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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I couldn’t put this book down and read it over a day and a half, ignoring almost everything except going to work! This is the second book by this author I’ve read and I loved them both.
I did enjoy this new take on The Turn of the Screw although I had some issues with the twist. It was a fun read though and certainly one that I enjoyed.
Just when I think I have it figured out. It surprises me! Couldn’t put it down…
OMG OMG OMG Soooooooo good! Full of twisty turns and a didn’t see that coming ending. I had the audio version and the narrator did an amazing job–well done! I came across this author by chance–due to the name of one of her other books, and after reading that one, I’ve continued on to others, and now I’m on to my next.
I tore through this gothic suspense in two days. A classic read with modern twists.
Another winner by Ruth Ware. Now my favorite author!!!
I have become a fan of Ruth Ware’s books. She is a great words smith and although her genre is psychological and domestic thrillers, I find that there is a literary bent to her style. Her protagonists are always introspective, leading a rich internal life. She paints a vivid picture of the environment her characters are in and her characters are always well-developed and true to life.
In this story, a youngish woman, Rowan Cain, in her early thirties finds, what for her, seems the perfect nanny position in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. But right from the beginning, there are problems that crop up with the position which lead her to doubt her decision in taking the job, doubts that will increase over time as boundaries are continually breached and she feels more and more adrift in a world that is rapidly spinning out of her control. In the end, there is a nice little twist. I enjoyed this one and read it in two days.
I’ve read and enjoyed all Ruth Ware’s books, this one is a little different, won’t be a spoiler, but some might not like the ending, but there was no other way it could have ended!
It totally surprised me with it’s twists! I thought I had it all figured out and was amazed when I reached the end. I could not stop thinking about it!
Coming off the heels of Riley Sager’s new book, Lock Every Door, which I would also categorize as a gothic thriller, this book is just what I needed and more. You know when you finish a book with a specific feeling? It is almost a combination of longing for another book just like it, a little bit of sadness because you wish you could reread this book with fresh eyes, and joy because it accomplished the exact feelings the author anticipated. Basically, I was feeling all that and then some.
This book surrounds 24-year-old Rowan Caine who currently works in a childcare center when she stumbles across an article looking for a nanny, offering a generous salary, which was tied together with a bow. That bow is a beautiful “smart house” named the Heatherbrae House located in “beautiful Scottish highlands.” I promise I am not giving anything by saying this because Ruth Ware makes it known early on — Rowan ends up in prison and one of the children end up dead… dun dun dun!
There are two main factors that I think made this story unravel beautifully: the way the story was laid out and the setting.
I don’t want to say too much about the way the story was laid out because I felt that was crucial right off the bat. What I will say is that it kept the story flowing in a way that you slowly gathered details, but in a somewhat fast-paced way. I know that sounds a little crazy, but that is the best way I can describe it. It was executed beautifully. I promise.
The setting is a story in itself! A fricken smart house! Not just any smart house, a converted smart house that is a combination of modern and vintage design. The descriptions are beautifully creepy. I wonder if the author took the time to design this house separate from the story. Regardless, I want to see this house come to life! The thing is, I can’t think of a book I have ever read with this type of setting. That in itself really adds to the thrill of this read.
Hats off to Ms. Ware for writing such a fabulous read. In my opinion, this is definitely the best book she has written to date.
A gripping Gothic novel updated for the 21st-century with a creepy smart house at its centre. I loved the unreliable narrator who kept me guessing until the very end what was actually true.
The book is written as a letter to a solicitor by a nanny accused of murdering a child under her care. The house in the story is a modern “smart” home complete with apps for everything. Yet parts of the house still clings to its past. It has a haunting history. This is a slow paced thriller with many twists and questions. Good story but left me with a “hmmmm” at the end.
5 stars for me !
I don’t want to give anything away about this book.
The Turn of the Key is a thriller and is so well written that you can actually hear the key turn in the lock.
Twists and turns and a ending I didn’t expect .
