INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A superb suspense writer…Brava, Ruth Ware. I daresay even Henry James would be impressed.” –Maureen Corrigan, author of So We Read On “This appropriately twisty Turn of the Screw update finds the Woman in Cabin 10 author in her most menacing mode, unfurling a shocking saga of murder and deception.” –Entertainment Weekly From the #1 New York Times … deception.” —Entertainment Weekly
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes this thrilling novel that explores the dark side of technology.
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss–a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten–by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare–one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman.
It was everything.
She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty–at least not of murder–but somebody is.
Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
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A well-crafted, psychologically compelling mystery/thriller. The parallels with Henry James, The Turn of the Screw were a clever hat tip. The writing was atmospheric in stylish twist of modern and Gothic. The creaky and creepy sounds and dim lighting intertwined with big-brother technology. It was a page-turning ride and lots of fun!
I absolutely loved this book. Ruth Ware has always been a fantastic storyteller but the way she blends genres in this one, the twists and turns are masterful. A modern Agatha Christie is the only title appropriate. Finished very quickly and want more.
This is one I’d surely suggest. Special bonus, it’s inscribed with a lovely message so I’ll be keeping this copy out and visible.
Such a captivating read and Ruth Ware has presented this book in a unique, letter to her attorney, format. Our letter writer is Rowan Caine, who has been imprisoned for a crime she insists she did not commit. Through her letter we learn of her interviewing and being given a too good to be true job as a full time nanny for a rich family. Given her destructive upbringing, I was rooting for her to get this job. Continue reading her letter, and all is not as rich and luxurious as it appeared. Great suspenseful mystery with a somewhat let down ending. I was left with too many unanswered questions and I wanted more! I’d love to know if my assumed conclusion was what Ruth Ware intended her readers to conclude.
Excellent! Suspense, twists and secrets! I couldn’t put it down. Well written and kept me guessing. I highly recommend reading this book!
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is a Suspense Mystery Thriller that has scary and creepy plot twists to the very last pages. I have read every book Ruth Ware has written and enjoyed each one. In this book the characters are intriguing but all seem to have very disturbing personality traits and values. The smart house blended with a Victorian house was an interesting addition since both added to the creepiness of the story. I enjoyed this book except for the ending. There was no real resolution of what happened to the characters except for one person. To the very last pages I would have given this book 5 Stars but because of what I felt was an unresolved ending I will give it 4 Stars.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is a mystery/mild thriller by an author whom I had never read, but heard plenty about. She descriptions did not lie. This book was first person narrated, mostly in a series of letters to a prospective attorney by a young woman accused of murder, but believed herself to be innocent. Never sent, but discovered by a construction crew years later, the entire story become clear with the inclusion of a couple of incoming letters, stored with the others. It is a compelling story, written by a young woman who was sensible to her core, and yet was beginning to believe in ghosts, based on the things that were happening to her.
Rowan has applied for and received a job as nanny to a family living in a remote area of Scotland. The salary is extraordinary and the living conditions are a dream. The children are a bit overwhelming but she is coping despite all the strange things that are happening. The parents left almost immediately for work trip leaving Rowan to cope with miserable children and a “smart” house, that is slowly driving her crazy. Then the fourteen year old comes home from school and behaves only as a fourteen year-old, entitled girl can. Rowan has decided to come clean to her charges’ mother, but puts it off until tomorrow. By then, a child is dead and Rowan’s heart is broken.
The detail is riveting. The few other personalities in the story are complicated and pretty much, unexplained. Ware has written a living nightmare and done it so well that the read will not see the end coming. It is masterfully done and wonderfully malicious, and innocent, at the same time. I suggest you read it. If you are not already a fan of Ruth Ware, you will be. I strongly recommend The Turn of the Key.
I received a free ARC of the Turn of the Key. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are my own. #netgalley #theturnofthekey
When I started The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, I felt the beginning of the novel was a bit rough; however, by the end, I had more appreciation of the story layout. If it were possible to elaborate on that without giving away the ending, I would. The story’s narrator has been accused of murder. She tells her story in a letter to a solicitor—in an effort to secure his services. I’m not a huge fan of the letter/diary entries layout, and thankfully, the “letter” quickly turns into a narrative from the accused point of view.
From the start, readers know that the heroine is up to something. The presumption is she is “up to” securing a fantastic-paying job for which she is not quite qualified. As the tension slowly builds, and the main character, Rowan Caine, is developed, readers are presented with a questionable and not-always-likable narrator.
The setting of an isolated estate is perfect for a creepy, gothic mystery. There is quite a lot of focus on the high tech gadgetry added to a historic estate that is set in the middle-of-no-where Scotland. I found the “smart house” more disappointing than a source of tension. It was a bit like the remake of the movie Sleuth—all the smart, artistic, edgy tension was replaced by technology, and for me, the change ruined it.
While the tension builds slowly in the first part of the book, as the story reaches its zenith, the action and emotions take off. It is at this point that the narrator starts telling her truth. The end is a bit nebulous (again, I won’t spoil the read by discussing that further). The reader gets an answer to the mystery that could be satisfying, but it is left so open to interpretation that I’m not sure I got the ending I wanted. Which begs the question, how often is justice really served?
