Another suspenseful page-turner from Ruth Ware, this time a clever modern-day mashup of _The Turn of the Screw_ and _2001_, as brand-new nanny Rowan gets left on her own in an isolated country house that the kids claim is haunted, but which is even more spookily controlled by a "smart" app that also seems to be determined to drive Rowan away.

Being a Ruth Ware book, there are, predictably, several unpredictable plot twists toward the end of the novel. You know something's coming, but Ware does such a good job of leaving crumbs without establishing a clear path that they all feel both surprising and, for the most part, fair.

However, Ware does engage in a bit of a deus-ex-machina "cheat" in conveniently keeping the oldest of the couple's four children--a savvy and snarky teenager--"offstage" at boarding school for much of the novel. This allows Ware to postpone one of the big reveals in a way that does feel a little manipulative.

But overall, this is undoubtedly going to be another bestseller, and for good reason: it's atmospheric and gothic and taps into the reader's anxiety about both the supernatural and the supertechnical.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

Another winner by Ruth Ware. Full of surprises. Fast paced. Never saw the ending coming.
Really a fine edge of your seat read. Keep them coming, Ms. Ware!

I've been reading books for so long that it takes a lot to make me gasp audibly. That is what Ruth Ware did with The Turn of the Key. I didn't see the twists coming, and any guesses I made at the beginning of the book were totally off base. I highly recommend this if you enjoyed her first two books, and in general, if you love the mix of thriller and mystery that Ware has become known for.

Ruth Ware does a fantastic job keeping the reader guessing about whether there are supernatural forces or sinister mortals at work in her novel The Turn of the Key. When Rowan accepts a nanny position at a picture perfect paradise in the remote Scottish Highlands, little does she know that she will be telling her story to a prospective lawyer in a couple months while she awaits her trial for the murder of one of her charges.

Ruth Ware is a master of the Modern Gothic, and her abilities really shine in this latest novel. It has a slightly darker and more gothic tone than her previous novels, but is equally compelling. I honestly wasn't sure about it at first, but once I started this I could hardly put it down. I loved the way she highlighted the difference between modern technology and traditional gothic within the setting and Heatherbrae House itself. As with her previous novels I couldn't predict the ending, which is on of the many reasons I love Ware's novels. It doesn't come out until August, but if you're a fan of mystery and psychological suspense, you're definitely going to want this one your summer reading list.

This book kept me interested throughout the whole thing. It was 99% suspense and then ...hurry up wrap everything up in the last 1% of the book. The ending felt so rushed it was like falling or rolling down a hill. It wasn't enough time to process all the information suddenly thrown at you.

The new nanny, Rowan Caine, has her hands full at Heatherbrae House.

This was my fourth novel by the author and I had to see how this one would compare.

I've read several "nanny" stories and find myself drawn to the whole idea of having someone live in your home and act as a child minder. Rowan gets this "dream" nanny job and finds out that the last several nannies didn't work out.

The house was probably my favorite aspect of the story. It was renovated to be a "smart" home and the owners could spy on all the goings on, turn lights on/off and even ask it to launch an audio book for the children. I kept thinking Alexa controls the day ( no thank you!) Really creepy vibes for sure.

The build-up was quite slow and I wanted more showing than telling and some better developed characters. There is a twist ( and lots of nanny tips), but it really didn't surprise me much at all. The ending was just too rushed with so many loose ends.

I did read it quickly and there is suspense that kept me entertained,

Thanks to NG / Gallery for my copy in exchange for an honest review. Out August 2019
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I think this is a very readable book, but I was not a big fan of the protagonist. Ware does a good job of keeping you interested in what’s going to happen next but, overall, it felt a little convoluted to me..

A mystery that has a very spooky setting with lots of twists and surprises. The setting in rural Scotland, a small village, a father that has a wondering hand, a mother too busy to notice her children behavior, and the inability to keep a nanny are just a few of the circumstances that set this story apart. the story is slow moving and it took me a while to get into it. Once I became involved in the story i had to finish it.
The ending is a shocker and I was left wanting more.

