Books › The Westing Game
The Westing Game
235 pages
A brilliant, word-twisting puzzle box of a mystery that turns a cast of suspicious strangers into an unlikely family.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a brilliantly constructed escape room where every word is a potential clue and every character is hiding a secret. The narrative moves at a brisk, theatrical clip, juggling a massive, eccentric cast with sharp humor and clever wordplay. It demands an active reader, one willing to scribble notes in the margins and untangle the linguistic knots alongside the heirs. Yet beneath the propulsive puzzle-solving and the wry, slightly cynical tone lies a surprisingly warm heart. The emotional texture shifts from competitive suspicion to genuine affection, revealing a story that is ultimately about found family, the masks we wear, and the quiet tragedies of ordinary people. It is a delight for anyone who loves a locked-room mystery that respects their intelligence.
- Mood
- cozy-suspenseful
- quirky
- intriguing
- Tone
- wry
- playful
- eccentric
- clever
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- found family · illusion of identity · unlikely friendships · the American dream
- The writing
- Sharp, theatrical, and densely packed with wordplay, the sentences hide brilliant clues in plain sight.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from a paranoid, competitive scramble for wealth to a heartwarming realization of interconnectedness and mutual support.
- Who it's for
- Readers of all ages who love interactive puzzle-box mysteries, large quirky casts, and narratives that demand active participation.
Content notes
- death of a parent
- mild explosions
- emotional neglect
About the book
Sixteen people were invited to the reading of the very strange will of the very rich Samuel W. Westing. They could become millionaires, depending on how they played the game. The not-quite-perfect heirs were paired, and each pair was given $10,000 and a set of clues (no two sets of clues were alike). All they had to do was find the answer, but the answer to what? The Westing game was tricky and dangerous, but the heirs played on, through blizzards and burglaries and bombs bursting in air. And one of them won! With her own special blend of intricacy, humor, and upside-down perceptions, Ellen Raskin has entangled a remarkable cast of characters in a puzzle-knotted, word-twisting plot. She then deftly unravels it again in a surprising (but fair) and highly satisfying ending. - Back cover.
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
Description from Open Library.
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