It's the first book I read by Ruth Ware and won't surely be the last.
I started it at nighttime at my house in the country I couldn't put it down but after a while I had to switch to another books as my setting reflected those of the book and I was quite scared.
It's a creepy, engrossing and well written books that somehow reminded me of The Turn of the Screw.
The plot flows without issue and you cannot help feeling involved in the plot and feeling what Rowan is feeling.
It was a great read, a book I couldn't put down and found it highly entertaining.
I loved the description of the high tech house even and I found it well described even if a bit on the sci-fi side (I work in a high tech company so I know what IOT can do at the moment).
I think that the house is the main characters, fascinating and terrifying at the same time. The other characters are well written and fleshed out even if they're not always likeable.
A very good book, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I enjoyed this book once the tension started to build but it did take a good few pages to get going. Rowan , the main character is in jail awaiting trial and is writing to a solicitor pleading her innocence. She recounts the events leading up to her being charged with murder. She took on a nanny position in the Scottish highlands in an unusual household where there seemed to be mysterious happenings in a house with a dark history. There are various twists and turns, some predictable and some not. An easily read book and a possible quick read

Suspenseful, secretive psychological thriller.
Ruth Ware has done it again even better this time with a combination of modern technology and a sense of being in centuries past.
Rowan Caine is determined to get a job as a nanny in an old home remodelled with high tech gadgets, by the architect owners Bill and Sandra Ellincourt. The reason for her determination to get the position as nanny unfolds as Ware's skilful brilliance leaves no clues as to where the plot will end. This makes yet another book of hers unputdownable.
Rowan gets the excessively well-paid job that seems too good to be true and ends up awaiting trial for the death of one of the girls in her charge. She writes a letter to a lawyer she is hoping will listen to her reasoning and her side of the story because absolutely no one will listen to her. The bizarre events all lead to Rowan's apparent guilt. However, there are many secrets on all sides, and everything is not as it seems. But the secrets are deep and dark, leading to an unfathomable conclusion that leaves possibilities in the reader's mind for days.
Ware's descriptions are made in vivid imagery that takes her readers right into Rowan's sad story and into the heart of the ancient home, made modern.
BonnieK
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

THE TURN OF THE KEY, the new brilliant novel by one of my favourite authors is out next week and I had the pleasure to read it earlier thanks to Harvill Secker and NetGalley.

The first thing I say every time I read a new novel by Ruth Ware is: “This is her best one so far!” and it happened again after I finished reading THE TURN OF THE KEY. The premise is brilliant: a young woman is in prison, accused of killing the child she was looking after, but she claims to be innocent. Gripping, right? Then I started reading and there was another surprise: the story is told from Rowan, the protagonist, in form of a letter written to her lawyer, explaining the events that landed her in jail. Granted, it’s a very long long letter where sometimes I forgot that she was addressing the lawyer, but still, I loved it. And I loved the setting: Heatherbrae House, a remote and isolated mansion in Scotland. I found it a bit claustrophobic and unsettling. The mansion is old but the technology inside is absurd. Everything is controlled by an app and it creeped me out how the voice of the children’s mother would suddenly boom into the kitchen when you less expected. And let’s not forget about the strange and inexplicable noises around the house at night when Rowan was supposedly alone with just the children sleeping in their rooms. It literally gave me goose bumps.

The protagonist of the story is Rowan, a young woman I found difficult to figure out. She leaves her job in a nursery in London, a job she didn’t much like, to move into a remote house looking after four children. As I read her narrative, from the job interview to the wait for a response, from getting the job to her first day at Heatherbrae House, it was clear that Rowan was hiding something. Why did she want the job so much? Although she was something of a mystery and at times I didn’t like her very much, I found Rowan relatable (having worked as a nanny for four years I know that children can test the patience of a saint), brave, and very determined.

The mysterious noises around the house, the inexplicable deaths occurred in the past, and the ghost stories give the novel a supernatural touch that kept me on the edge of my seat. There is tension and a sense of dread that never leave the pages and the twists just kept coming and took me by surprise.

THE TURN OF THE KEY is definitely a must-read and I can’t wait to see whatever Ruth Ware is working next (which will be my new favourite 😉)!!!

