I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rowen hates working at Little Nippers daycare. She hates that she got passed over for a promotion as head of the baby room. She hates that her roommate has left indefinitely to live at a commune in India. When Rowen stumbles across the advertisement for a dream job, she pulls out all the stops to secure the lucrative position. Doesn’t matter that she’ll be working in an isolated “smart” house in Scotland that’s equipped with surveillance in nearly every room and run by a complicated computer system. Doesn’t matter that she’ll be in charge of four young girls, ranging from an infant to a teenager, who seem to despise her. Doesn’t matter that many of the previous nannies suddenly quit due to supernatural occurrences. Rowan believes she is made of stronger stuff than those women. Immediately, the parents announce an urgent business trip and Rowen is left alone with the girls, and those other nannies’ fears don’t seem quite so farfetched. Then one of her charges is dead, and Rowen is behind bars awaiting trial for murder.

The story is told through correspondence, yet the delivery system never weighs down the story, rather it enhances the mystery and raises more questions.

Ware is a master of suspense. She expertly weaves in clues along with red herrings to keep the reader guessing, while creating a Frankenstein monster of modern and gothic horrors through the spooky setting. The idea of a computer-controlled residence, which has the capability to allow the super users of the system to watch and record everything is a nightmare within itself. Add in a haunted house and kids that bring to mind Regan in the Exorcist and you’re got a trifecta of terror. Meanwhile, Ware pulls the strings, sets the traps, and unleashes the scary.

Rowen makes a great character. She’s relatable and likable. She’s got plenty of flaws, yet she carries on and does her best to live up to her employer’s expectations until things spiral beyond her control.

I’ve read all of Ware’s releases to date, and I swear each one gets better and better. THE TURN OF THE KEY unseated THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY as my favorite. Kudos to Ware for pulling off such a beautiful blend of modern and gothic horror.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., for the opportunity to experience this book in advance of its release.

I have a love/hate relationship with Ruth Ware's books. Her first few I didn't care for. She focused on one aspect and just about hammered the reader over the head with it (which ended up not having anything to do with the ending). Then her last book (before this one) was great. I cheered throughout it and hoped she didn't mess up the ending (she didn't). She gave me exactly what I had been wanting in her earlier books. This one had me guessing until the end (and I'm not sure anyone would have been able to guess who did it). I liked how it was basically a letter to a lawyer and Rowan telling her story. The end seemed very rushed to me and I didn't care for how it ended. At least, she got away from hammering home some obscure part, but I still didn't get what I was wanting from this one.

Ruth Ware has become a favorite of mine in recent years and I couldn't wait to dive into this new one. Thanks for the advance reading copy!
We start off with a letter from prison asking a "barrister" to review the case of a child murder again since no one else will listen. We then dive headfirst into the story of the creepy "smart" house where Rowan takes a dream nanny gig as the latest in a string failed nannies in said house. We quickly meet the children, the home caretaker and the main headservant, as well as the quirky parents who immediately leave Rowan in charge as they have a work trip. What borders on a supernatural tale at times, left me riveted to find out what would happen next and how Rowan ended up in prison.
Loved this book - Ruth Ware did not disappoint!

The ending made up for the slow pace of the book. A who done it with an impossible plot- not Ruths best book.

When things go bump in the night (or creak along the floor above your bedroom), you desperately want to believe there's a logical explanation-a settling house, loose floorboards, or a wayward rodent. But a haunted house-ghosts-making those noises? Even the most superstitious person might have a hard time accepting that-but Ruth Ware sure makes a compelling case for it with The Turn of the Key. Since her debut novel- In a Dark, Dark Wood- Ms. Ware has mastered the art of making the unbelievable seem possible-even probable-especially when it involves an old house in a desolate location. The Turn of the Key is set in the Scottish Highlands, and the house has a macabre and tragic past. When the current owners place an ad looking for a nanny for their four children, Rowan jumps at the chance. You know from the beginning something is "off" about Rowan-her motives for wanting the job seem less than sincere-despite a sterling resume that makes Rowan appear perfect for the job. Alone in the house with the children on her first night (who in the world leaves their kids for weeks in the care of a person they just met???) things go immediately wrong. Strange sounds, flashing lights and blaring music-with everything controlled by "smart home" technology NASA scientists might struggle with-how could they be going on and off at will? On top of that, one of the girls tells Rowan it's not safe in their house and "the ghosts" won't like her being there. Told in flashback format as letters to a lawyer Rowan is trying to convince help her avoid a murder conviction (the identity of the victim is not known till the end), most of the major revelations take place in the last few chapters and several are total curve balls. Creepy but concise, with short chapters that barely give you a chance to catch your breath-The Turn of the Key suspends reality in satisfying ways. The Turn of the Key adds another notch to Ruth Ware's literary belt-it continues her winning streak of gothically themed suspense thrillers that keep you guessing until the last page.

