This was just a very refreshing read! I love the characters, they were also very quirky and likable in their own ways. I enjoyed the mystery and the clue finding, and I really didn't see the end coming. Although I have to say I really enjoyed the end, what A delightful little story.

Alright, I finally read it. The copy I read has a copyright date of 1978. So it was kind of interesting to read a book that was born the same year I was!

Amazingly, the fact that it was such an old copy was slightly distracting. The changes in stylistic trends is quite obvious. I didn't realize how much of the way I read is based on how things are organized and addressed in type and breaks and alignment.

I'm not used to reading mysteries, so for me this was a little hard to follow (quite sad, huh, being a kid's book and all.) I got the gist in the end, and was pleasantly surprised. However, I am always disconcerted when something is left "unresolved" in the end. It makes me crazy!

Overall, I'd say this was like the movie "Clue" but without the self-disparagement. I wonder what I would have rated this book if I'd read it as a kid...

I love mystery books and I mostly read Agatha Christie when I'm in the mood for a good murder mystery novel but I'm glad I picked this one up for a change. It's a very entertaining and engrossing read. Full of great humor and wit. The storyline is intriguing and the plot-twists are very well-crafted. It has a variety of quirky and interesting characters and all of them are fully developed.

The style of writing is original. At first I found it somewhat confusing because the author switches rapidly between several different characters' viewpoints but I quickly became used to it after a couple of chapters. The ending was not disappointing, it was wonderful, totally satisfying.

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
The Westing Game is a mystery book written by Ellen Raskin in 1978. Sunset Towers is a new apartment building on Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee and just down the shore from the mansion owned by reclusive self-made millionaire Samuel W. Westing. As the story opens, Barney Northrup is selling apartments to a carefully selected group of tenants. He claims that chess is not allowed in the building. This is a big clue, as Sam Westing loved chess. After Sam Westing dies, at the beginning of the book, it emerges that most of the tenants are named as heirs in Westing's will. The will is structured as a puzzle, with the 16 heirs challenged to find the solution. Each of the eight pairs, assigned seemingly at random, is given $10,000 cash and a different set of baffling clues. The pair that solves the mystery will inherit Westing's entire $200 million fortune and control of his company. It is discovered that Berthe Erica Crow is the answer but not the murderer. In the end, unknown to the other players, Turtle Wexler wins the game and inherits Sam Westing's company.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه اصلی: روز سی ام ماه آوریل سال 2019 میلدی
عنوان: تو را در بازی کشتند؛ نویسنده: الن راسکین ؛ مترجم: آیدا پورنگ‌فر؛ تهران: نشر خزه، ‏‫ 1398؛ در 288 ص؛ شابک: 9786229581810؛‬ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20 م

ا. شربیانی

I don't often read children's books. I don't consider YA to be children's literature. This means I am not as well-read in a certain genre as I would like to be. Now when I say children's lit, I don't mean picture books. I mean the books that are in the juvenile section of the library between the picture books and the young adult books. Of course, when you are not well-read, you can take easy steps to fix the problem like, actually reading the books you haven't read. When I want to correct something, I look for what has already been vetted as the best, which means looking up Newbery winners. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was the 1979 Newbery recipient and had a premise that most definitely appealed to my sensibilities.
Read the rest of my review here

I read this little book for the first time not as a child - but as an adult. I was looking for a book to kick off our Junior High book club and picked up the Westing Game to see if it might be a good place to begin.
I wish that I had found this book earlier in my life. What kid wouldn't be captivated by wonderful characters thrown together to play a game hosted by a dead millionaire? Don't get me wrong...Mr. Westing isn't a vampire or a zombie - he's just decided that his heirs need to do a little puzzle solving in order to earn their share of his estate. While the mystery and the puzzles are fun and wonderfully clever, it's the characters that really make this novel.
All of the characters reside and work in the same high rise apartment building within view of the looming Westing estate. Getting snowed in with them is like being trapped with the most interesting people you could imagine - both good and bad. By the end of the novel it's almost like you're part of a family reunion you know these people so well.

Do yourself a favor - if you're a kid: pick up this book and have a wonderful time!
- if you're an adult: pick up this book and enjoy being a kid again!

The Westing Game was always a book that intrigued me but never magically ended up on my TBR. Which, yes, it really weird to realize all of this now. Especially since I finally decided to dive into the book and walked into the weirdest game ever. I was surprised to find out that this was a children's book because that was not the vibe I was getting the entire freaking time.

