Ware, Ruth. 2018. The Death of Mrs. Westaway. New York, NY: Gallery/Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1501156212. $26.99 USD.
One of the highlights of my month is participating in a Twitter Chat called #ewgc (Early Word Galley Chat). Librarians across the nation, and Publishers, as well, get together for an hour and tweet about books that are being published in the next few months. We can only talk about pre-pub books. If you are in the book industry (Librarian, Bookseller, etc.) you may be fortunate to have an opportunity to download electronic/digital galleys (advanced reader copies) of books from NetGalley or Edelweiss, once you build a profile and start reviewing books on social media or a blog. You can request to read a certain title, and the publisher will approve or decline your request. So far, I've read and reviewed over 100 titles, combined, on the two sites. The gathering for #ewgc is a fun way to network with other librarians, see what books are buzzing, and then fill your e-reader with more galleys than you can possibly read! One such title I heard about, then read, was The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware.
I have read this author's other novels (In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Lying Game), and now think this one is my favorite so far. I was able to figure out "who done it" in the others, but not this one. The narrative was laid out so well that I really didn't see it coming. Excellent!
Harriet "Hal" Westaway is barely making ends meet reading Tarot Cards and telling fortunes to tourists and locals in a sea-side town, having lost her mother a few years before and gotten into debt from a loan shark. When she receives a letter from an attorney in Cornwall informing her that she may be entitled to an inheritance from an unknown relative, it seems like an answer to a prayer.
Unfortunately, Hal realizes rather quickly that she's not who the family thinks she is - the child of a woman who went missing years before. Shutting down her moral compass, which is screaming at her that it's wrong, she decides to go to the funeral; maybe she can get a few hundred dollars from these "relatives" to keep her bones and teeth intact from the leg breaker the money lender has sent after her. Hal's ability to cold-read people and situations, which has worked so well in her life and work, should give her a chance to feel out the family.
Upon arriving at the rather Gothic-like mansion, and meeting her three "Uncles," Hal starts to feel even more guilty for her deception. But there are secrets in that house: secrets being kept by a number of people, secrets that were kept from her, too.
The author does an amazing job of creating a sense of menace and dread that keeps the reader turning the pages. Entries from a diary written years before are interspersed with the present-day narrative revealing some clues, but not all of them. This was a highly entertaining read, with a likable main character, for once, even though she makes some questionable decisions. My only criticism, and it's a small one, is that the author spends a little too much time describing Hal's nervous stomach: it clenches, rumbles, rolls, turns over, drops away, et cetera, et cetera....Just an editing issue, in my opinion. It didn't really take away from the enjoyment of the book. I can certainly recommend this new title to my psychological suspense customers knowing they will enjoy it.
Happy Reading!
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