This book was honestly the most amazing thriller that I have read in a long time. I literally was glued to my kindle and scared sh*tless until the very end! I don't know where to start with this book, I don't want to give anything away so listen just believe me when I say this book was amazing! The storyline was wow just wow. And don't forget "the ghosts won't like it" 😳😳😳😳 Must Read!!!!!

This book! 😱😱😱 ⁣
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In The Turn Of The Key, Rowan interviews for a nanny job for three little girls and a teenager. The job seems perfect, but as she’s leaving the interview, one of the little girls gives Rowan a tight hug and whispers: ⁣
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“Don’t come here. It’s not safe. The ghosts wouldn’t like it.” ⁣
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This is a creepy, suspenseful story and is my new favorite book from Ruth Ware. It was a 5/5 for me! It will be hitting stores on August 6th! ⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley and @ruthwarewriter for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. ⁣
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#bookreview #currentlyreading #theturnofthekey #ruthware #booksharks

The Turn of the Key is a page-turner that you won't be able to put down--at least, I wasn't able to. I read this in one long marathon reading session well into the night.

Readers of Ruth Ware will not be surprised to find that this thriller focuses on a competent, through unreliable, woman narrator. The book is framed as a letter to a solicitor, who the main character, Rowan, begs to take on her capital murder case. The letter (book) is her opportunity to tell what really happened to the child within her care, who Rowan is accused of killing.

This book makes me think about relationships, family, privacy, and technology. Even though I finished it nearly a week ago, I'm still thinking about the twists at the end as well as the permissions I give to the technology & apps I use.

For readers who are frustrated with an ambiguous ending, Ware does reveal the truth about what happened.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 3 1/2
The Turn of the Key is was a very interesting book. Ms. Ware formatted this book is in a series of letters from Rowen Caine to a Mr. Wrexham. In those letters Rowen recounts the events the lead up to her being put in prison for murder. Rowen hopes that with these letters Mr. Wrexham will be able to help her.
The events that lead Rowen to become the nanny and being charged with murder are both shocking and sad. I enjoyed this book even if they ending leaving me with the What the heck feeling.
This is my first book by Ruth Ware and I am looking forward to reading more of her works. If you are a fan of Ruth Ware I think you will be pleased with this story.


Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Gallery/Scout Press, Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and write an honest review of this book.


This book is written in the form of a letter to a lawyer from a young woman in prison. It describes her experiences employed as a nanny, with a family of four children. The young woman travels from London to take the job in a remote part of Scotland. She learns that she follows a long line of nannies,
none of which seem to stay very long. The mother of the children implies that supernatural episodes in the house precipitated the departure of the previous nannies. All characters in this novel have secrets, including the children. The nanny is in prison for the murder of one of the children. Did she do it or is someone or “something” else responsible? Once you start this book, you will have trouble putting it down until you find some answers.

In The Turn of the Key, a spooky, decrepit old manor house with a dark history gets gutted and revamped by a strange, super-wealthy family obsessed with all the latest in high-tech security - the house is creepy in all kinds of different ways, which is brilliant. Add to this the fact that the family is dysfunctional in all kinds of different ways, too, and you'll understand why they can't seem to keep a nanny more than a few weeks at most. There are plenty of reasons you wouldn't want this job, and it all comes together very tightly in the end.

