassen House and the secrets it has hidden deep within its roots about the intriguing Westaway Family.  There is a real dark element to the tale and I felt nervous for Hal and what could potentially unfold.

The use of tarot within the story is very clever.  Hal uses the cards to help her, they are a  comfort, but as Hal constantly reminds herself; the cards are not magic or psychic, but they do have a way of pointing you in a certain direction, making you more aware of things around you.  It is very effective and I love how Ruth has used this topic and perfectly entwines it deep into the story.

This is a real 'guess again' read.  I found myself trying to figure out how Hal was related to the Westaways, and why on earth her late 'apparent' grandmother, more or less, left her entire estate to her.  Is Mrs Westaway trying to make amends with the past, or is she so cleverly leading Hal into uncovering something far more sinister?  From what I could grasp from the three sons, the latter is more likely.  Mrs Westaway can only be described as an old battle-axe, a real formidable lady, a woman not to cross, or perhaps a woman scorned.

As the tale unfolds, you will find yourself being sucked in deeper, feeling the tinges of  suspense, and all jobs will lay abandoned until you finish the final page.  I loved it, and I really think you will too!

Harriet Westaway owes money, a seaside fortune teller, she decides to get the free money supposedly left to her even if it isn't rightfully hers to own...



Once she moves in to the house in the estate left, she discovers deep secrets with Maud, Maggie, Mrs Warren, Ezra and her parents that were deeply buried with sinister secrets, but once she discovers them, will she be safe anymore?



A drama filled mystery thriller with a murderous twist you won't expect. The book will keep you hooked and desperate for answers as we sink deeper into the secrets the Westaways have.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I'm genuinely torn between three and four stars for The Death of Mrs Westaway—there's something about Ruth Ware's writing which makes me almost demented with the need to find out what happens next, yet her books so often become implausible to the point of ridiculousness. I found The Woman on Cabin 10 to be so intensely gripping I couldn't stop thinking about it, then the bizarre ending—[where the heroine ends up running around Norway barefoot (hide spoiler)] fell completely flat. The Lying Game was the first of her books I could say was truly bad, though, again, I flew through it. But the plot was totally incoherent—I wasn't even sure what I, as the reader, was even supposed to suspect was going on.

The Death of Mrs Westaway is a return to form—it might even be her best yet. A fantastic concept, almost as brilliant as The Woman on Cabin 10. I half-guessed the ending, and even worried the author had shown her hand too quickly and easily, but there was another twist in store that knocked me flat.

I did have a few tiny issues—[why did Hal keep going back to stay in the awful horrible bedroom in the loft with the bolts on the door when she returned to Trespassen, when all the other rooms were free?! (hide spoiler)] Also I felt that [Ezra (hide spoiler)]was too interesting a character not to be somehow directly involved in the backstory. And honestly, I felt Hal was too hesitant and worried about deceiving the Westaways—she second-guesses herself every two lines once she gets to Cornwall, and I felt like yelling "get on with it!" It was almost as if Ware was too concerned that Hal should be likable and sympathetic, but it would have been more fun if she'd had a bit more of a conniving streak.

Overall, though, despite its wobbles, The Death of Mrs Westaway is just so entertaining. And I will be reading Ware's next one as soon as it's off the presses/e-book creating machine.

This is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's writing but I found it too drawn out. Still a good story though

The Death of Mrs Westaway is a thriller( with her death being a catalyst of future events and tainted due to the past events),but it is not just about the point of the tale, the who and why of the events that unfold. It is more than that, it has an aura which the author builds in such a way that we are cloaked within the chilling ambience and therefore we can feel with Hal (our protagonist). Hal has received a mysterious letter whose contents do not make sense. She is in a very depressed phase of life and the weather does not help. We can actually feel the darkness descend to cloak the sad woman who is almost still just a girl mourning her loneliness. Hal sets out to test and see if this odd chance is a way to make some money. She makes an entrance into the Westaway homestead with its even more oppressive atmosphere. She does not know the people she is sharing a roof  with, and they are just starting to know her. There are a few twists and a lot of analysis that Hal ends up doing. It is hard to trust your gut when it comes to the other players with a lot of side stepping that happens. The plot line is not extremely shocking since it works up to the revelation, but the writing and the narration makes this book special.

