Ruth Ware does it again. I’ve read almost all of her books (and loved everything I’ve read) and think this is the best one yet. She incorporates murder, mystery, and ghosts into a compelling story that will keep you terrified and flying through the pages at the same time. This was a one sitting read for me. I’d definitely recommend this one!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

The book starts with the main character in prison for murdering one of the children in her charge. She is writing a famous solicitor whom she hopes will take her case and prove her innocence. Through her letter(s), she tells her story.

Rowan Caine, 27, is hired to be a live-in nanny to the four children of architects Sandra and Bill Ellincourt at their home in a remote part of Scotland. The prior four nannies quit due to stories and superstitions about the house, Heatherbrae, formerly named the Struan house. Rowan isn't superstitious, finds the salary offer extremely generous and eagerly leaves London when selected for the position.

The home is part Victorian, part ultra-modern - a rather jarring combination. A smart-house designed by tech loving Bill, everything in the house is controlled by an app with control panels in each room. After meeting three of her charges, Maddie 8, Ellie 5, and Petra 18 months, Rowan is astonished to learn that Sandra and Bill plan to leave the next day and will be gone a week (what parent does that?) The fourth daughter, Rhiannon 14, lives at a boarding school during the week and will be home for the weekend.

It doesn't take long after the Ellincourts leave for strange things to begin happening at the house. Ware skillfully builds a sense of dread right from the beginning. Something dark and sinister lurks beneath the pleasant veneer. I liked how the author slowly ramps up the creepy factor, tension, fear and suspense as the story unfolds. There are twists and turns, some not a surprise, others quite a surprise.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Rowan Caine a childcare worker from London accepts a position as a nanny in the remote Scottish Highlands. Sounds too good to be true. Guess what it was. The Elincourt family has gone thru 4 nannies in the last year and rumors are Heatherbrae House is haunted. The pay is great and the location is beautiful. Idyllic? Nightmare? She ends up incarcerated for the death of the girls and the story is told via the letters to her solicitor. Rowan is certainly no angel but is she a murderer. This is what I would call a gothic mystery as the author creates a real suspenseful and creepy atmosphere. I have never read this author before but will be on the lookout for more of her work. This was a good read and I recommend.

Excellent story, kept me guessing throughout. Did not suspect the narrators twist, nor the twist on who-dun-it. However, that said, this book would have worked so much better as a novella. It was far too long and with too much "filler" to get to the end. It didn't need to be this long.

I’d like to thank Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This is my first Ruth Ware book and I plan to read more! The Turn of the Key is a suspenseful story about a live-in nanny turned murder suspect. The book is written from the point of view of the nanny writing seeking an attorney or “solicitor” to represent her in her trial. In this letter, she lays out how she came upon the nanny position, the interview and the adventures that ensue until the fateful night in question.

Heatherbrae House is an old Victorian house in a remote area of Scotland that has been mostly restored and modernized to Smart-Home status in the family’s main living areas. The house and grounds are said to be haunted by the townsfolks as well as the children in residence. Naturally, when modern blends with haunted, the high-tech features won’t always work as intended or don't work at all.

Upon starting, Rowan Caine is immediately left with three of the four children that live in Heatherbrae House. In the letter to the attorney she recounts each day and the peculiar things that happen around the house, including the odd behavior or the two middle children. Knowing that Rowan was in jail for murder, Ware did a good job of building up the suspense of how this came to be, introducing characters at the precise moments to arouse suspicion, and describing the fear that Rowan felt along the way.

I was able to figure out where the story was going for the most part, but that didn’t keep me from wanting to get to the end. The author sets up multiple possibilities and that are all equally plausibility. I did not see the final twist and that deserves a lot of credit! I do feel that the pace of the book was a bit slow at time with needless descriptions, and I wanted to constantly shake Rowan because of her naivety. I do look forward to reading another Ruth Ware book in the future.

Ruth Ware provides another brilliant Hitchcockian novel full of twists and turns and heart-pounding moments with “The Turn of the Key.”

Written as an epistolary novel, “The Turn of the Key” is mainly written as a series of letters between prisoner Rowan Caine and attorney Mr. Wrexham. The letters tell the story of how Rowan became a nanny for Sandra and Bill Elincourt at their remote but grand Victorian home in Scotland — a structure that mixes the home’s gothic feel with new, state-of-the-art smart technology — and how she ended up in prison for the death of one of their children.

Already feeling continuously watched because of the technology, when Rowan starts experiencing some creepy events in the home tagged with ghost stories, she begins to doubt her sanity.

What follows is a story full of twists and turns with plots lines you’ll never see coming. Ware does an incredible job of making the reader feel just as anxious as Rowan, always wondering what’s around the next corner.

She also does a fantastic job of developing characters — the absent architect parents, the adorable yet frustrating children, the hunky yet mysterious odd job man, and the curious nanny with a mysterious past herself.

Sprinkled with the imagery of keys and keyholes throughout, “The Turn of the Key” also reminds us of deeper themes, like the impact of hiding behind a facade, facing life’s evil moments, and admitting life’s truths.

