Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Last year I read, and loved, The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware and have intended to read all of her books this year in the wake of that reading experience. This was my second experience with Ware, and I still have every intention of reading all of her books!

The Death of Mrs. Westaway follows Hal, a young woman who reads tarot on the (no longer existent in real life but alive in the wonderful world of fiction) Brighton Pier after her mother tragically died just before she would have headed off to University. Hal has acquired some very serious money problems in the wake of her mother's death and is truly unmoored from any safety net in her life. While in this crisis, she received a letter saying that her grandmother has died and left Hal something in her will. Being a tarot reader, Hal is well aware of her skills at reading people and at knowing what to say to skeptics and believers. Hal is uniquely desperate and uniquely qualified to pull off gaining an inheritance she knows is not for her; her grandmother has been dead for years.

My favorite thing about The Turn of the Key held true in this book; Ware is truly excellent at writing suspense. She unnerves me in such an excellent way. I was constantly worried for Hal's safety, mental and financial well-being, and about her lies. She ratchets up the tension in such a steady way. I am so excited about reading more of her books for this factor.

I found one of the pivotal reveals a tad confusing; once I reread it clicked, and I liked it even though it hinged on a trope I don't always love. I won't spoil the trope, but I do think that Ware executed a trope I don't love very well.

I thought the ending was very well done and so different from The Turn of the Key. It made me very excited to read Ware's other books and see the different ways she handles reveals at the ends of her books.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph. I really loved the way she talked about tarot in this book. It was one of my favorite facets of the book; it was respectful to those who believe but coming from a very grounded and kind, and skeptical point of view that really helped develop Hal and her mother's characters. The character development is top-notch. I understood the actions being taken, even when I could feel the doom closing around characters. Also, I think this would be a fun movie.