The Westing Game is a mystery book that is apparently used in many (middle?) schools in the US. It is written by Ellen Raskin, who is famous for creating book covers. The story begins at Sunset Towers, a brand new apartment complex built by the side of Lake Michigan. 16 lucky people are chosen to live and conduct their business amidst these luxurious settings for a nominal rent. Pretty soon a murder is discovered at the mansion that overlooks these homes. The will of that deceased tycoon Sam Westing, says that all 16 of them are actually his heirs, but only the one who figures out who is the murderer amongst them shall inherit his fortune. To solve this post-mordem mystery, his will has also left clues for each pair of these residents. Shut in by a snowstorm, the residents try to solve their clues to find out who amongst them is the murderer.
How can a murdered man have his own murderer accused and named in his will? That premise is intriguing, I am not going to lie. But, a majority of the book is the daily mundane lives of these boring characters who do not seem to have any real life outside of Sunset Towers. There are many characters who we are supposed to be invested into, but they are so one-dimensional, seemingly put there just for diversity and even the family members have no chemistry with one another. The clues are pithy, except when they are finally put together in the end - to create the song America the Beautiful! The worst part of the book is watching these dumb-as-doornails residents try to solve these clues every day in the dumbest (but over confident) ways possible. The other surprise is supposed to be around the multiple names of the titular character: Barney Northrup, Sam Westing, Sandy McSouthers, but who bothers when the plot is dull? To be honest, the book is a little interesting at the very end, as the murder is solved by the precocious shin-splitting Turtle Wexler.
This book is supposedly popular in US middle school classrooms and was a 1979 Newbery Medal (given to books good for kids). Reading it as an adult, I could not find any redeeming characteristic in this book. I mean, Mr. Sherlock Holmes is more than up to the task, if they need a fantastic middle-school level mystery series. Have I lost my childhood innocence? I am not so sure, since I enjoy a lot of the books I read to my kids, but this one does not make that cut.
ISBN: 9780140386646
Rating: 2/5