A Sinister Mystery

The Death of Mrs. Westaway – Ruth Ware

Inheritance, succession, suspense, fiction, thriller

Rating 9/10

A young woman by the name of Hal works as a tarot reader just to get by with paying bills and such. She is presented with a letter saying she must come forward to receive some sort of inherited money from a deceased family member. The awful twist is that she doesn’t recognize the name and knew the little family she had, all passed away. Hal not only struggling to make ends meet, but during this horrible timing, Mr. Smith, a man whom she borrowed money from, sends a messenger to her to tell her Mr. Smith wants his money back. Hal does an impulse move, respond to the letter by showing up. Even though she has no connection to these people, this might be a shot at getting at something or fail horribly. Hal has come to terms that these strangers might be her actual family and that her recently deceased mother had never spoken of them. There is a possibility that her mother might’ve been connected to this family. Hal is faced with a sudden realization that she knows she doesn’t belong and is about to embark on fraudulent journey and solve the mystery of this situation as well.

I think I have read another novel that Ruth Ware had written, In A Dark, Dark Wood, and enjoyed her suspenseful story telling. At first the book was slow and depressing but things got a bit thrilling when Hal is being chased after by money sharks as well as receiving a possible small fortune from a deceased person whom she has no connection to or possible connection. I love how the book slowly builds up. Also, I had binged read this novel because it made me want to read more and more about what would be the outcome of this scenario that Hal was put in. Totally worth rereading again and I highly recommend this novel.

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Alcohol, Playground Scandals, Gossip Never Ends Well

Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty

Parents, children, murder mystery, gossip, scandals, fiction, thriller, domestic violence victim, single mother.

Rating 8/10

A new and single mother, Jane moves into this town hoping to find herself a permanent home for her and her son. Jane meets two other mothers, Madeline and Celeste. An incident happened at the kindergarten orientation and Renata, one of the big shot mothers, is blaming Jane’s son, Ziggy for hurting her Amabella. Ziggy never did harm Amabella but it’s a showdown between Jane and Renata. This scandal is only the beginning when a trivia night ends with a murder. A mix of alcohol and scandalous gossip tend to reveal truths and nothing good happens in the end. A murder resulting from too much alcohol, domestic violence, and a case of post traumatic stress disorder.

I loved this novel and the author is perfect. The plot line was perfectly written, and intricate truths revealed here and there made the novel juicer. I simply couldn’t stop reading. The only issue I had was with the parents who decided to be self-righteous, prudent, and gossip spreaders. It did add some drama, but I didn’t like that element. I loved the fact Jane decided to become a single mother rather than give up. The strength and the extent she went for her child was beautiful and how she was accepted for it was incredible. This novel sent many messages that a lot of parents should take note such as listen to all the children when it comes to bullying and deal with it appropriately. Don’t single out anyone because that is bullying.