The story is told through letters written by the last live-in nanny, who is writing from jail after she's been accused of killing one of the children. She swears she is innocent, but you soon wonder if she herself isn't hiding something. I would describe this as a modern gothic with an unreliable narrator, which made this book right up my alley.

Ruth Ware is a writer I really enjoy following, because (in my opinion) each one of her books has been increasingly better than the ones before. She is a strong writer who obviously puts a lot of time and effort into her work - it's nice to see someone who continues to develop their craft after already achieving a high level of success.

After reading “The Woman in Cabin 10,” I had so many questions. The novel didn’t seem to cover everything I wanted it to. I suppose I don’t feel the same about “The Turn of the Key.” There’s nothing really here to question, except maybe why Ware decided to use the letter structure. It really doesn’t work. No one puts excessive dialogue in letters. The letter to the lawyer is just a cheap contrivance and totally unnecessary. Once you get to the end you see why it was used. But that seems lazy in so many ways. The whole time I was reading I was thinking this is NOT a letter. It pulled me out time and again.

But I wouldn’t say it wasn’t an enjoyable read because it was at certain points. It wasn’t until about 60% in that I wanted to get to the end. Overall, though, the story lacks some serious … depth? Especially considering it deals with the death of a child. I mean the plot is admittedly ripped off from Henry James (obviously, the title tells us so) and there are hints of Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” here too with the poisonous garden, but Ware’s novel just doesn’t stand up to those sublime and spooky tales.

Her main character is a shadow compared to James’s governess. She’s also inconsistent and self-absorbed and shallow, much like Lo from Cabin. I don’t think she’s likable, not even at the end when we know the *truth* of the matter. To be honest, I only really liked Jack Grant. He seemed consistent as a character, as well as a pretty good version of the brooding, handsome savior who wouldn’t hurt a fly -- he isn’t that, but he stood out as such. But, ugh, Sandra and Bill were horrible, which isn’t necessarily their fault. I don’t think Ware really developed either one of them. They were stereotypes and didn’t behave in realistic ways. And the children were … yucky in a lot of ways. They, too, were stereotypes. And Rowan is just so inconsistent with her feelings about them that I don’t think the reveal works.

I suppose the overall premise had potential, and I did stick with it, but the end was underwhelming and kind of made me question the opening and build-up. It’s almost like Ware started with something in mind and veered off, unable to get to where she wanted to go. There wasn’t enough character development and plot excavation for me. It was shallow and came across as Ware throwing darts at a board. I guess I found it inconsistent as far as mysteries go. Because it really is just a mystery. Not scary or thrilling. Just a plain old “who dunnit” with a bit of a Scooby Doo feel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Someone in this house, someone or something, was driving the nannies away, in a deliberate and sustained campaign of persecution.” The book begins with protagonist, “Rowan”, writing a communication to an attorney professing her innocence in a murder. Written from Rowen’s point of view, she shares her story as the nanny in the Elincourt case. Elincourts are architects who have updated an old Victorian home with many new technological aspects. Four nannies have left the household prior to Rowan. The story has many twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing.

I really enjoyed this book. In true Ruth Ware form, it is suspenseful and keeps the reader guessing.

This is one of those books that you read past bedtime. Ms. Ware deftly weaves an increasingly tense plot that will keep you pushing forward until its surprising ending. Plays a bit with the notion of a smart home also being a surveillance home, but ultimately it all comes down to human frailty. Good read - great for a plane ride!
I provided an honest review in exchange for a free advance reader's copy.

After hitting it big with The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware returns with another summer thriller sure to be a hit. Rowan Caine is ecstatic to receive a high paying live-in nanny position at a remote, but high tech, Scotland estate. However, she never expected to end up in prison for the murder of one of the children. Written in the form of a letter to her lawyer, The Turn of the Key slowly unravels what happened to Rowan - her own secrets as well as those of the family who employers her, of the handsome gardener she feels drawn to, and even of the house itself. A fun read perfect for the last days of summer, or to cuddle up with this fall. The Turn of the Key will scare you just enough to keep you engaged without making you too terrified to sleep at night.