I just finished reading this book and I am sitting here stunned. WOW! I sure didn’t see that coming.
This new book by Ruth Ware has a very dark gothic feel to it. It is set in Scotland in a house that’s an old Victorian house in front and a modern stainless steel and glass house in the back, a totally electronic house controlled by an app called Happy. Like all good old Victorian houses it has a history of death and ghosts in the attic. The title and the premise of the book reminded me of Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The book is written by Rowan, the nanny, to a lawyer as she sits in prison charged with murder. She is trying to explain her innocence to him to entice him to take her case. It goes along like a ghost story with the ghosts trying to scare Rowan away. And then the ending smacks you in the face! There are lots of surprises here that I don’t want to even hint at so I won’t spoil the story Read it. You will love it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy. This is my honest review. I couldn’t leave a bad review for a book that left me with my mouth hanging open like this one did.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I felt every spine tingling twist and turn. And the ending? OMG! It was everything I wanted and so unexpected, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. You have to read this. This is now my favorite Ruth Ware tale.
I was lucky enough to get a copy from Netgalley. This book proves again, why Ruth Ware has become so popular. The story is dark, engrossing and tense. A real page turner. Highly recommended.
HOLY GUACAMOLE, this is my kind of book!! I’ve read lots of mixed reviews on it, but I personally LOVED it! I couldn’t put it down from the start and read it in about 12hours. It’s a modern take on Henry James’ A Turn of the Screw (which I also loved). This is my fourth Ruth Ware book and it’s definitely my favorite. I love the modern gothic vibe with a creepy smart house. A house that has cameras/mics/speakers in every room and basically everything can be controlled from a tablet. This book is a great example of why I’m too afraid to get so much as Alexa in my house! I highly recommend this one! I won this book in a giveaway.
I love, love, loved this book! It was so original and I seriously could not put it down! Wonderful story, a page turner with a twist. I’ve found a new favorite author.
I’ve read all of Ruth Ware’s books, and this one has been my favorite so far! A very twisted and ominous story that will capture your attention immediately and leave you wanting more. A dream job as a nanny takes a turn for the worst for Rowan Caine. She is isolated in an old Victorian house with four young girls left to her care, while soon learning about the house’s sinister past. The plot build up and eerie suspense was superb. This book has a dark edge and complex plot that I cannot recommend enough!
Slower-paced suspense with a modern gothic feel. Ruth Ware keeps the reader absorbed with her descriptive writing and eerie plot perspective. Every aspect of this novel, from characters to setting, are dark and twisted, leaving the reader in anticipation the entire way through. The utilization of the slow-burn build only exemplifies the impact of the narrative.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Scout Press for this ARC
I loved this book! Well written and unpredictable until the very end. It was hard to put it down. I enjoyed the style in which it was written. I actually listened to the audio book and the narrator did so well. I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, so this book didn’t disappoint. You may not want to read this just before bed…
In the book Turn of the Key, Rowan Caine can’t help but think that she’s hit the jackpot when she sees a posting for a live-in nanny position. Upon arriving and interviewing, she is even more convinced of this. A beautiful and luxurious smart home located in the beautiful Scottish highlands, and she will be getting a very generous salary: what more could she ask for? Well, this dreamy job doesn’t appear so dreamy anymore when she moves in and begins her position. The kids are not as angelic as they originally appeared and the house seems too have quite a history to tell…
This is definitely a thriller that is slow at the beginning, and takes a bit to build up the intensity. I thought it was interesting how the book was technically a big letter that Rowan had been writing while in prison, hoping to vindicate her of what happened at Heatherbrae House. I enjoyed reading this, but I felt as though the ending became very rushed and everything happened at once. The twist was interesting and I was not expecting it, but I felt as though it wasn’t as intense as the whole book was leading up to. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more Ruth Ware novels.
Well I don’t know where to start, I’m so glad that I chose this book as my first #spookybooktober read! I just can’t praise this enough. I loved the story.
Honestly, I am a big fan of mystery/suspense thriller/horror but still there are times when I don’t like certain stories even in that genre. But this one gave complete justice to the reader’s time.
I was hooked to this from the first word to the last. I just wanted to pick up the book even when I literally had 5 minutes between work calls. Thats how engrossing the story was. @ruthwarewriter has done such a fabulous job of giving ‘on the edge’ experience to me.
I feel, when a story lingers in your head even after you have read it, THAT is a good story and this book had that effect on me. If you haven’t read it as yet, go read now!!!!
what I liked
EVERY FREAKING THING!!!!
5 stars from me!!!!! Wohooooo! Excited to read more of Ruth Ware’s works now.
A good read, but slow in the beginning. I altogether enjoyed the book, but the characters weren’t as developed as much as some of her other books. The last half was much better than the first half which is why I gave it 4 stars. I would definitely say hang in there to anyone who is having trouble with the first part of the book because it does get better.
Ruth Ware never disappoints.
Rarely do I read suspense that I do not figure out way before getting to the end of the novel. This one surprised me and for that I was grateful. The characters are well developed. The plot is fast moving and twisted. They suggest Ruth Ware is the Agatha Christie of her generation. Those are big shoes to fill, time will tell but she may well be on her way if she can continue to write books as spell-bounding as this novel.