Ruth Ware writes an eerie, atmospheric and dark twisted murder mystery in the style of the golden age of crime classics with elements of the gothic. 21 year old Harriet 'Hal' Westaway lost her mother in a hit and run car accident, and took up the mantle of becoming a tarot reader at the Brighton Pier. Alone in the world, she is in dire financial straits, owing money to unscrupulous loan sharks, and facing a bleak and unpromising future. Out of the blue, she receives a letter that tells her of an inheritance left to her by grandmother, Hester Mary Westaway, which she knows is an error, as both of her grandparents have been dead for a while. Her predicament and circumstances drive her to fraudulently pursue the inheritance, as she attends the funeral and travels to Cornwall to the huge and dilapidated Trepassen House, surrounded ominously by magpies. It doesn't take her long to become aware that something is terribly wrong. This is a story of a dysfunctional family, sibling conflicts and rivalry, intrigue, legacies and buried secrets from the past.

Placed in the attic room, Hal faces hostility from all quarters, apart from Ezra. The elderly, menacing and strange Mrs Warren, the housekeeper appears to have own secrets as well as knowing secrets of others. Hal embarks on a search for the truth aided by her trusty tarot cards, as she wonders what her mother's involvement with the family is. As the past threatens to reveal itself, Hal has to draw on her inner resources as danger swirls around her. Hal is a flawed character, who you can forgive her deceptions, given the precarious nature of her finances. She is brave and courageous in the face of the dark Trepassen House and all the secrets held within its walls. Ware gives us a well plotted tale with rich evocative descriptions. This is a creepy, absorbing and entertaining read which I thoroughly enjoyed with its echoes of Rebecca, Agatha Christie and more. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

Ever since her mother's sudden death, Hal has been struggling to stay afloat. She owes money to dangerous people, and her work as a fortune teller is not enough. When she receives a letter telling her she’s inherited a substantial bequest from her Cornish grandmother, it seems too good to be true... and indeed it is. Hal's actual grandmother died many years ago, so the letter was sent to the wrong person. And yet she desperately needs the money... Hal decides to use her reading skills to claim the inheritance, but she soon realizes there is something wrong - and dangerous - in the family of the deceased.

I am conflicted about this book. On one hand, I think Ruth Ware's writing has improved (I have already read two of her books). I liked the atmosphere especially, it was very dark and mysterious and some parts were quite creepy. While not exactly an horror novel, it had a strong gothic feeling to it.

As a mystery, however, the book was lacking. I was interested in the story, but there were many slow parts which bored me. The beginning was intriguing, and the final part was good, but the middle felt dragged out. I really enjoyed the reveal, however, which totally surprised me. It was well constructed and the twist, while shocking, was also quite believable.

All in all, an average read, entertaining but not spectacular.

Reminiscent of du Maurier's "Rebecca", Manderley here is Trepassen, with its wrought-iron gate, unkempt gardens and ramshackle quality, it has its own presence as a character. Other similarities to the classic novel do not end there: it is predominantly set in Cornwall, Trepassen is overseen by a cantankerous housekeeper who is loyal to her mistress even after she has passed away and there is also a lake on the premises with a boathouse, in which some of the scenes of drama unfold.
I found this novel superior to Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10, which dragged in places for me. The writing here felt more assured and really drew me in. There are similar circumstances of course with Ware's Cabin 10 in that near the commencement of the novel, the main female character is feeling vulnerable as a result of a house break-in and a subsequent escape from circumstances follows, which we know will inevitably lead to more trouble.
The book is not perfect. The main character Hal takes approximately 50 pages to determine whether or not she should do what the reader knows is inevitable, that is, whether to go to Cornwall. There were also moments when Hal did things that were beyond the reader's belief; one example which doesn't give away any of the major mysteries in the book: I could not understand why this character was willing to give away all her hard-won money one evening, in circumstances where she didn't have enough to pay her electricity bill or her rent. There are other such examples, but I can't give those without giving away the denouement.
In spite of a few flaws, this was an enjoyable page-turner and I look forward to Ware's next book.

