[2] The Westing Game was ranked number nine all-time among children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal in 2012.

In October, residents begin to hear rumors that Samuel Westing has died but that his corpse remains in the mansion.

Tabitha-Ruth "Turtle" Wexler, a highly intelligent 13-year-old with a habit of kicking people in the shin if they touch her braid, accepts a dare to enter the presumably empty mansion.

She leaves the mansion in terror after finding Westing's body in the bedroom and hearing strange noises, which no one believes.

Many of the heirs harbored secret lives, including being a bookie, thief, bomber, undercover private investigator, and relative of Sam Westing.

In the epilogues, "Eastman" spends the next decade mentoring Turtle in business and chess while funding her education in preparation for her taking over the company.

[6] At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews called it "A supersharp mystery, more a puzzle than a novel, but endowed with a vivid and extensive cast...

If Raskin's crazy ingenuity has threatened to run away with her on previous occasions, here the complicated game is always perfectly meshed with character and story.