Product Description

When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will . . . and what a will it is!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11792 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780142401200
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
A supersharp mystery . . . Confoundingly clever, and very funny. -- Booklist, starred review

Review
A supersharp mystery. . . . Confoundingly clever, and very funny. (Booklist, starred review)

About the Author
Ellen Raskin is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Figgs & Phantoms, a Newbery Honor book. She died in 1986.

Customer Reviews

The years pass, and still a must-read
'The Westing Game' was my favorite book as a pre-teen, so when I returned to it years later, my expectations were low. Was I wrong! This book might be accessible to younger readers, but no one who loves a mystery with incredible characters should miss this for the world.

While the plot centers around a less than run-of-the-mill whodunit, the book mainly focuses on the characters: each unique, bizarre, and ultimately endearing. The author manages to make them quirky without making them caricatures. The developing relationships between the 'heirs' as they attempt to unravel the mystery, is, I think, far more important than the mystery itself; they also develop in their sense of identity. These are all themes any adult can appreciate, woven into the story with humor and sly understatement, yet in effect deeply moving.

The plot is complex and suspenseful, layered so impenetrably that at least one surprise at the end is inevitable. Yet even when wrapped in the most logical of puzzles, the author never loses the human touch. There are many scenes portrayed with hilarious, touching absurdity; and Raskin is dead-on with her take on human nature, even when her depiction seems exaggerated.

Read it for a good chuckle--but in the end it may be more than that.

The Westing Review
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a must read book. It won the John Newbery Medal and everyone can see how it won. It is a mystery about Sam Westing who was murdered on Halloween by one of his neices or nephews. In his will he gives out clues like when he says "May God let Gold Refine" and when he says "My soul will roam relentlessly untill that one is found! " The heirs who find the murderer will inherit his millions of dollars! The author of this book can make you twist and turn. You will almost know who the murderer is then she decides to say that person is innocent in some way. She has an excellent word choice and she is an even better author. This book was good and sometimes I read one to two hours past my bed time. This is one of the best mysteries ever. I hope you also decide to read this book! Enjoy!

Better than Harry Potter!!!
When I was a kid, this was one of my famous books. It contains more plot twists than a soap opera and is just as good as most Sherlock Holmes stories. (except of course the magnificent Hound of Baskervilles) Furthermore, the ending is shocking. No one I have met has been able to guess at the ending but unlike other mystery books once you know the answer it all makes sense and seems so obvious. So if your kids have just read Harry Potter and you are looking for something else or if you just enjoy a good mystery pick this one up.