The Westing Game is Raskin's closest work to a traditional mystery story. Sixteen unique and eccentric characters, residing in a mysterious apartment building, compete to become heirs to the Westing fortune. Inspired by the intrigue surrounding Howard Hughes's will and the celebration of America's bicentennial, the novel blends a complex mystery with a homage to American opportunity. Similar to Figgs & Phantoms and The Tattooed Potato & Other Clues, The Westing Game reflects some of Raskin's personal interests. The potential heirs engage in both chess and the stock market as they strive to solve the puzzle and win the inheritance.

Beyond being an engaging mystery, The Westing Game delves into Raskin's views on material success and the significance of money. While Sam Westing and his wife attained a comfortable life, they lost their daughter in the process. Raskin examines their lives in the context of love, the challenges of American business, and the possibility of a second chance. She scrutinizes the extent to which family can influence children and the importance of young people charting their own paths.

Raskin's humor celebrates the diversity and richness of human experience while cleverly critiquing its flaws. She is particularly attuned to the struggles of characters who, though part of American society, are seen as different. The cast includes a new immigrant, a minority member, a person with a disability, a stereotyped woman, and an individual living in poverty. The development of relationships among the diverse and irritable Westing heirs is as crucial to the novel as solving the mystery.

In The Westing Game, her final published novel, Raskin revisits and resolves some of her recurring themes, emphasizing hope and forgiveness. As in all her works, the happy ending is unexpected and highly original, and her wit remains both genuine and sharp.