Thank you #netgalley and publisher for giving me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be very slow paced. It does not pick up until about the last 100 pages.

I first fell in love with Ruth Ware when I read The Woman in Cabin 10. While Cabin 10 will always be my favorite, The Turn of the Key is a very close second. I loved the concept of the book and the idea of using technology as a sort of "villian." This book was definitely a slow build for me, but the two major twists at the end made it worth it. While I predicted the second twist, the first was a total surprise, and I love when authors surprise me! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my free e-book in exchange for my honest review!

The Turn of the Key plunges the reader into a spiraling mystery. It opens with a series of increasingly fraught letters.

Dear Mr. Wrexham,



I know you don’t know me but please, please you have to help me.

The second letter contains a clue; he or she is writing from HMP aka Her Majesty’s Prison Charnworth.

Dear Mr. Wrexham,



You don’t know me, but you may have seen coverage of my case in the newspapers. The reason I am writing to you is to ask you please

The missive ends abruptly, but on September 4, 2017, the prisoner writes again.

I hope that’s the right way to address you. I have never written to a barrister before.



The first thing I have to say is that I know this is unconventional. I know I should have gone via my solicitor, but he’s

The agitated prose ends midsentence. Then, a day later, “Are you a father? An uncle? If so, let me appeal …” And lastly, “Dear Mr. Wrexham, Please help me. I didn’t kill anyone.” How could anyone not want to find out what lies behind these agonized pleas? Ruth Ware has us in the palm of her hand. [NB: Here’s a general explanation the barrister/solicitor dichotomy: “The basic difference between barristers and solicitors is that a barrister mainly defends people in court and a solicitor mainly performs legal work outside court.”]

On September 7, 2017, the floodgates open; the writer decides to “make” Mr. Wrexham aware of every detail.

I am a young woman, twenty-seven years old, and as you’ll have seen from the return address above, I am currently at the Scottish women’s prison HMP Charnworth. I’ve never received a letter from anyone in prison, so I don’t know what they look like when they come through the door, but I imagine my current living arrangements were pretty obvious even before you opened the envelope.



What you probably don’t know is that I’m on remand.



And what you cannot know is that I’m innocent.

She ruefully says that everyone in prison is innocent, “according to them, anyway.” Finally, we find out the crime of which she is accused.

I am the nanny in the Elincourt case, Mr. Wrexham.



And I didn’t kill that child.

Is there a more horrific crime than the murder of a child? That it’s a nanny—someone hired for the specific purpose of caring for children—makes it that much worse. But if the nanny is innocent, who killed the child?

The prisoner realizes she has left her middle-class English background far behind when she sees herself in a mirror with “scraped back” hair, “eyes like chips of granite,” and a “hard and white” set face. Her shock at her resemblance to her fellow inmates propels her into action. Truth is her only ally, so she starts with the advert, a “busy family of four children” wants an experienced live-in nanny. But the household is in the remote Scottish highlands, and the nanny must be prepared to stay there on her own. The salary is very generous—£55,000 per annum (a little less than $70,00 U.S.) with eight weeks’ holiday.

I read it through once, and then again, my heart beating faster, the second time, because it was perfect. It was almost too perfect.

How can this job measure up? She realizes something is amiss—what’s with the “dizzying, fabulous salary?”

That should have been my first warning signal, you know. The salary. Because it was stupidly generous. I mean it would have been generous even for London, even for a live-out nanny.

If she has misgivings, why does she pursue the job? Ware piles on details that create a feeling of inevitably. The applicant is not happy at her Little Nippers nursery job where she works in the baby room with “pushy, faddy parents, with their fucking fabric nappies and their homemade—” She stops writing and says she’s just letting off steam. Still. Her roommate has been off traveling for months. A desired promotion didn’t materialize. She’s “not very good at failing,” so she never aims high in order to avoid pain. She had the grades for university, but she didn’t even apply. The nanny job seems ideal—it will get her out of her “comfort zone,” perhaps provide a new start in life.

She comes across as needy, even rather desperate—a lonely singleton. She works up her CV, applies, and then waits. Interestingly, she fudges the application a tad. “The only problem was the driving license. But I pushed the issue aside for the moment.” She wants an interview “so much.” Finally, Sandra Elincourt emails her.

Hi, Rowan! Thank you so much for your application, and apologies for taking so long to get back to you. I have to admit, we were slightly taken by surprise at the volume of applications. Your CV was very impressive, and we would like to invite you to interview.

