Novels No. 120

 

Matthew Quirk. The Method. USA: William Morrow Large Print, 2026.

[TPL branch functioning again. So much so that I have three orders in transit at the same time.]

The atmosphere is dark and taut, with no clues to what’s happening. Two New York actresses struggling for auditions and parts in mediocre movies; Natalie disappears and no one cares except Anna. A ruthless assassin called Sontag is killing targeted young women. An important-looking man buys a painting for eight million dollars. Kevin Matthews is an FBI agent following Anna who is also being followed by bad guys. A mysterious video and an odd necklace. Don’t hold your breath for clarity any time soon.

Committed to finding her friend, Anna thinks Natalie chanced into something nefarious or illegal at a vague financial gathering and was kidnapped by them. The good news is that Anna the actor is as well-trained as an Amazonian stunt-woman so she ably fends for herself after partnering with Matthews who also wants to find Natalie. Let’s just say this thriller has everything—a yacht, a private estate, international conspirators, East European thugs, a falcon, a zodiac, spy gadgets, stolen cars, magic technology, and a mysterious doomsday plan—as if it were written as a film script. “Running on adrenaline” is a repetitive stock phrase. Non-stop action. Shooting. It’s exhausting.

It’s overloaded with suspense as each dangerous move by Anna is described in intense detail. Was ever a friend so brave, so selfless? At least it’s women bent on taking back control. Could easily be a four- or five-hour movie.

Moments

▪ It was a simple trade: She wanted her freedom, and he wanted a portable hard drive with eleven video files on it. (102)

▪ The old wild energy had her now, driving her toward danger. (122)

▪ She wasn’t asking permission. It was time to own this goddamn thing. “This is my call. I’m going. Will you back me up?” (189)

▪ Too amped to know if she was hit or not, Anna was already rising, driving her left hand toward his wrist to deflect the weapon, then throwing her right elbow into his jaw, hard enough to twist his head around on his spine. (336)

▪ Anna saw the black mask had no holes for the eyes. It was a hood, the same as the ones they used on the falcons. (346)

▪ “He’s lying. He told me you wouldn’t cooperate with him, that you went in on your own, and that’s why you were taken.” (397)

▪ Her life might be over soon, period. It was unthinkable, but it was the truth. As it set in, Anna fought to keep her composure, but she felt herself unraveling. (451)

Ruth Ware. The Death of Mrs Westaway. Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2018.

[Dear TPL: Why are books “in transit” for ten days or more?!]

Well, here’s one I missed in Ware’s impressive lineup. Harriet (“Hal”) Westaway is certain it’s a mistake when lawyer Mr Treswick invites her to come claim an inheritance from her grandmother in Cornwall – Hester Mary Westaway. Did someone made a mistake? ... her Westaway grandparents, William and Marion, died long ago. Young Harriet has been trying to make ends meet since her mother Margarida died, by giving psychic readings, especially with tarot cards; she rents a kiosk on a Brighton pier. Her miserable living conditions and debt to a vicious loan shark convince her to attend the funeral for Hester—and play a part, if she must. Yet, on outlining the family tree by googling, she would fit right in if her mother was Hester’s missing daughter Maud. True to a classic trope, Treswick reads the will that names Hal as the major heir. Trepassen House estate is hers.

Hal frequently self-debates her willing complicity in apparent mistaken identity; this slows down the story. Much as she wants to be Maud’s daughter, the dates of birth are off; privately she’s thinking her mother must have been cousin Maggie. Housekeeper Mrs Warren is openly hostile, while three uncles react in differing ways. Stuck in a frigid attic room of the spooky old house, Hal wonders if she’ll ever know who her own father was. And is she the only person who wants to find out what happened to Maud? A diary, old letters and photographs turn up: slightly shopworn devices to push Hal’s need to know the truth. One becomes aware that so much revolves around mothers.

Although there’s a derivative quality in the setting and certain touches, Ware does provide some good twists. Love the illuminating moments in the tarot cards!

Bits

▪ “The cards don’t predict the future—they don’t give a fail-safe course. They simply tell you what could, on a given day, be one outcome to your problem.” (35)

▪ Maud is hot where her mother is cold, passionate where her mother is contained, but the bitterness and anger in each face made them look more alike than I ever realised before. (94)

▪ “Give me the damn will!” Harding shouted, and he snatched at the pieces of paper Mr. Treswick held out. (108)

▪ “My mother-in-law cut Abel off without a penny,” Mitzi explained to Hal, a touch of righteous disbelief in her voice. (115)

▪ “My mother was a bitter, poisonous woman and her one aim in life was to spread that poison as far and wide as she could.” (163)

▪ “I told you to leave once, and I’ll say it again. Good riddance. Good riddance to you, and your trash mother before you.” (218)

▪ Why had her mother lied? (240)