The Death of Mrs. Westaway

This was very readable and I really loved how independent and smart Hal was. I just have to face facts that thrillers are not my genre. I went into this thinking it was going to be a horror novel and was disappointed. Also, I could barely tell the brothers apart. I did like the use of tarot cards throughout the story. I just didn't love it, not did I feel compelled to race home to read it. It was solid and reminded me, in a way, of Agatha Christie.

I was originally going to give this book three stars. Mainly because I was so used to reading quick, action packed thrillers that I didn't like the slow pace of this novel. I realized that that wasn't fair though.

While this book did take quite a while for things to finally start rolling and I did get bored at times, I realized it was necessary. It was necessary to build the back story, learn the history, and to set up the events that were to come. I saw the value in that and so once I understood it, I wasn't so against the somewhat slow build.

Throughout the book I swore that I had already figured out the plot twists and was just reading to verify what I already knew. Boy I was wrong. Everything I thought I knew I was proven wrong on. Now that is amazing. I was not expecting that at all and it definitely made the book more interesting and enjoyable. While there were a few things I found out on my own, if it wasn't for the major twists that I swore I knew but didn't, I would've gave this book a lower review.

So I did like this book. I've read one other Ruth Ware book called in a dark dark wood and really loved that one. It felt very suspenseful just like the previous ware book I've read. I was entirely creeped out and almost stopped reading but glad I got to the end. It was very suspenseful and definitely chilling at points in the book and towards the end really gave me a flip with that twist about her mom which i will keep spoiler free in case there are those that haven't read it yet but overall pretty good. Solid 4 if there was an option to do 4.5 i would. Definitely recommend for a spooky season/autumn read.

FINALLY a psychological thriller author actually worth celebrating. As a disclaimer: I've read a lot of these. Like A LOT. Which made me think that I was going to be able to guess every little element of this storyline. I was wrong. The plot, typical woman gets letter in the mail indicating she could be heir to a good amount of money... you know how it goes. But Ruth Ware actually has a gift for intriguing writing. Her style is so brilliant and the details so precisely placed that it made even the most typical of stories really engaging and thrilling. I must also note that I listened to this via audiobook, narrated my Imogen Church—fantastic. Her skill in reading really brought life into the story through the view of the main character (Hal). Really recommend Ruth Ware. I also liked ‘In a Dark Dark Wood', l'll have to go back to that one for an exciting reread soon.

I figured out several of the twists beforehand, but the one I didn't figure out put a new look on the ones that I did figure out. So it was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the most of the characters. They were well written. Most of the bad ones are believably bad. There is only one that character that I wasn't totally convinced about, but that didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed this much more than I did The Girl in Cabin 10 because the characters were more likable. Their faults were more believable and they were less annoying overall.

Basically, it is a family secret mystery in an old British estate. Of course I love it!