Hard to pick a favourite Ruth Ware book from those written but this just might be it for me !!
Was on pins and needles. Could not put it down!
Ruth Ware delivers a bone chilling story that is sure to please the thriller fan in everyone! From the first page you discover Ware’s unique writing style that draws her readers in and keeps you guessing till the end. While you’re bracing yourself from one fear raising incident to another, you’re left guessing about the mystery and the earthly , or not so earthly, involvement in the going ons!
Characters stand out, especially the main character, with the presentation of their human flaws that also has you speculating about what they have done when the creepiest things happen!
I had this book in my hands, rarely setting it down, for three days and finished it. Everytime I thought I understood what was happening, something else was thrown into the mix. I consider this a top read for this fall and getting one into the feel for the upcoming spooky season! Money was well spent on this novel!
Great book! Definitely a page turner with lots of scary!!!!
Ruth Ware writes very compelling thrillers, full of secrets and drama and mysteries that leave everything up in the air as a possibility right up until the moment they resolve themselves. This time she’s taken on the nanny-family relationship, and the result is eerie and delightfully twisty – as expected. Sort of. Until it ended – in about 3 pages. Ugh.
I really liked this one – right up until it ended, rather abruptly and oddly given the lead-in to the resolution. It felt like someone called “TIME, pencil’s down!” and the author had ten seconds to resolve everything and did the best she could with the time she had… It made this a 3-star read for me instead of a 4-, and left me feeling oddly unsatisfied, which is all the more frustrating since the slow burning build to the dramatic end is one of the things I usually like most about Ware’s writing. It was still an enjoyable read, but the ending left me wanting more and felt like an unfortunate change-up…
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
Rowen has gotten a job as a nanny in an out of the way home in Scotland. Set remotely from the town, she will be in charge of taking care of three of the family’s four girls. We start our book with Rowan writing a prospective new lawyer, Mr. Wrexham, to take her case, because she is in jail for murder. We watch the chilling story unfold through her letters to the prospective Mr. Wrexham.
I didn’t really care for Rowen, I thought that she overreacted to little incidences, and she wasn’t very good at being a nanny. The girls were typical girls, having to adjust to yet again another nanny. Maddie was a bit creepy at times, she was definitely the one pulling the strings, and you could tell that her younger sister Ellie did whatever she asked of her.
I knew as soon as we learned that it was a smart home, that things were going to go awry. I’ve had my own Echo dot randomly start talking, and so I can imagine how much more so things could go wrong in a house that is fully updated with technology.
There were a few twists towards the ending, and I thought the double punch made it stand out from other thrillers with a twist. The story and setting were well-written, with well thought out characters. Ware has done a great job creating a disturbing setting with so much potential for things to go wrong. This is my first read of Ware’s and definitely not my last!
I’ll start by saying that much like B.A. Paris and Peter Swanson, Ruth Ware can do no wrong. Her latest thriller, The Turn of the Key dips a literary toe into the Haunted House/Horror Genre while still keeping the sophisticated Ruth Ware style that makes her novels so exciting to read.
There are two main “twists” at the end that may leave you mildly surprised; but all in all, as a true “Ware-y” I can honestly say she’s got another hit!
Rowan accepts a nanny position in a remote area of Scotland. When she arrives, she is completely taken in by the “smart” house, the beautiful scenery, the enormous salary and the seemingly perfect family. The smart house is completely CREEPY! No privacy whatsoever…among other things..and the “perfect family”….oh no! Not even close!
This book is twisted! Between the completely wired, gothic house, the weird owners, the poison garden and other creepy issues, this story had me on the edge of my seat. Which is shocking…I usually don’t like this format. It is told in letters to a solicitor by the nanny. Oh, did I mention the nanny is sitting in jail accused of killing one of her charges? Well! She is!
The only reason this book is not getting 5 stars is the ending. The end of this story does not fit the build up. It is rushed and completely unsatisfying. But, do not let that stop you! It is still a great read! You do not want to miss this sinister tale!