The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware

Description from Goodreads:

"On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it."

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I finally got around to picking up The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware after it spent years buried on my to-be-read pile. It feels like I am slowly conquering the mountain of books I have ignored for far too long and this was a great one to finally tick off the list as it was a really atmospheric read.

The story follows Hal who is a tarot reader struggling to make ends meet when she receives a mysterious letter claiming she has inherited a substantial estate from her grandmother. Hal knows it must be a mistake but she decides to use her skills to try and claim the money anyway. It’s a great setup and it quickly turns into a classic gothic mystery when she arrives at the creepy and dilapidated Trepassen House for the funeral.

What I really enjoyed about this one was the sense of dread and the setting. The house itself feels like a character and it’s full of secrets and cold rooms which kept the tension high. It definitely has a slow burn feel to it and while some parts felt a little drawn out I found the mystery behind the Westaway family quite compelling. The details about tarot reading were an interesting touch and added a bit of a different flavour to the usual thriller format.

Overall it’s a very well written and moody mystery that kept me guessing until the final reveal. Even though it took me a long time to get around to it I’m glad I did as it’s a solid read if you like a story with a lot of atmosphere and family secrets.

Many thanks to the author, Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for the chance to read and share my thoughts on this one.

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Adrift by Will Dean

🔥🔥🔥 Due out 19 February 2026 🔥🔥🔥

Description from Goodreads:

"Three of them adrift on the narrowboat.

Mother, son, and wickedness.

Peggy Jenkins and her teenage son, Samson, live on a remote stretch of canal in the Midlands. She is a writer and he is a schoolboy. Together, they battle against the hardness and manipulation of the man they live with. To the outside world he is a husband and father. To them, he is a captor.

Their lives are tightly controlled; if any perceived threat appears, their mooring is moved further down the canal, further away from civilisation. Until the day when the power suddenly shifts, and nothing can be the same again."

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One of the most claustrophobic and tense books I've read in a long time

I've been a huge fan of Will Dean for a while now, having previously read The Chamber, First Born and the absolutely harrowing The Last Thing To Burn. He really is the master when it comes to building a thick atmosphere and that slow, creeping sense of dread that just gets under your skin. Adrift is no exception and it honestly had me on pins almost as much as Peggy was.

The story follows Peggy and her son Samson as they find themselves in an unthinkable situation. What makes this book so powerful is how Dean handles the emotional weight of their journey. I found the scenes involving the horrendous bullying Samson faces at school particularly tough to get through. They're genuinely heartbreaking and felt very real, which only added to the protective instinct you feel for them as a reader.

It isn't an easy read by any means, but it's incredibly well written. The way the tension ramps up is just brilliant and I couldn't put it down even when things got really dark. If you've read his previous work you'll know he doesn't pull any punches, and this definitely feels like another masterclass in suspense. It's a gripping, emotional rollercoaster that stayed with me long after I finished the last page.

Thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for enabling me to read this difficult but powerful book.

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A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver

🔥🔥🔥 Due out 12 February 2026 🔥🔥🔥

Description from Goodreads:

"Meet Lalla Rook. Lalla has a lot on her She needs to guarantee her husband makes partner, secure her dream house in Hampstead, and get her daughter into a prestigious prep school. And on the afternoon she stabs a stranger seven times after he breaks into her living room, she has a four-year-old’s birthday party to host.

With an unambitious partner, two demanding children, and a barely adequate large house in a nice (if not quite fashionable) part of town, Lalla’s life isn’t quite perfect yet. And she can’t pretend she hasn’t missed the adrenaline rush that comes with transgressing. Besides, as a wife and mother, she’s already an expert multi-tasker. So, disposing of a body, framing a friend, and being the world’s best mother can easily be managed alongside the usual domestic minutiae.

It’s just that her husband Stephen seems distracted, her daughter’s drowning of the class hamster is affecting her academic future, and then there is the unexpected intruder. Who is this man and what does he want from her? Because Lalla has a past she’d rather keep hidden—and the sudden appearance of the police means that avoiding them will be yet another task to cross off her to-do list.

Funny, calculating, hypercompetent, and ambitious, Lalla is your next favorite antiheroine. Just don’t mention it to her mother-in-law."

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Wickedly dark but a bit too far-fetched

I’ve just finished reading A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage and it’s certainly unlike anything else I’ve picked up lately. The story follows Lalla Rook - a woman juggling domestic stresses like school applications with the slightly more pressing issue of a dead body in her living room.

The writing is sharp and the author does a great job of capturing a detached tone that fits someone like Lalla perfectly. It’s got a bitingly satirical edge that pokes fun at middle-class pretensions which I found quite clever.

However-I have to admit I really struggled with Lalla as a protagonist. I know she’s meant to be a sociopath but I found it hard to get behind her or really care about what happened. Everything felt a little too unbelievable at times and the sheer level of absurdity meant I couldn't quite fully lose myself in the story.

It’s a unique idea but it just missed the mark of being a 5-star read because of how difficult I found the main character. It's still a solid thriller if you're looking for something uniquely twisted though!

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

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