I love Ruth Ware. This was an exciting, fun read with all the twists you'd expect. Her narrative style is so engaging and wonderful.

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. It is a really good plot which has been very cleverly put together. When Hal pretends to be somebody else to try and cash in on a will, she has no idea where it will lead. There are a lot of surprises and a lot of twists to the plot. I was totally caught up in this book and read it in one sitting. I wanted to know what the outcome would be. This is definitely a page turner. I would definitely recommend this book and any book by Ruth Ware.

An extremely gripping page turner, I loved the Gothic atmosphere and the nods to Agatha Christie. It had me up reading long after I should have gone to bed and I was more than a little frightened! Yes, it does require some suspension of disbelief but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Stop Press! Lovers of character-driven, atmospheric thrillers with a spooky setting, listen up! You’d better put May and June on your calendars, because this is when Ruth Ware’s latest book The Death of Mrs Westaway will be released, and it’s a pearler! Ever since reading The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Lying Game, Ware has been firmly embedded on my favourite authors list, and I was doing a little happy dance around my house when I received a copy of her new book from Netgalley.

For me, The Death of Mrs Westaway has all the hallmarks of a fantastic read. Ware is a master at characterisations, and has created another charismatic main protagonist and a great cast of supporting characters who immediately drew me into the story. I once followed a thread on a book blogging site discussing whether people could visualise characters’ faces when reading or whether they remained shadowy featureless shapes. For me, this depends very much on the author’s writing skill, and I am happy to say that Ware falls squarely into that category. It’s in the small details, the casual observations, the little quirks that make her characters come to life, and the book played out almost movie-like in my mind, each fictional person as real to me as flesh-and-blood people I have known for years.

Hal, the mousy bespectacled girl who is constantly being underestimated by those who first meet her played a wonderful lead, and I immediately warmed to her. Left destitute, with loan sharks threatening her after the sudden death of her mother, young Hal has her back against the wall and we feel her desperation as she is looking for a way out of her seemingly hopeless situation. When a letter arrives to tell her that she has been named as an heir to part of the late Mrs Westaway’s estate, it offers a perfect way out – even if it means lying about her true identity. Would I consider doing this in her situation? Would you? Don’t you just love an ethical dilemma in a suspense story? To see what Hal decides to do you will have to read it for yourself ....

Aside from the characters, there is Ware’s hallmark claustrophobic setting that characterises all her novels. From the isolated house in the forest in her debut novel In a Dark Dark Wood, to the luxury yacht in The Women in Cabin 10, to the rustic beach house in The Lying Game – I loved them all! In The Death of Mrs Westaway the setting is a spooky, gothic English manor house which has seen better days, and which harbours a dark secret. As the Westaways come together under its crumbling roof, the tension is sure to mount, and there is a constantly growing thread of menace and danger that had me eagerly turning the pages for more. I can see why comparisons with Agatha Christie’s writing have been made, because this is a very character driven novel, relying on the interactions between people and the things left unsaid to create almost unbearable suspense. As with her characters, Ware knows how to introduce small, seemingly innocuous elements into her setting that serve to ratchet up the tension, such as the dilapidated boathouse on a weed-choked lake, the mournful cawing of the magpies and the dark staircase to the small attic room Hal is being put up in during her stay at the house. I also loved the unusual element of Hal’s tarot cards to add to the breadcrumb-like trail of clues left for the reader, which made for a very unique feature in this outstanding novel!


