Reviews

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

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horsley123's review against another edition

4.0

Hal is really up against it; her mother has died and she has the debt collectors threatening her with violence. A letter invites her to come to a funeral in Cornwall of an unknown relative. She decides to go along and see if there is any chance of some inheritance.

Well things aren't quite as she would have wanted in deep, dark Cornwall. This book is a bit of a mixture of Mary Wesley with the Cornish family, Kate Morton with the hidden secret and Agatha Christie for the whodunnit.

There is a fair amount of to-ing and fro-ing before the ending comes punching it's way to climax. Some of the family set up and treatment of the 'poor orphan cousin' seemed more suited to 1895 than 1995, and I have not seen a bitter, scheming housekeeper for a long while - but hey, it is an enjoyable thriller so why be picky?

konvineo's review against another edition

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3.0

Somewhere between a 2.5 and 3 stars

This started out so unbelievably slow. Then it picked up and got sort of interesting, and then ended up being unfathomably frustrating.
I'm kind of proud that I figured out the whole "twist" kind of early in the book, I think, but that only meant that reading about Hal not just looking at things logically and listening to what people around her were saying got super annoying. I think miscommunication as a trope can be fine, but this book was agony.
I also think that Ware isn't for me. Like, the writing style is good, and it's easy to get through. I just can't imagine reading more books by her, because of how frustrated I became while reading.

mebrill's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laura1980458's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

skynet666's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved the story and rhe setting, but didnt really care about the charscters at all. Also, I'm not a big fan of mysteries that revolves around names.