A house on a hill that was supposed to be abandoned. A mysterious millionaire many assumed dead. A place called Sunset Towers that neither has towers nor faces the sunset. Sixteen seemingly unrelated tenants. And two hundred million dollars up for grabs. This is the setting of the Westing Game.
As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about each of the main characters, and it becomes apparent they may be more closely connected than they had supposed. It wasn't mere chance that has placed them all in Sunset Towers. There is also more to each of them than meets the eye; hiding amongst them is a bomber, a bookie, a thief, and a mistake. And only one person will win the Westing Game.
I was introduced to the Westing Game (by Ellen Raskin) a couple years ago by a good friend and I've read it multiple times since. I will freely admit I am not a superb mystery reader. By that I mean that I am usually not very good at solving the mystery before the book solves it for me, and if I do solve it before then, it's usually not by much. But I think this one is rather well-written. There's so much going on that it's similar to discovering mini-mysteries within the greater story.
The characters are not as rich as the characters in some other works of fiction I've read. I suspect that's due to the fact there's about 20 people to keep track of, and there simply isn't enough time/space to develop each one to the highest level. However, we do find out a lot about many of them, and almost all of them develop and change over the course of the story.
The story is complex enough to keep me thinking all the way through, yet simple enough that's it's relatively easy to read. The conclusion is satisfying. It's fun to re-read the book after you know the ending to pick up on all the subtle clues you missed the first time(s) you read it. It also is short enough that it can easily be read in an afternoon (or a day if you read more slowly). So go check it out - the [Westing] Game is afoot!
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