Another great book from Ruth Ware.
This book starts off with Rowan writing a letter to a solicitor, asking for help.
She has been accused of something she says she didn’t do, and as the story progresses we learn what happened.
Rowan applies for a live in nanny job in Scotland and once she’s moved up there, discovers previous nannys have left rather quickly.
It’s an old house, but one that has been renovated by the owners to have top of the range technology, turning on lights and music.
It takes a while for Rowan to get used to lights not coming on, but the creaking floorboards she hears in the dead of night can’t be explained.
Strange things start to happen and Rowan is getting less and less sleep.
The children she’s looking after are volatile and she wonders what will happen next.
The shock of what happens rocks her and the family, and it takes us back to the beginning of the story, where she’s asking for help.
As always with Ruth Ware’s books, there’s more than one explanation for what’s happening in the house.
This is an intriguing read that had me racing through the pages to find out what happens next.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Rowan Caine isn’t too happy with her job working in a nursery so when she sees an advert for a live in nanny with a stunningly generous salary she doesn’t hesitate to apply. The problem is it seems too good to be true and Rowan soon finds out this is indeed the case at a great cost.

The novel is basically a long letter Rowan writes from prison to a solicitor in an attempt to convince him she has not committed the crime of which she has been accused - the murder of one of the children in her care. Rowan recounts her story, from applying for the role to finding herself in a huge renovated house in the remote Scottish Highlands left in sole charge of three unruly children and one about to return from boarding school.

The Turn of the Key is a highly atmospheric, creepy and chilling mystery incorporating the best elements of gothic literature. Its locked room setting has echoes of Agatha Christie and the gothic touches are reminiscent of Du Maurier. We know that one of the children is dead but we don’t find out who until the end as we follow Rowan struggling to adapt to her new job and home. She finds herself in loco parent is as her employers, Bill and Sandra (both architects) find themselves working away. Rowan realises she is the latest in a line of nannies as the last few have left the job very suddenly. This, combined with strange noises, a tragic past concerning the house and lights and noises suddenly starting convince Rowan something seriously disturbing is happening.

As with so many current psychological thrillers none of the characters are particularly likeable and there are serious questions marks about the narrator’s reliability. This doesn’t detract from the enjoyment at all though and whereas this can make other books within the genre fall down, it only enhances The Turn of the Key.

Rowan freely admits she has made mistakes and isn’t as innocent as she portrayed herself at her interview but she is adamant she has not committed murder. But in such a remote location, if she didn’t then who did?

I have no hesitation in giving this fantastic novel five stars and Ruth Ware has become one of my must read authors. Many thanks to her and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG…THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! There, that got your attention didn’t it!? I have read all of Ruth Wares books now and enjoyed them all but this book is definitely my favourite so far! If you’ve ever read The Turn of The Screw, then you’ll recognise a little nod in the title towards the classic that also inspired the films The Innocents and The Others. But even though the plot basics are similar (nanny looking after children in remote and creepy location where something supernatural may or may not be occurring) Ruth Ware has brought A Turn of the Key to an audience living in a world of social media and technology and so has adapted her storyline to become relevant to the digital age. In a way it feels like a hybrid of an old fashioned mystery and a techno thriller which sounds strange but that really lends itself to this gripping storyline.

Rowan is sitting in prison awaiting her trial for murder-the murder of an unnamed child. She tells the circumstances of how she came to be there in a letter to Mr Wrexham, a solicitor advocate she wants to represent her at her trial. Through these letters we discover how she found the job advert for a nanny to children of a family living in a remote part of Scotland. Her determination to acquire the position is palpable but also questionable as although she works in a nursery, she doesn’t seem to particularly like children that much! Her methodology of childcare wasn’t quite what you’d expect and I wondered why she would put herself through a job she obviously didn’t really enjoy! But this job isn’t the norm either! It’s VERY well paid because it seems as though the family struggle to keep a nanny for longer than a few weeks. And when Rowan moves in, very strange things start to go bump in the night and she begins to understand why…

As the saying goes, if something seems too good to be true then it usually is but unfortunately once Rowan discovers this then she’s in way too deep to escape. Some very creepy children and a house that seems to have a mind of its own await Rowan instead of the picture perfect family she was expecting but the longer she’s there, the less sense things make. And I was completely and utterly gripped, not knowing who to trust or why. There’s not a huge cast of characters but all of the people living or working at Heatherbrae House seemed to be hiding something from Rowan. This made for a ridiculously tense read that I would have been watching from behind a cushion if it had been a tv drama (and it would make a brilliant tv adaptation can I just say?!) as more and more intriguing incidents occur. And did I work out what was happening and why? NOPE!! I read the final few chapters with a racing heart rate and a desperation to be right with my prediction for the outcome but I wasn’t. But the last few pages made me so glad that I hadn’t worked out the ending as as the shock value was just so much higher! Honestly this book totally blew me away and I loved every dark and twisty moment. It has one of THE BEST ENDINGS I HAVE EVER READ and that’s saying something as I read A LOT!

