Staff Pick
Ruth Ware writes another twisty tale for us to devour. This time around there's a surprise letter from an attorney, a will to be read, new family members, and too many secrets to keep quiet. Ware does her typical terrific job of sussing out the motivations and fears of her characters, and her story is flooded with tension. She delivers the goods: a creepy psychological portrait of a family rife with lies and desperation. Delicious! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware's fourth novel, "her best yet" (Library Journal, starred review).
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 center of it.
Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
Review
"Ware’s fourth novel is her best yet, with steadily increasing tension, a complicated twisty mystery, and a sharp, sympathetic heroine who’s up to the challenge of solving it…well-crafted, gothic-tinged suspense." Library Journal (starred review)
Review
"Evocative prose, artfully shaded characters, and a creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere keep the pages of this explosive family drama turning." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Ruth Ware is a magician. Her novels — suspenseful, sophisticated, relentlessly compelling — blow the dust off half a dozen crime genres, from Golden Age whodunits to psychological suspense. And The Death of Mrs. Westaway, her latest, is also her best: a dark and dramatic thriller, part murder mystery, part family drama, altogether riveting. More, please, and soon." A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
About the Author
Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 The New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.