Mrs. Elincourt says Heatherbrae “is an old building and has had no more than the usual number of deaths and tragedies in its past, but for some reason these have resulted in some local tales of hauntings, etc.” The tales have resonated with her “recent nannies, to the extent that four have resigned in the past fourteenth months.” A revolving door of nannies, with no one staying for more than 3 or 4 months—why doesn’t Rowan see a red flag?

Off she goes to Scotland where, after a day of travel, she arrives at a remote, “dusky platform.” No one is there to pick her up. Five, 10, 15, 20 minutes pass before a man approaches her, Jack Grant, the Elincourt’s odd-job man. He takes her to Heatherbrae, which “exuded warmth and luxury and comfort.” Or does it?

Rowan is anxious to meet her potential employer.

Instantly something felt off-kilter. But what was it? The door in front of me was traditional enough, paneled wood painted a rich glossy black, but something seemed wrong, missing, even. It took me a second to realize what it was. There was no keyhole.

And “there was no knocker either.” She sees a “ghostly illuminated icon in the shape of a bell,” hears a chime from inside, and finally, a voice booms out, “Rowan! Hello!” Jack and Sandra Elincourt are architects, and according to Jack, Bill is “into technology.” That’s an understatement. Rowan finds out there’s “constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house,” and worse, the omnipresent technology often goes on the fritz.

Sandra is polished and professional, but her need for a nanny is obvious. She’s relieved to hear that Rowan is “firmly single.” With subtle strokes, Ruth Ware paints a picture of ratcheting tension. When Sandra says, “So … no ties to London then,” a reader might be tempted to tell Rowan to leave while she can. But then, we wouldn’t find out how a “perfect” job with a “dizzying, fabulous” salary could go so wrong. The Turn of the Key is a tour de force—Ware is writing at the height of her powers.

The Turn of the Key was good, it didn't knock my socks off, but I enjoyed it. I love a book that starts at the end of the story, so it started off strong for me. The middle was a slow burn, I prefer something a bit more fast paced. This book definitely had it's truly creepy moments and I loved that. Towards the end of the book the pacing picked up and I couldn't put it down until I finished. I enjoyed the ending. I wish I would have cared more about Rowan or the other characters though. I think my rating would have been bumped to 4 if I had been more connected to them.

The Turn Of The Key gave me major anxiety, in a good way. The ending WOW did not see that coming. Lots of wicked twist and turns throughout the whole book, it kept me on my feet the whole time. This is by far one of my top 10 best thrillers I've read this year.

I highly recommend this book, if your into fast paced, keep you guessing books.

Rating 4.5

A very well developed twisty dark mystery novel. This book kept me guessing the entire time and by the end all of my assumptions proved to be completely wrong, which a quality I always look for in a mystery novel.

I know I am NOT in the minority when I say I am a Ruth Ware fan. Her latest novel, The Turn of the Key, is an excellent example of why I adore her books. The twists in her latest novel were perfectly placed and equally shocking. Within the first few pages and in only a handul of sentences Ware had immediately hypnotized my attention. The Turn of the Key reads as a mix of psychological thriller and literary fiction. I love the way Ware builds her characters helping the reader empathize with the intentions behind the protagonist’s flawed decisions. The empathy Ware was able to build through her characterization made the ending that much more tragic. I was more than sorry to see this one end. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love Ruth Ware, but The Turn of the Key is a hard departure from her previous books in term of pacing. We've all heard that you shouldn't start what you can't finish and Ruth Ware's inspired take on Jame's classic The Turn of the Screw starts with a rather intriguing premise that then drags all the way to the last thirty pages. The book starts strong with a young woman in a Scottish prison, a former nanny and our protagonist, writing for legal help to a lawyer who has been recommended to her. The charge against her is murder. One she claims she didn't commit.

Our protagonist answers an ad for a live-in nanny position at a remote estate, seeing it as a way out of her seemingly stalled existence. Even after a rather odd set of occurrences during her interview, she agrees to move into Heatherbrae House and work for Sandra and Bill Elincourt. She's often in charge of their three youngest daughters for long stretches of time while the Elincourt's travel. Even though the house is remote, the technology in the house is cutting edge and often glitches. Unless those glitches are a bit more sinister.

The story drew me in hard, only to leave me bored with the middle 250 pages. The ending felt so anticlimactic that the book never redeemed itself. If this is your first time reading Ruth Ware, I'd recommend skipping this book and going with The Woman in Cabin 10 or The Death of Mrs. Westaway instead.

