The Death of Mrs. Westaway

No one writes suspense like Ruth Ware! Her books are all compelling page-turners, and yes, she follows my magic formula. All of her heroines are young women who go from a stable existence to some sort of fish-out-of-water situation that creates suspense. In this book, the young narrator, down on her luck, decides to respond to a letter claiming she is an heiress. While she knows that the letter has been sent to her because she bears the same name as the real heiress, she decides to claim the family fortune, or whatever she can get, and then run away.… show more.

“No, Hal. Don’t do it,” I kept muttering as I read. After her mother’s sudden death, Hal is alone and in debt to dangerous money lenders. She can barely buy food or keep her flat warm. Just as she hits rock bottom, a letter arrives informing her that her grandmother has passed away, and Hal is a beneficiary under her will. She’s convinced that it’s a case of mistaken identity. But she’s desperate and stakes her claim anyway.

I paused in my reading to puzzle over a seemingly innocent photo Hal found, but the truth remained tantalizingly out of my… show more.

I’ve always loved a plot that sends a penniless young woman off to an old house in the countryside on a mysterious mission that will hopefully result in an inheritance. This is a contemporary take on that with a twist—our protagonist, Hal, is a tarot card reader on the run from some loan sharks. She receives a letter saying she’s inherited money from a woman she doesn’t believe she’s related to, so she sets off for Cornwall to con her way into the cash. Hal arrives to find a creepy old family manor complete with creepy old housekeeper, and newfound… show more.