The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Our most recent book club book was The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. I've read one other Ware novel (The Lying Game) that I liked, but didn't love. I went into this one with a relatively open mind, but I did have some preconceived notions of Ware's writing. 

Our main character is Hal, a tarot card reader who doesn't actually believe in tarot card reading, who has recently lost her mother and is struggling financially. Out of nowhere,she gets a letter from a lawyer who tells her that she is the beneficiary of an estate.  Hal believes this is a case of mistaken identity, but decides that she's close enough to broke that she might be able to scam these people out of at least a little bit of money, so she heads off to the country to outrun her creditors and potentially make some money.

From there, the mystery unfolds. It seems like there are some creepy things going on in this place.  This family seems to have despised the newly deceased matriarch, the housekeeper is one step away from Jack Nicholson's performance in The Shining, and it's not really clear to Hal if she is or isn't actually related to these people.  What Ware does super well is set the tone. It was forbidding, dark, and ominous from page one.  I had a knot in my stomach and I mostly wanted to be finished with this book so I could read something a little bit more upbeat. 

I think it was a solid book. Most of my book club members figured out at least most of the solution long before the ending.  One person who listened to the audiobook said that it dragged A LOT because it takes so much more time than if you're reading to yourself.  Most of thought it was fine. I don't think anyone's going to put this on their best books of the year list (like Pillars of the Earth!), but I would not NOT recommend you read if it comes across your path. 

This is an example of the spread we have at book club. There's that corn salad I wrote about earlier!