This book will definitely be appearing on my Best Books of 2019 list at the end of the year and I would give it more than 5 stars if I could! The Turn of you Key is an addictive read that will keep you glued to its pages until the very small hours of the morning. Loved it loved it LOVED IT!

‘WANTED: Large family seeks experienced live-in nanny.'

When childcare worker, Rowan Caine, stumbled across the advert she couldn't believe her luck. It's the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

But mere months later she’s sitting on remand in a Scottish prison, accused of killing one of the children in her charge. Furiously scribbling letters to a top advocate (barrister under British law), she pleads with him to take her case.

‘”I didn't kill that child. Which means someone else did. And they are out there. While I'm in here, rotting.”’

This was definitely the right book for me. As a former sole-charge nanny (both live-in and live-out), and in more recent years, regular pet-sitter, house-sitter, I've spent a significant amount of time in other people's houses, largely with only children and/or pets for company, so I found the subject matter in this book hugely relatable. I could feel Rowan's frustration as she struggled to grasp the smart house's various panels, apps, and features, and as someone who once stayed in a property where during a nighttime power cut all the doors unlocked, because the battery on the back-up generator was flat, I know the feeling of being in a strange house with malfunctioning technology, and not being entirely sure what to do. Rowan's first day, the two older children disappear on her, playing/hiding in the expansive grounds, and she's frantically searching for them while trying to juggle a fretful baby. Again, I've totally been there, more than once. There were many other instances I could mention, but I've bored you enough with details of my life.

However, even though I enjoyed the day-to-day routine of Rowan settling into her nanny position, I'm not entirely certain other readers will feel the same way. And a large portion of the book was devoted to this. It's a slow burn, alright!

But, the more I think on it, the more convinced I am that I would've enjoyed it regardless, as you get to experience exactly what Rowan went through from the moment she arrived until the tragic end. You get to know the lay of the land so to speak, and feel Rowan's mounting uncertainty and fear, her slow realisation that something’s not right with the place.

Strange occurrences in the night – creaking, footsteps, cold spots, missing keys, etc – beginning the moment Rowan arrived, also assisted in moving the plot forward, and upping the creepy ante. Technology played a big part in the ‘hautings' making this a bit different from usual. The house itself was part restored Victorian/modern architecture which I found as unsettling as Rowan did. The wild, overgrown, neglected gardens, so different from the interior, heightened this feeling. Being an old house it did of course have an ominous history, and was rumored to be haunted, which as some of you know are two of my favourite gothic elements.

The four children (aged 14, 8, 5, and 1) had complex, age appropriate personalities and behaviours. Ruth Ware even included Scottish dialogue, which I thought was a nice touch. Even though the entire book was written as a series of letters, it quickly morphed into present tense, with the protagonist occasionally pausing to address the recipient. I for one was grateful for this, as I wasn't fond of the beginning letter format as it was all ‘tell' and no ‘show’. It was an original set-up though, and the way it all came together in the end cemented this novel's 5 star rating for me.

My favourite Ruth Ware crime/mystery by far.

Thanks netgalley for allowed me me to read this really great book, I loved the way Ruth Ware wrote this exciting story.
Are there ghosts in Heatherbrae House?
Rachel goes to,Scotland to be a nanny to,four children in a very techno house.
The children are difficult, and the parents leave her as soon as she gets the job to look after the children as they have to,travel.
Rachel finds the children and the house very difficult, and then something dreadful happens.
Really exciting and could not put down.

