The Westing Game

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Fiction

I know I’ve already reviewed this before, but I think my previous review did not do it justice. I’ve read it again recently, and this time I read it carefully, unlike last time. The Westing Game transports the reader to Sunset Towers where there are bombers, murders, a 200 million dollar inheritance, and one great big mystery.

                On Halloween night, Sam Westing, millionaire and owner of Westing Paper Products, is murdered. Later when Sam Westing’s heirs are all gathered to hear the reading of his will, they are surprised and shocked to discover that the murderer is one of them. In his will, Sam Westing pairs the heirs up, and then gives them clues to discover the killer. Everyone desperately tries to win so they will receive the 200 million dollar inheritance. As the game progresses, the players soon realize that this is not an ordinary game.

                The reason why I liked this book so much was the same reason why I didn’t like it last time. In my last review I thought it was confusing and too complicated. When I read it this time, I appreciated the small details and unsuspected plot twists. The plot was laid out perfectly so it formed a well-constructed mystery with puzzles in every chapter and the characters were so well developed I felt that I knew them personally. As the story progresses, small pieces of the puzzle form a picture that brings sixteen unlikely people together  in the most unusual way.