The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review.
This is the second mystery book I read in late spring in an attempt to satisfy my craving for a good contemporary mystery story, alas in vain. I saw this story greatly promoted before its publication and I felt so special for having received an ARC. Plus, this story is set in Cornwall, a place I recently was fortunate enough to visit and admire.
I must apologize in advance for perhaps coming across a bit strong, but I have a great pet peeve when it comes to stories that keep introducing characters well towards the halfway point. This is exactly what happened in this story. We spent an awful long time being introduced to the main character, her situation and her troubles. Then in rapid succession the reader meets over half a dozen characters with half the story almost over. The protagonist herself does not appear to be the main character of her own story; a very passive aggressive young woman, whose indecisiveness drove me, personally, absolutely crazy with frustration.
The plot, I guess, should have been a straight forward telling of a mystery story, but got gloriously lost in the many details and characters to a point where I could not have cared any less for any of it.
The writing was supposed to create a sense of melancholy and sadness, considering the protagonist’s background, but combine the constant drone of a narrative tone with the long introduction and then endless list of new characters and the air of mystery quickly evaporates.
Overall, this story had so much potential, so much working for its successful creation of a great mystery set against the landscape of Cornwall, but it got sadly lost along the way. My search for a good contemporary mystery this year continues and I would not recommend this story.