Each twist and turn completely sucked me in. There was honestly no point for me to even try to figure out who was behind the murdering. Seriously, none whatsoever. Everyone was a suspect until they either died or proved me wrong. Which, yes, was constantly and that is why I will never quit my day job.

Besides constantly guessing everyone, I actually really liked each and every character. At some point, I thought I was going to find the one I was going to put all my dislike towards. Yet, it never happened because each one was brilliantly placed with certain dialogue at the right time. It caught me off guard so many times and that's why I didn't dislike anyone.

Towards the end, when everything was revealed definitely shows why I never became a detective. I mean it was never a job I ever wanted before this book, but it definitely means that I should stick to excel sheets for the rest of my life. If I could recommend anything about this book, go for the audiobook. You will not be disappointed one bit!

A well-written, twisty puzzle of a mystery, filled with fantastic clues, unforgettable characters, and countless red herrings. Turtle Wexler will always be a hero to me.

n  n    "Today I have gathered together my nearest and dearest, my sixteen nieces and nephews...I, Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes. My life was taken by me-by one of you!...Cast out the sinner, let the guilty rise and confess. Who among you is worthy to be the Westing heir?"n  n

16 UNLIKELY HEIRS ON THE HUNT OF A MURDERER AMONG THEM? The Westing Game begins.


I never would have thought that this is a children's book. Because honestly, the ingenuity of the plot transcends all age-bracket genres. THIS IS A MASTERPIECE. Sure this isn't really perfect but danggg son, IT'S THE FCKING TWISTS THAT DID ME. At first I just read on without giving any thought about the "murderer" then by the latter part I'm going to piece off one theory, then it get's utterly crushed, and OH! here's another more plausible one, harharrr wrong again! Wait, I'm so sure that it is this one YAAAY, uhmm nope. Then BOOM everything is laid out perfectly right under my nose.



What I loved about this book aside from the eye-catching plot, is how these 16 heirs were fleshed out vividly and had developed by the end of the book. I was satisfied that we readers still get to see these 16 heirs grow and age. YES. The conclusion gave us glimpses of their futures in snippets even after The Westing Game had finally resolved. I just love these endings.

Overall, this book was filled with humor and witty dialogues. I loved how I pined for the right character! HAAHHA. I recommend this to everyone who wants a fast yet enjoyable mystery book. Definitely one of my fave books this 2018.

P.S. I just bought this for 25 pesos in Booksale and I swear, this is the greatest Booksale find I'd ever had in my whole reading career.

Turtle gave me big BIG Merricat (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) vibes and was the highlight of this book! A fun time ✨

Yes! I did it! I finished this one in one day!

From GoodReads:

n   A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!n

This young adult mystery novel was one of the most fun experiences I've read reading.

This is a whodunnit with a twist, a puzzle within a puzzle.

The Westing Game was such a fun fast read I finished it in one day. With only 204 pages, it is the perfect companion for a lazy cold weekend.

One of the most wonderful things is that it's such a feel good book! I don't think I've ever encountered a feel good whodunnit mystery before.

Now run! Go read it! It'll be fast, fun and it'll put a smile on your face.
n  n

***

This review also appears on my blog. Link here.

I HAD NO IDEA this would become one of my all time FAVORITE books when i started it.


sorry but if a crazy rich man made me an heir and told me i needed to find his murderer along with 15 other heirs and inherit two-hundred million dollars if i do, i am creating the murderer myself. like let’s play tag because i am IT. in fact, i am doing everything in my power to find the damn murderer and dragging them to the crazy rich man’s lawyer. even if that murderer doesn’t exist, they will exist. FOR 200 MILLION DOLLARS?? consider it done before you even asked.

this was a great and highly detailed mystery book which clearly understood the assignment. in my opinion, it should rank as one of the firsts among the great mysteries. the humor was self-aware, well done, and unexpected, which made it 100000x better. the mystery was simple yet intricate. and the plot twists were so delightful i just couldn’t get enough of this!!! this was exactly the sort of mind blowing i needed and i’m just so happy.

i also don’t even remember the last time i actually cried because of a book and here i am, feeling extremely grateful that I made the random decision to read this book. like, this could not have been any more perfect. i borrowed it from the library and i am going to buy a copy so i can reread as many times as i want. 5 Michelin Star Chef’s KISS.




52 Book Club Challenge: Featuring an Inheritance