The Turn of the Key was a deliciously atmospheric read. A creepy house with bratty children? Disappearing nannies? A poison garden? Yes, please!

I am there for every gothic detail in this book. From beginning to end, I couldn't put this book down.

Easily my favorite Ware novel so far.

Every time I get a new Ruth Ware novel on my "shelf", there's quite a bit of anxious excitement -- will The Turn of the Key keep me as glued to the story as Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and the The Death of Mrs. Westaway? Well, fellow readers, I'm happy to report that I was hooked from very beginning and couldn't do anything work-related or productive until I finished it! The plot twists are some I never saw coming -- are the friendly characters hiding something? Are the rough-around-the-edges characters actually genuine folks? Is the renovated smart house harboring generations of secrets? When Rowan interviews with the Elincourt family for a position as a live-in nanny, she knows nothing about the history of Heatherbrae House. Since the last few nannies have left abruptly, readers follow Rowan's journey as she too experiences unexplainable sights and sounds that lead her to paranoia and a high level of mistrust. Chilling and masterfully constructed, Ruth Ware has clearly written another bestseller!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I read a lot when I can’t sleep and I totally don’t recommend this book for that! It terrified me! However, I mean that in a good way! I completely enjoyed it. It has been a long time since I read a book that scared me as much as that one!
Good read!

Another engaging novel from one of my favorite authors!

The story starts with Rowan, a former babysitter who is now imprisoned, we do not know the details of how she got there but she's writing a letter to an attorney asking for help. In the letter she slowly reveals the events that led her to where she is now.

I love Ruth Ware's books because they have a classic feel to it, the stories have gothic undertones and she reveals pieces of the story in a way that keeps you interested and wanting to know more. At the end, I wanted to go back and reread some sections, the pieces have fallen onto their places and wow, I did not see it coming.

The first half of the novel is a bit slow but once you past the midway point it's a pageturner. Overall, I enjoyed it recommend it to readers of mysteries/thrillers and contemporary fiction.

Received ARC from publisher via Netgalley

*** Will publish on blog closer to pub date ***

This is not a literary masterpiece, but then it is not supposed to be. It is a good solid "mystery" with an unexpected twist. It is well written and well edited (a miracle nowadays) and keeps the reader's interest until the end (another miracle nowadays).

Ahhh I absolutely loved this book! It had so many twists my head is spinning! I have loved everyone of Ruth Ware's books but this is hands down my favorite one yet!! Creepy, twisty, emotional and a absolute must read!!!

The Turn of the Key is my favorite Ruth Ware book to date. The book is full of creepy plot twists and turns and many surprises, which keep coming and coming as the story unfolds. What I like about this author's writing is the realism of the characters.

I know I've stumbled upon a good book when I can't figure out the mystery. The story is not a cookie cutter mystery, and it is not obvious what is happening; the story is suspenseful and unpredictable.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, Rowan struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. The plot weaves through the creepiness of the technology-enhanced house to unexplained events and previous owners and their history and when the reader thinks the story is going one way, then "bam" the plot turns and goes down a different path.

A good book overall, and the ending, for me, was shocking (4.5 stars)

Ruth Ware does it again. This book is a fantastic story that messes with your head the entire time you are reading it. The setting in the Scottish Highlands makes the story even more creepy and thrilling. I highly recommend this book!

This book was very atmospheric. Chilling in parts and even made me feel nervous at times wondering what was going on. In many ways a great book. The one choice I can't get over is how the main charecter is writing to her lawyer. It interrupts the stories flow, sometimes jarringly so.
That being said, I love Ruth Wares books and can't wait to see what she does next.. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Ruth Ware is back on form! This novel is so much better then her last two books in my opinion. The first half of the book is exciting with plenty of of possibilities in this almost gothic psychological thriller. Only complaint is that the answers only come on the last few pages and feel a little rushed rather than the slow reveal to the big twists I was expecting. Still, thoroughly enjoyed it!

I received an advance copy of The Turn of a Key. I do enjoy Ruth Ware's books, some better than others. Borrowing descriptors from others, this book is somewhat creepy in place and has a few twists. Best book ever? No, but pretty darn entertaining.