The Westing Game Summary

The book by Ellen Raskin revolves around a group of random individuals who are tested to determine who is worthy to inherit a great fortune. The detailed summary is right below and should assist in creating that book review.

A Well Compiled Quick Summary of The Westing Game

Let us explore the plot overview.

As the story opens, Barney Northup is in the process of selling apartments on lake Milwaukee down the shore from Samuel Westing’s mansion. The tenants are carefully chosen. When they move in, they all realize that each of them is the potential heir of Westing. These people are not family, and also they do not seem to be related at all.

Westing left a weird will that was created in the form of a puzzle. The 16 are paired up and informed that the pair that will manage to solve this puzzle inherits the two hundred million dollars million that Westing left behind. The characters are Jake, Grace, Turtle Wexler, George, Chris, Catherine, Theo Theodorakis, Doug Hoo, Mr. Madame, Judge Ford, Crow, Flora Baumbach, and Sydelle Pulaski.

After the will is read, they are informed that Westing had been murdered, and the culprit was among them. They are provided with clues and reminded that the clues that they did not have told the most.

These tenants move in during the winter in September, and while they are forced indoors by snow, they analyze the clues. Sydelle loses her will-copy, and suddenly everyone stops being kind to her. The judge invites them to a party, after which, everyone goes back to work.

The next morning they meet in a beverage shop to share progress. A bomb suddenly goes off in the tower. There are no casualties, but they are left a little scared. The judge results in hiring an investigator who sounds familiar, but everyone else continues to work.

There is a second bomb that goes off while they eat in a restaurant. Sydney is injured and rushed to the nearest hospital. Angela gives her a visit. She starts to wonder about the path her life had taken but then realizes that an anonymous source had left her two extra clues.

Turtle and Flora are convinced that the clues are related to the stock exchange market. The judge then makes the realization that they had not even thought of investigating Westing’s wife. Later on, at Angela’s wedding shower, there is a third bomb that goes off. Angela shoves Turtle, and the bomb injures her. She is rushed to the hospital, and they reveal that her injuries will cause some permanent scars. Sydelle uncovers that Angela was the bomber.

Sandy suggests that the teams gather the clues and place them together. They spell out the full name of Crow. Sandy is found dead unexpectedly. Things had begun getting unnatural. Crow offers herself willingly to the authorities. Turtle feels that something does not add up and decides to organize a trial. In the trial, Otis is uncovered as a secret investigator. They also realize that the transcribed will is missing a word.

Without a missing word, the will be revealed that the heir who won the windfall would find the fourth. Hence, Turtle makes the realization that Westing is four individuals. The three they knew were Westing, Sandy, and Barney. She knows the identity of the fourth. She has also discovered that the real test of the will is to see who would uncover the fourth identity of Westing. She decides to keeps this information to herself.

Crow makes his return, innocent of the crime. The remaining heirs gather and read the final section of the will which does not say anything about money. There is no mention of the company or even his fortune. It only states that only that they would all acquire Sunset Tower shares. The judge blurts that this meant that they had lost. There is an explosion of Westing’s house and everyone watches.

Turtle heads to the house of Julian Eastman. This is Westing’s chairman of Paper Products. She goes ahead and calls him sandy and then claims that she had won. She had found the final person. The lives of all of the other heirs have already gone back to normal after the changes that occurred in the events of the game. Five years down the line, each of them is a success. Angela had gone back to study. Doug managed to win the Olympics. The restaurant ‘Hoos’ was also doing well. Also, Chris and Turtle were also achieving in school. Some years pass. Turtle goes to stay with Sandy or Westing while he approaches his death. She inherits the company decides to dedicate herself to running it.

As a parting piece of this synopsis, we realize that Westing does not care whether the family inherited his family. He seeks to find the most qualified heir. The games only play a part in revealing the true nature of the individuals. Turtle’s uses her creative thinking and her vital ability to be able to bond with everyone else.