Book Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

“Senseless, you say? Death is senseless yet makes way for the living. Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want, and which way the wind blows.”  
Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game 

The Westing Game started out really slow for me but as the book went on and continued to build I started to be more intrigued. The way it ended was probably what did it for me. It was honestly one of the sweetest endings to a murder mystery I have ever read.

Sixteen people moving into Sunset Towers. The death of a wealthy gentleman. A will claiming he was murdered. Eight teams with no obvious connection to the man. And a race to win the inheritance. 

Goodreads Synopsis:

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger - and a possible murderer - to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

I picked up this book right after finishing an Agatha Christie novel. Now this mystery is nothing like an Agatha Christie mystery. Its pieced together more like a puzzle. There aren't fresh coffee stains on the floor, and footprints with a distinct shape to them. Its more of a game of wits. No ones hunting anybody. They know there's a murderer running around but they only have to piece together the puzzle pieces to figure out just what happened to Samuel W. Westing.

One of the best parts of the book was figuring out what all of the characters connections were to Mr. Westing. Everyone was puzzled as to why he wanted complete strangers to inherit his vast fortune. As the book progresses there are some obvious reasons as to why certain people were chosen. 

So the actual murder. Honestly I was clueless the whole time. There were a couple times where I leaned very heavily towards one character or another but they always ended up having some reason why they couldn't be the one. When I finally figured it out in the last couple chapters I just sat there and stared at the wall. Honestly you'll have to read it to understand.

Lets talk about my favorite character. Turtle.

Little thirteen year old Turtle playing the stock market and kicking her way through the book. Her mother really got on my nerves, and I felt like her dad could have used a little more character but I loved her sister. They didn't always get along in the book but they were always looking out for each other. Turtles best friend is, Sandy the doorman. Her worst enemy is Theo Theodorakis. The boy who pulled her braid (he was promptly kicked), and calls her a child. Shes so funny and refreshing from all the other adult characters. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves mysterious. Thanks for reading!

My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Ellen Raskin
Genre: Children's Literature, Mystery
Published: 1978