Ware once again offers a great psychological thriller — keeping the reader guessing until the very end. My only complaint about Ware’s novels: I wish she’d use less course language. It just isn’t necessary!

Five stars out of five.

Scout Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

I’ve never read any of Ware’s prior books, but I’ll be looking them up after reading this one! That ending plot twist was one I certainly wasn’t expecting. The story kept me engaged the entire time. I liked how the story was structured (with the main character writing a letter to try and convince an attorney to represent her, as she’s in prison for murder). And the smart house? Totally creepy! It was a bit unbelievable that parents would hire a nanny and then leave her alone with kids almost immediately after she starts, but everything else was so well done that this angle could be forgiven and overlooked. I will be adding other books by this author to my TBR pile.

This could have been a nice creepy read. Unfortunately the creepiness that was intended to come from a ghost-infested house instead came more from a smart home with cameras and speakers in nearly every room. THAT is creepy! But even that aspect was mentioned but not developed into something dreaded. Characters, other than the nanny, were not well developed as I especially wanted to get to know the children better. Plot was good and many red herrings served their purpose well. The ending certainly tied up most of the loose ends in record time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC to read and review.

Another great read from Ruth Ware. Full of twists and turns to keep you guessing and hooked on finding what will happen next.

Ruth Ware is a the height of her game as the thriller queen. She is incredibly talented at creating an atmosphere in all her novels. And in this one, she does not disappoint.

The Turn of the Key is a neo-gothic thriller of sorts that leaves the readers wondering: Is the house haunted? If not, who is messing with her?

There were quite a few twists and turns, all of which were incredibly well thought-out and clever. I sped through this book, spending every second I could spare reading. For fans of suspense, thrillers, and good story telling, this is a good book for you. And while you're at it, just go ahead and read everything else by Ruth Ware.

The Turn of the Key is twisty and will keep you on the edge of your seat! I have loved Ruth Ware since In a Dark, Dark Wood and the ending of this novel will leave you speechless. I love how she weaves supernatural elements into her novels. This is a great thriller!

4.5 stars
Ruth Ware has done it again. She's taken something that should have been simple and tangled it up into something complicated and interesting and unusual. Told through a series of letters (though we'll get back to this in a moment), The Turn of the Key unfolds from normal to creepy to unexpected with care and deliberate action.

I love me some creepy, atmospheric settings. But Heatherbrae is different because it takes all the things that make old houses creepy and mixes them with all the future potential creepiness of a smart home. There's some really amazing contrasts highlighted and returned to time and time again (old brass keys and electronic biometric locks, etc etc). Plus it has the eerie charm of a ghost story as the tension ramps up. Our protagonist is so human with her frustration and her paranoia and her insistence that she not dissolve into a cliché (she says as much herself). The supporting cast is rich and interesting and just distant enough that you can't know the truth as you go.

That being said, there were some aspects of the plot that were a little predictable (but I don't think this detracts from the effectiveness of the story; in fact, I think they were meant to be almost false clues). And I don't think the letter format was utilized to its fullest potential. For much of the story, there's no sense of the direct address and it feels just like any other story told in a close first person. While I think that's a missed opportunity, I think the story and characters stand firmly on their own without that and this one definitely deserves a read.

I'm a big Ruth Ware fan and with each book she writes, I'm more and more convinced of her talent. This isn't a speedy, ridiculous thriller, but it is a brilliant show of rich, Gothic descriptions and modern pacing. I definitely recommend this one.

Rowan Caine has been charged with the death of a child. The Turn of the Key begins with a series of letters she sends to a solicitor, whom she hopes will agree to act in her defense when she goes to trial. In her last letter Rowan details the events and circumstances that have led up to her incarceration.

Her ordeal begins when she applies for a job as nanny for three little girls and their older sister. The parents are successful architects who have built a smart house, filled with voice activated controls, security cameras, and state of the art technology. From the very beginning Rowan is uncomfortable, with mysterious sounds invading her sleep and a feeling that she’s being watched. The Turn of the Key is part mystery and part ghost story and Rowan finds herself in the middle of all of it. As the story unfolds the suspense builds, secrets are alluded to, and the final pages are full of twists and revelations.

This is another masterful book by Ruth Ware. She is an expert in revealing just the right amount of information at just the right time, so that the reader is drawn slowly into the story. It is atmospheric, descriptive, and oh so creepy. It is certainly a tale that will be long-remembered after the final page is read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m already looking forward to what Ms Ware has in store for us in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.

I received an uncorrected digital galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Gallery / Pocket Books and NetGalley for the chance to read and provide an honest review!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware is written in the form of letters from the main character Rowan Caine to the man she is hoping will step in as her solicitor. She is writing from prison, accused in the death of a child in her care. The letter she is writing lays out her background and how she came to be in the position she's in.

Rowan spots an ad for a too good to be true post as a live-in nanny and she is thrilled to be offered the position. The family lives at Heatherbrae House, a home far away in the Scottish Highlands with a Victorian feel, but also with all the modern touches of a "smart" home. The house is rumored to be haunted and several prior nannies have left unexpectedly as a result.

