JSD Book Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Book: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

If you read and liked Something in the Water or The Guest List or are a fan of mysteries, you’ll enjoy this book!

Jet Set Darlings Book Review:

This was our October book club pick. Chosen specifically because we all wanted to read something spooky but not actually scary (LOL). In the end, this book was neither scary or spooky. It reads more of a mystery/suspense but I found most of the plot to be fairly predictable. For me, it started out pretty slow but I stayed engaged because I wanted to get to the heart of the mystery.

Overall, I found it pretty disappointing. I would have loved a few more twists and turns in the narrative and a bit more action up front. Initially the book is really focused on Hal’s immediate dangers but as the book progresses, that storyline all but fades away and there is never any closure. And while the main mystery does come full circle, there are a few details that seem unrealistic, illogical or inconsistent, all things I do not appreciate in mystery novels.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style or any of the characters. I had a difficult time empathizing or relating to any of them which made the book much less enjoyable. I am a bit surprised by this admission though because I did enjoy The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Even though this book was a miss for me, take my review with a grain of salt because I do think I’ve become a harsher critic since I find a lot of these mysteries all follow the same pattern and thus have become quite predictable. However, if you’re not an over analyzing detective like me, you may find the story quite enjoyable!

Book Synopsis (from Amazon):

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.