This is another compulsive page turner from Ruth Ware. In this tale a young nanny, Rowan, applies for a job in Scotland, taking care of four girls in a wealthy family. The house looks like a traditional Victorian residence from the outside but inside this is a 'smart house', with everything run by a computer app. Rowan is thrown in at the deep end to say the least, and the children are not the friendliest. Settling in will not be plain sailing, and it appears that several nannies have quit after a very short time though it is not clear why. But Rowan is experienced with children, even difficult ones and surely the smart app will help her settle in...

Turn of the Key is a creepy little story. A creepy house with a dark past and scary garden, creepy noises...a creepy kid. Yes, it is far-fetched but it is also engrossing and totally gripping right up to that last page.

The Turn of the Key is the newest book from Ruth Ware. I get excited when I hear she has written a new book.
The story starts with Rowan who is a Nanny in HMP Charnworth awaiting trial accused of murdering a child. She is writing a letter to Mr Wrexham, a solicitor asking for him to take her case. She doesn’t know him but heard he take high profile cases.
Her tells her story from the beginning, when she sees an advert in the local paper for a live-in Nanny for the Elincourt family. The pay is high, but the house is in a remote part of Scotland. Rowan is broke so she applies and gets the job. She arrives to see this beautiful house of Heatherbrae . The house of a mixture of old brick and modern in a Gothic style and it is a smart technology home. Run by an app called Happy. She soon discovers that they have been many nannies before her but have not lasted due to unexplained things happening in the house. Which rumours say that the house is haunted. Her only Allie is the handyman Jack But, this happen when she looks after the girls. And although at first Rowan thinks that this is her dream jobs starts turning into a nightmare.
The is another gothic, twisted thriller that kept me at the edge of my seat. I didn’t want to put this down. I always like the authors style of writing. She always keeps you guessing. I was just disappointed at the ending I was expecting a bit more. 4 stars from me.

Highly atmospheric. I made my dog cuddle me all night to keep me company after reading. The mystery was perhaps a little too easy to figure out, but overall a very enjoyable and creepy read.

Like James 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw we have in Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key a nanny (updated from governess) trying to cope on her own in an isolated setting ( the Scottish Highlands replacing north Essex) with children who appear to be hiding dark secrets. In the background strange events occur that may or may not be supernatural. I suppose the biggest recommendation I can give this chilling psychological thriller is to say that I finished it in only two sittings so much was I gripped by trying to discover what was at the heart of the mystery.

We know from the prologue that a young woman is in prison on remand awaiting trial for murder following the death of a child. Claiming her innocence for which no one believes she writes an account leading up to her incarceration in the form of a letter to a barrister that has been recommended by a fellow inmate. From this we discover that by chance Rowan sees an advertisement for a live-in nanny position in a ‘smart’ home situated in the Scottish Highlands. The main attraction is the salary which at 55k seems improbably generous. After successfully securing the position Rowan leaves London and is soon ensconced in the renovated Heatherbrae House which is home to all the latest often invasive technology. Of course the 55k salary should have perhaps have sent a few alarms bells ringing especially after the last four nannies only lasted a short period before leaving. Like all good creepy tales Heatherbrae House is associated with past tragedy which is linked with the poisoned garden that is sited in the grounds.

There are twists and turns aplenty here to fully engage the reader and everyone is under suspicion as we try to make sense of the increasingly uncanny events. Is the supernatural behind it or is there a more rational if equally chilling explanation? If you are looking for the proverbial gripping read then I do not think you will be disappointed.

The Turn of the Key drew me in and would not let go until I had finished. The book starts with a nanny in prison writing a letter trying to explain what happened and how she was not responsible for the death of a child in her care.

The previous book that I picked up with this premise, although atmospheric, bored me. That was not the case with this book. Ware’s writing draws you in. Partly it is the desperation of the protagonist, partly it is the eerie setting – old house in the middle of nowhere with lots of history yet with fitted modern luxuries to become a smart house.

Ruth Ware made me feel scared when strange things were happening in the middle of the night and yet led me to agree with the protagonist during the day when she begins to doubt what happened. Some thoughts may be considered repetitive however this also built up the tension to each time the sun went down.

