The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
First Published: May 29, 2018
Opening Lines: "The magpies are back. It's strange to think how much I hate them, when I first came to the house."

Book Description from GoodReads: 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. 

My Rating: 2.5 stars (just okay)

My Review: After waiting a few days to think about this book I'm still kind of at a loss on how to describe my feelings for it. It had a good creepy, gothic vibe with the old, decrepit Trepassen house, its sinister housekeeper and a long-held family secrets but, in the end I'd call this a family drama with a hint of mystery that I kind of enjoyed. Sort of.

The book starts out strong, enticing readers with a mystery, but the energy soon falters for much of the middle only ramping up in the last 60 pages or so. I wasn't a fan of how the plot relies heavily on coincidences and lack of communication between characters and felt there were a couple of scenes that didn't seem to add much to the overall plot.

There are a fair number of characters (with rather dull dialogue) but the men folk, unfortunately, got muddled in my head due to their lack of depth. And if I can be a little petty, I hated Harriet's nickname, Hal. In the beginning, I kept thinking of Hal as an old guy (Hal Linden of Barney Miller fame kept popping into my head when Hal would be mentioned).

This Hal kept popping into my head!

Overall, there's gothic atmosphere, some mystery, a strange, dysfunctional family but for all these factors that I usually jump all over, the book was lackluster and the story far too sloooooww. Ware's plot was intriguing, but I spent most of the time hoping it would catch up with my enthusiasm (sadly, that never happened). After giving a similar rating to Ware's Women in Cabin 10 last year, I think Ruth Ware and I just aren't meant to be bookish besties.