description The Westing Game Overview
The Westing Game is a 1978 mystery novel for younger readers written and illustrated by Ellen Raskin. Sixteen people connected to the newly built Sunset Towers are named as potential heirs to industrialist Samuel W. Westing and organized into pairs to interpret a set of clues. Structured around wordplay, aliases, apparent contradictions, and the shifting relationships among its ensemble cast, the book received the 1979 Newbery Medal.
insights Ranking position
The Westing Game ranks #9 of 70 in the Whodunit ranking, behind The Nine Tailors, ahead of Hypnospace Outlaw.
help The Westing Game FAQ
Why are sixteen people named as heirs in The Westing Game?
The sixteen residents are summoned to compete over the estate of millionaire Samuel W. Westing. They are divided into pairs and given different sets of clues that appear to identify a murderer.
Is Turtle Wexler the main detective in The Westing Game?
Turtle is one of the youngest heirs, but she becomes the puzzle's most persistent and perceptive solver. Her attention to Westing's wording and identities helps her see what the other competitors miss.
What do the heirs actually have to solve?
Westing's will presents his death as a game involving clues, paired contestants, and a promised inheritance. The apparent murder question conceals a larger puzzle about names, relationships, and Westing's intentions.
What award did The Westing Game win?
Ellen Raskin's 1978 novel won the 1979 Newbery Medal. It remains widely read as a children's mystery that combines wordplay, family drama, and an ensemble of sixteen heirs.
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