A solid 3/5 stars. The dark and mysterious atmosphere took center stage here. Ware did a good job putting a twist on the classic Gothic novel, particularly in regard to the house. I loved that she took an old haunted house with a disturbing past and combined it with malfunctioning and unreliable smart house technology. It was an excellent way to ratchet up the tension at key points throughout the novel. I also appreciated the fact that the entire story was told from Rowan/Rachel's point of view, in the form of a letter to a potential barrister. The unreliable narrator has become an overused literary device in recent years, but here it works well. What didn't work quite as well was the revelation that Maddie had used the hidden attic as her playroom to essentially torture Rowan and drive her insane. It was beyond the bounds of belief that an eight-year-old would be devious enough to plan and implement the things she did. It made far more sense that Rhiannon, who witnessed her father seduce or attempt to seduce the many nannies before Rowan, would have such an intense hatred for her. The other revelations, such as Rowan's true parentage, left me feeling a bit blase. They didn't have the shock element that I was hoping for. Perhaps I am just jaded from having read too many psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators. Overall, this novel was enjoyable, just not a standout.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This new psychological thriller from Ruth Ware has an ending the reader won't see coming. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
The story is told in first person as a letter from the protagonist, a former nanny who is in prison for murdering a child, Although she admits to making some mistakes and misrepresenting herself at times, she claims she is innocent of the crime.
Her writing style is chatty and self-deprecating as she relates the tale of how she left her job in London to apply for an unbelievably high-salaried post as a nanny in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands. She ignores the red flag that the last four nannies have quit abruptly.
The location is beautiful and the house a schizophrenic cross between a Victorian manor and a modern smart home, with cameras in almost every room and voice-controlled appliances. Although the Elincourts, her employers, did extensive renovations to the property after they purchased it, they left on the grounds the poison garden that had been planted by the previous owner, which was responsible for the accidental death of his daughter.
Almost immediately after the protagonist begins her assignment, the parents take off on an extended business trip and leave her in charge of the children she's just met. They resent her and make her job difficult. The housekeeper is cold and critical, and while Jack the handyman and chauffeur, is friendly, he suspiciously always seems to turn up to save the day when disaster strikes.
Unexplained noises keep her awake at night. Things disappear. Windows open that she remembers closing. Doors lock and keys go missing. She understands why her predecessors thought the house was haunted.
And then the family's 14-year-old daughter comes home from boarding school, defiant and armed with information that can cause everything to unravel.
The whole time you're reading, you know someone is going to die. Just not which or the four children. Or how.

This was well written and I enjoyed the creepy juxtaposition of old house and super technology. That said, I had a really difficult time getting into this book. I found it had to like Rowan, the protagonist, who admits to lying to get the job right at the beginning. We meet the kids and their parents right away, but then the parents leave Rowan alone with the kids on basically her first day (um, no?). Things devolve from there and one child ends up dead and Rowan is on trial. There were plenty of twists and turns, and the book picked up speed towards the end, so overall this was a satisfying read and I’m thankful to Netgalley and Ms Ware for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

This story is told in letters written from prison to a barrister she is hoping will take her case. Rowan is ready to change her life when she finds an opportunity to be a Nanny in Scotland at an amazing salary. She jumps at the opportunity but things move quickly and she is left alone with 3 young girls in a house controlled by technology and things turn creepy and weird. The reader is left wondering what Rowan has done to land in prison. and what went wrong with her perfect life..

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40489648-the-turn-of-the-key" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Turn of the Key" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1548169391m/40489648.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40489648-the-turn-of-the-key">The Turn of the Key</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9013543.Ruth_Ware">Ruth Ware</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2825474873">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for an honest review. When I read Ruth Ware wrote a story about a supposedly haunted mansion in the Scottish Highlands and a Nanny, I said sign me up. I really enjoyed this quick read about a student who signs up for a nanny job in Scotland. Now, knowing Ruth Ware's style I doubted it would be about real ghosts but there was still a lot of suspense and atmosphere. I thought I knew where this story was taking me so I was very surprised when it came up with something I did not guess at. Fun read for a late night.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5483119-sherry">View all my reviews</a>