Rowen shows up with impeccable references and an impressive CV, so she is hired on and dumped right into the work. There are four children (plus two dogs), one a teen away at school for most of the time and three young children who will be under her primary care 24/7 almost right away. She must figure out how to work the house and how to break through to the children who have had so much upheaval in their life.

Alone with the kids, things start to go bump in the night. Mysterious footsteps from above Rowan's room, a 'smart' house which goes haywire in the middle of the night turning on all of the lights and noises it can muster. The children seem to be working against her and she has little to no contact with the outside world apart from the handyman. As things begin to go wrong, Rowan must even question whether he could be behind some of what is going on at Heatherbrae House. Rowan admits to her solicitor that she has made some mistakes. She admits to bad behavior herself, but she absolutely stands behind her claim of innocence.

This was the perfect thriller to add to my weekend reading during the recent 24in48 Readathon. It kept me hooked, making it easy to stick with my reading at the end of a long day. Ruth Ware does an incredible job of building the suspense to the very last minute. The house is built up to be a very atmospheric, eerie place! She drops in hints and reveals twists as the story progresses, some of which were complete surprises to me.

There were some elements of the very end of the book that felt a little abrupt to me and I think I would have liked some things fleshed out a bit more, but overall I really enjoyed this read! If you enjoy a book with a good haunted house feel and suspenseful thriller, then you will want THE TURN OF THE KEY on your shelf when it releases 8/6/2019!

This review will be posted as follows (links to be provided once posts go live):

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Instagram - an abbreviated version will also be posted to Instagram on 7/31/2019 with a publication day reminder shared in stories on 8/6/2019

Amazon & Barnes&Noble reviews will be posted upon publication.

I absolutely loved it! THE TURN OF THE KEY is creepy, twisted, and disturbing, and totally absorbing — a modern-day The Turn of the Screw, but far more entertaining.

Rowan Caine’s new dream job as nanny for the seemingly perfect Elincourt family quickly turned into her worst nightmare. Their remote home in the Scottish Highlands called Heatherbrae House was an unusual hybrid of modern “smart” design and spooky Gothic Victorian. Inside its walls, cameras were watching, machines were listening for your next command, and Rowan was isolated with four young girls and whatever was causing the disturbances at night…

I enjoyed that this book was written in epistolary format, as desperate letters written by Rowan to a lawyer as she’s in prison awaiting trial for murder. The build up of suspense was fantastic, and the ominous atmosphere of Heatherbrae House kept me on edge. Had I been in Rowan’s situation, I would have been scared witless!

Another fantastic Ruth Ware novel. Rowan Caine is perfectly suited for the nanny position she has accepted. Or is she? When she arrives to meet her new family, she is warned that she should not stay. But was this warning from mischievous children? Or something more sinister. And is Rowan really sho she says she is? A tragedy occurs, and everyone’s hidden secrets come to light.

I loved this book! So, truth be told, I have loved all Ruth Ware books so this is hardly surprising but I think each one may be better than the last.

The one thing that I think made the book as good as it was, I think, is that both sides of the story were mysteries. Meaning that we did not know who died OR who killed them. It reminded me of the first season of the tv show Big Little Lies. Part of the suspense was worrying that you're favorite character was going to end up dead.

This book was creepy, cute, exciting, and suspenseful. As other books of Ruth Ware have done the very, very end of the story leaves you wondering a little bit but not enough to kill you.

I highly recommend this book!

Hang on to your sanity people, this one will definitely make you question what is real, what is ruse, and what is the truth. Rowan, I found to be likeable but a little rough around the edges. Her childhood had been rough and she seemed to be having a little trouble gaining traction in her adult life. She sees the opportunity at Heatherbrae House as a chance to put the past behind her and start a new life. But her new life quickly takes some very dramatic turns and will leave her questioning her own sanity. This is the best psychological thriller I have read in a long time. The twists are sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic but always leave you guessing. The characters are great, with even the baby having a distinct personality. Alone in this isolated house with three young children it doesn't seem possible that the things that happen are really happening. This house if full of mysteries and secrets and the author teases them out in a delicious way. However, nothing will prepare you for the ending when the final truths are revealed. You really must read this book.

Turn of the Key is a fantastic read. The pages fly by as talented author Ruth Ware draws the reader into the story, leaving just enough hints to make the final “reveals” almost believable.. There are a couple of unexplainable things but to mention them here would spoil the ending. They are, however, distracting enough for me to reduce my rating by one star. Suffice it to say that this novel will appeal to Ware’s fans as well as to others who are looking for an absorptive read.

I have read several of Ruth Ware's books and have enjoyed them all including this one. The format is different in that it is in the form of a letter. The primary character is a nanny accused of murdering one of her charges who professes to be innocent.

While it took me a bit to "warm" up to the story and characters, once I was hook, I had a hard time putting it down. It is the best of her books, no. Is it better than many thrillers on the market, yes. Sometimes it is good to have a book where there are no likable characters and/or situations. This would be a good vacation read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.