The Westing Game discussion

For my 7th book review I chose The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. At first I really did not like this book and thought it was kind of boring. It was also hard to follow because of the large number of characters and the way it would switch back and forth from character to character throughout. It did not get really interesting for me until about 120+ pages into the book. After I started getting familiar with all the characters and the flow the book carried I started to enjoy it and found myself looking forward to picking it up again and reading it. This book is a murder mystery that takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. In this town there is a highly esteemed millionaire and business owner named Samuel W. Westing who has not been seen for 15 years, until he is found dead in his bedroom in his Westing mansion. 16 unlikely people are invited to gather in the Westing mansion for the reading of Mr. Westing’s will. In Mr. Westing’s will there are instructions and clues given to these 16 people known as “heirs” to work together in teams of two and find the murderer. Out of these eight groups, whichever group is able to figure out the mystery first is given Mr. Westing's inheritance of millions of dollars and his estate. However there is a twist. These 16 heirs are informed that among them is the murderer of Samuel W. Westing. This book is a whirlwind of a mystery and when you think you got it figured out something pops up that forces you to rethink. Due to the challenging nature of this book I would recommend this to older readers. Even though I am an older reader, I still found it challenging to keep track of what was happening and even stay motivated to finish it until later in the book when everything started to connect and I was able to remember all the different roles that take place in this book. If you enjoy good murder mystery books this is the one for you.

Have you noticed how prevalent the color purple is throughout the book? Purple waves.......crutches......purple moutains.....edgar plum.

Jennifer Sun wrote “Have you noticed how prevalent…”
Yes! I did notice that and I never fully understood it. I’ve read The Westing Game three times and I still don’t understand it. Maybe it’s the author’s favorite color?

I really like The Westing Game. It gives me And Then There We’re None vibes