Wow! Just WOW!! Ruth Ware does it yet again with another heart-pounding, addictive novel! Way to go Ruth! This book was so good I literally flew through the chapters eager to see what would happen next. I loved Rowan’s character. She was determined to fight for what she wanted in life, although she didn’t always make the best decisions, and seemed like a truly nice young woman. After moving into the Heatherbrae House to care for three young girls while their parents were away on business with work, Rowan finds herself living in a beautiful, modern home with many perks. Slwoly but surely strange things begin to happen in the home that Rowan is unable to explain. Things begin going missing, being misplaced, strange noises are made, the two oldest girls act strange from time to time and she has a rough go of it as the family’s new live-in nanny. Determined not to give up Rowan does her best to take care of the girls and be the best nanny that she can possibly be, despite it all.

With shocking twists and turns, this novel will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as you read along and flip the pages. With revelation after revelation, and a shocking end that will have you saying WHAT!? this book was seriously amazing. You must read it now, you will love it!

I was so excited to receive a copy of this highly anticipated novel! Epic thanks to the publisher for the approval. This was my first Ruth Ware novel. One word: WHOA. This book lived up to the hype making the rounds within the book world. Twists within every chapter. I never had a true dread within me while reading. Who knew kids could be so creepy?!

An update of the classic Henry James novel “The Turn of the Screw,” Ruth Ware’s “The Turn of the Key” is the perfect thriller to throw in your bag for a trip to the beach (or to curl up with by a fire in the winter). The framing device—the novel is conceived as a letter written in jail from imprisoned nanny Rowan Caine to a solicitor who she hopes will defend her against charges that she murdered a child—is a bit clunky, but once I got past the first few pages this device proved less distracting than I had feared it would be. Rowan goes back to start her story at the beginning, when, burned out from her job in a daycare nursery, she answers an ad placed by Sandra and Bill Elincourt for a live-in nanny position in a mansion in the Scottish Highlands. The offer, with its astronomical salary, appears too good to be true, but Rowan seems to have other, undisclosed reasons for wanting it so badly. Once she arrives at Heatherbrae House and begins to care for eight-year-old Maddie, five-year-old Ellie and baby Petra, however, things begin to go wrong—Heatherbrae’s cutting edge smart house technology malfunctions to unsettling effect, Rowan hears footsteps pacing above her bedroom at night, and Maddie warns Rowan about ghosts while actively sabotaging her efforts at care taking. Ware does a nice job of updating Gothic horror story tropes (the house and grounds are almost a character themselves) and she keeps the suspense going right until the end, since the reader doesn’t know which child died or how until the book’s final pages. And even though I was able to figure out one of the major twists pretty early, there were still more than enough questions and plot turns to keep me guessing until the end. This was my first Ruth Ware book and I enjoyed it enough to seek out her others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press/Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. Great mystery, good character development. Would read another by this author! I received an ARC for my honest review.

I have to admit that this the first Ruth Ware novel I’ve read, although I’ve been aware of her work for a few years. In fact, I’ve checked out several. But, for whatever reason, I never get around to reading them. They circulate well at my library, as do mysteries in general. I think the biggest hurdle for me is the “mystery thriller” cover and title combo that has been deemed (currently) to sell. You know the one…

Now, I don’t have anything against mysteries. Some of my favorite books are mysteries…

This…was not my favorite mystery.

However, it IS a classic summer beach read that will have you feeling the chill and damp of the Scottish cliff locale even in the sunniest beach spot. There is plenty of build up, although the big mystery is seemingly revealed from the outset. A child is dead, and our protagonist is the accused. Queue the expected tropes, set in a contemporary timeline. The epistolary set up is a throwback to classics that feels out of place in the information age. Thankfully, that conceit is largely left behind once the story gets rolling.

While the novel doesn’t turn the mystery genre on its ear, there are a few solid jump-worthy moments. (We can overlook the fact that the moments are somewhat too cinematic to really hit home unless they’re on a screen – unexpected banging at the door, etc.) And there’s sufficient guessing to engage the reader. Although the supporting cast of characters are vaguely drawn and fail to jump off the page, the protagonist, Rowan, exhibits enough quirks and increasingly surprising flaws for the whole lot of them. Whether Rowan’s character arc is enough to carry the story is questionable. She’s no du Maurier heroine.

If you happen to read this one while house-sitting in a remote cliffside mansion or serving as an au pair for wealthy MIA parents, or if you find a mysterious locked door or – well, I won’t spoil it for you – I won’t judge you if The Turn of the Key makes you jump at every creaking floor or tap at the window. I’ll admit to a late night shiver or two of my own, but on the whole, The Turn of the Key could have been scarier and more surprising, but I’ve just started an audio version of Ware’s The Death of Mrs. Westaway, giving this author another chance to thrill me.