In summary, Ware has done it again and created a cast of vivid characters coming together in an eerie claustrophobic setting where past secrets are bound to raise their ugly heads and family skeletons are aired in her latest tense psychological thriller. The Death of Mrs Westaway is sure to be one of my favourite reads of 2018, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to all lovers of the genre!

Having read all of Ruth Ware's previous novels, I was interested in giving her new one a read. I must admit I struggled with this ( I did with Woman in Cabin 10 as well). I think the main problem for me was I didn't like Hal as a character. The idea that this young woman eked a living out of tarot readings in Brighton didn't ring true at all along with some of the plotting which just didn't make sense.

The premise of it promised alot, Gothic mansion, psychological thriller, however I could not connect with Hal and her trying to con her way into an inheritance.

Great plot, but a little too drawn out in places which stops the tension from building as it should. Have really enjoyed the other books by this author, but this one disappoints slightly. Would have benefited from sharper editing.

This has all the perfect ingredients for a sideshow freak like me – a tarot booth on the seafront pier, a mysterious old house, a room with bars, a case of mistaken identity, curious old photographs and a controversial reading of a Will. Essentially, I was hooked.

From the writer of In a dark dark wood, Cabin 10 and The Lying Game, comes a mystery thriller … I could feel the polar sensations of the tarot booth – the summer season sunshine and the dark side of emptiness and threat. I could sense the desperation of our protagonist Hal (Harriet) drawn to a funeral out of fear and curiosity.

Hal finds much more than the few hundred quid she was hoping for at the funeral, but often when wishes come true it’s a rollercoaster of emotions to deal with, and this is a story to prove that.

Ruth writes in such a way to keep the reader tantalised. There is so much more than a mystery to unravel, and the characterisation is such that the reader shares our protagonist’s fear and anxieties. As ever the author uses a light touch for the most part but as the secrets unravel, the writing becomes intense and leading, visceral description urging the reader onwards to the conclusion. In this tale, the old house in the photograph Trepassen, is a foreboding place, and even when you’re used to doing Tarot readings for punters, you sometimes get it wrong for yourself. Not everything is what it seems …

Highly recommend this read. There is no let up in the talent of this writer. I was pleasantly captivated and compelled again.

Thank you for my ARC.

An intriguing tale of family secrets with gothic overtones reminiscent of Rebecca, but with a fresh spin on a long lost relative appearing at the reading of the will...
Enjoyable page-turner with an original approach to using the tarot as a plot device.

I'm a huge fan of Ruth Ware and when I read the description for this I knew I'd love it. The premise of the story is Hal receives a letter from a solicitor stating she's been left something by her grandmother. However, Hal knows this is most definitely not her grandmother. The story follows her journey to the inheritance. It's gripping, shocking and thrilling and I devoured this in an afternoon. Fantastic book, i'd highly recommend

An outstanding novel about deep, disturbing, egocentric family secrets

Hal – Harriet Westaway - lives and works in Brighton. She is 21 years old, lives alone and has taken over the tarot reading kiosk of her mother on the West Pier after her mother was run over and killed by a car three years previously. Her life is tough, she is lonely and full of grief after the death of her mother. She does not know who her father is and as far as she is aware she does not have any relatives. To make her life even more difficult she is harassed and threatened by a loan shark.

She receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that her grandmother, Mrs Westaway, had passed away at Trepassen House, St Piran and Harriet Westaway are one of the beneficiaries. Harriet was asked to attend the funeral and stay at Trepassen House until the will was read to her and the three Westaway brothers.

Hal jumped at the opportunity to remove herself from the threats of the loan shark and her miserable life, even though she was absolutely sure there must be some mistake. The book unfolds with Hal doubting herself and her integrity but stays with the process because, as the days go by, more and more is revealed to her that is mysterious, puzzling and disturbing. She wants to run away but needs to stay. Her conscience worries her but her need to uncover the truth from the past is more powerful. She stays until she reveals her own truth to her detriment or almost......

Excellent read by an absolutely brilliant author.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.