A book to be read by those who enjoy a gothic mystery.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this compelling book

and what a book it was...one surprise after another...written in the style of a letter to a lawyer but going over the events that lead up to the death of one of the children...its a compelling read and one that grips you till the end with surprise after surprise happening with things that even i was suspecting....

its creepy as well as the thought of being in a smart house i would forever be wondering who could control what....and who could hack in....plus the thought of all those cameras

anyway a brilliant read would totally recommend this one...keeps you on tenterhooks right till the very end...keep an eye out for the author

Thanks to Netgalley and Random books for an honest review of “Turn of the key “

As a fan of Ruth Wares previous books I was expecting a book full of intrigue and suspense that kept you guessing right to the end , and this didn’t disappoint.
From the start of the book we knew something awful had happened , and we had hints that not everyone was telling the truth , but all was very cleverly revealed , and I loved how all the loose ends were tied up..I truly didn’t guess the ending.
I was totally caught up with the setting of the Scottish Highlands and the description of the house Rowan went to become a nanny in.
I loved the pace and suspense of the book and I had to stop myself from rushing through the pages to find out what had happened at Heatherbrae House.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book, and wait impatiently for the next book by Ruth Ware.

This is Ruth Ware's latest offering, a chiller of a psychological thriller with its central protagonist, 24 year old Rowan Caine working in childcare in London. She is looking for another post when she come across an incredible job as a live in Nanny for the Elincourt family, the parents Bill and Sandra are architects, living in the remote Scottish Highlands, and the pay for the post is unbelievable. If there is one thing you should beware of, it is that if a job sounds to be too good to be true, then it is, something Rowan is to discover to her cost. At her weekend interview, young Maddie warns Rowan to not take the job, and it seems other nannies employed have left abruptly. The Elincourts have four children from 18 months to 14 years old, a heavy burden of responsibility for Rowan, especially as she is left almost immediately as their sole carer with the parents travelling so often, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are a real handful.

Heatherbrae House itself is a jarring blend of Victorian with all the tech that makes it a smart home, with cameras everywhere and a handy man, Jack, is employed. Strange and eerie happenings create a creepy, menacing and ghostly atmosphere within Heatherbrae, and a litany of incidents culminate in the murder of a child. Rowan is languishing in prison awaiting her trial for the murder, concerned with her legal representation, and writing a letter to a solicitor, Mr Wrexham, proclaiming her innocence of the crime she has been charged with and laying out the circumstances which have led to present her ghastly predicament. She admits to not always being the perfect nanny and true to form with this genre, she is an unreliable narrator and the characters are almost universally dislikeable. This is an intense story of many twists, small and big, slow in pace, and where you are going to have to suspend your sense of disbelief on occasion. The premise of the novel held my interest, although this is far from my favourite Ware book. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

The Turn of the Key is a brilliantly written book .The story is told through the letters written to her Lawyer by Rowan the Nanny who is now in prison awaiting trial for the murder of one of the children in her charge which she denies .Rowan applies for a job as a live in nanny to a wealthy family living in Scotland .Heatherbrae House is a old Gothic house which has been extensively renovated into a smart home with many cameras and is still very creepy and seemingly haunted .There have been 4 Nannies before Rowan but none of them have stayed very long .No sooner has Rowan arrived to start work then she is told that she will have to look after the 4 children on her own as her employees are off working for a week and so Rowan's nightmare begins as all is not as it seems with Rowan .The descriptions are fabulous ,the poison garden very creepy at least she has Jack the chauffeur and Jean the housekeeper ?I loved the creepiness of this book and I didn't guess the ending in fact I gasped when it was revealed just brilliant .Many thanks to the Publisher .the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review

Ruth Ware just gets better and better, she is fast becoming the queen of the unputdownable thriller. Troubled children, ghostly goings on and an electronically controlled house. What could possibly go wrong for a new Nanny? Oh yes, I forgot to mention an isolated location, a poison garden and an amorous employer. The skilful way these layers are revealed is mesmerising. The twists and secrets keep coming at the end. This has to be the beach read thriller of the summer.

The gothic-y haunted house story is given a modern spin in this book which alludes to both Henry James' 'The Turn of the Screw' as well as all those dodgy live-in nannies in recent 'psychological' thrillers. The smart house is used to excellent effect and adds to the creepy/shivery vibe throughout.

With so much good stuff going on (Hawthorne's poison garden, the is he/isn't he chauffeur) I didn't feel we needed all the extraneous stuff about the nanny's back story which just served to dilute the present - and I'm torn about the pragmatic ending. Still, this one kept me up till 4.00 am! Grab this one for switch off summer reading.