A young British woman, Rowan, with previous experience as a nanny and nursery school aid, takes a position as a nanny (with a hefty salary) at a remote and very unusual home in Scotland. She’s in charge of three little girls, and a teen girl on occasion (usually away at boarding school). The home is a high tech ‘smart house’ with eyes, ears, and sounds everywhere. If that’s not creepy enough, there are tales of ghosts haunting the house and mysterious noises which go bump in the night. The posh parents leave Rowan alone with the children on her very first day as a nanny, with plans to be away for days on end. However, they will be in touch...and they’ll be watching, as well. 😧

The story opens with Rowan writing a letter (from prison!!) to a defense attorney, pleading that he take her case, for she asserts her absolute innocence. It’s a unique and very well crafted way to tell a story. It’s easy to forget that she is recording the series of (super creepy) events for the attorney, but every now and then she addresses him by name - usually to apologize for her swear words (she can’t help it) or rambling on about all the madness of the ensuing events - she wants him to know exactly what happened, in order to understand that although a child is indeed dead, she absolutely, 100%, did not kill that child. Whew, what a rollercoaster!
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Very fast paced, page turner!! I gobbled up The Turn of the Key in one day, with delight; an absolute pleasure to read! Highly recommended to those who love mysteries, in particular those of the old fashioned gothic ghost story and Agatha Christie sort.
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Thank you so very much to @netgalley @ruthwarewriter and @simonandschuster for the ARC in exchange for honest review. ♥️📚

Look, I read a lot of thrillers. They're suspenseful, and that's why I love them, but not many of them are scary. This one, though. This one actually made my heart race. I was truly and completely freaked out several times while reading this, and I LOVE that!

When Rowan gets a nanny job with a huge paycheck in a beautiful old restored home in Scotland, she thinks she's just about won the lottery. But the nannies before her have all left in a hurry, and she can't imagine why. Until her first night, when things begin to go downhill quickly.

I truly was shocked by all of the directions this novel took. I am actually not really a fan of Ruth Ware's other books, but I wanted to give her one more try with this one and am glad I did!

Ruth Ware at her best. This book is suspenseful, frightening and certainly a page turner. For those who enjoy reading Edgar Alan Poe you will certainly enjoy this read. It is tantalizingly frightening with hints of Alfred Hitchcock. I kept looking behind me in the dark as I went up the stairs to bed. The story told in letters to a potential lawyer gives you only part of the story but it all comes so unexpectedly together at the end.

I so appreciate that I was able to read this eARC from NetGalley without waiting for the publication date.

Rating 3.75/4. I am finding myself liking Ruth Ware books more and more with each new one she comes out with. Usually I love the set ups but the endings usually disappoint me, but I rather enjoyed this one. I listened to the audiobook of this which I highly recommend. There was definitely a growing sense of dread and anxiety with this. It also took me longer than a few chapters to figure out what happened. Overall, it gave me The Haunting of Hill House and Crooked House vibes, which I am all about.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the beginning, it is clear that Rowan Caine, as our protagonist is identified to us, is an unreliable narrator. We don't learn what she is hiding until near the end, and I will admit that I did not predict the twist.

Rowan is a nanny who worked for a wealthy family in rural Scotland and is now in jail writing a letter to a potential attorney, hoping to persuade him to take her case. She admits early on that she got the nanny position under false pretenses, but we don't know exactly what they are until later. She also states early on that although she lied about some things, she did not hurt the child that she is accused of murdering.

The family in the story lives in an old mansion, which is harboring secrets at the very least, and maybe even ghosts. Yet, this old house has ultra-modern features that make it a "smart" house, down to the programmed lamps, temperature control and shower heads. I appreciated the creepy, gothic feel of the book. The characters, including the children, are explored nicely but not completely. The book is mainly plot-driven, and I enjoyed the pacing as we got closer to the climax.

This is a great book for Ruth Ware fans and anyone who appreciates suspense with a gothic atmosphere.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of a smart house that is haunted is irresistible. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot as well as the creepiness.

Dear Mr. Wrexham,
Please help me. I didn’t kill anyone.

I read this book in about twenty-four hours – something that doesn’t happen very often for me anymore! The premise sucked me in: a nanny goes to stay out on the moors with a family living in a state-of-the-art smart home. The last four nannies have left abruptly and the parents are desperate for someone to stay for an entire year – and their lucrative pay proves it. But when the parents leave out of town, the nanny starts hearing footsteps above her room at night and the smart home starts glitching. Then she hears of the house’s mysterious and deadly past, and it’s not long before she realizes that she’s not safe.

I love Henry James The Turn of the Screw, and Ware does a fantastic job at updating the premise and putting a brilliant spin on it. I can often guess every twist and turn in a mystery, but not this one. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The perfect fall read!