A fun summer thriller! The novel opens with a letter from a notorious nanny convicted of killing a child to a lawyer she hopes can prove her innocence, Rowan is a child care worker who is ready for a change when she discovers an advertisement for a job as a live-in nanny on a remote Scottish estate. After her interview at the posh house, equipped with the latest smart technology, Rowan envisions her life there! She is not daunted by the fact that the family has run through a course of nannies in the past year. She is sure she has what it takes to thrive in this job. Of course, things do not run as smoothly as she had hoped (because then we wouldn't have a story). The children are not as well-behaved as they initially seemed. The smart technology seems to malfunction at every turn. And the house may well be haunted. I did not find Rowan a particularly likeable character; I found myself yelling at her as she made dumb decisions. And the children included a few "bad seeds." But the twists and turns late in the novel did not disappoint. Readers familiar with The Turn of the Screw will see some parallels. Pick this up for a quick and enjoyable thriller.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery/Scott Press for a free copy for an honest review.
Rowan Caine applies for a live-in nanny post at Heatherbrae House in the Scottish Highlands. She is now writing to her lawyer in prison as the nanny position turned into a nightmare.
I have read all of Ruth Ware's books but I think this one is the best so far. I read it in one sitting as I found it unputdownable. The characters are very believable and the plot is ghostly and unsettling. The surprise ending left me speechless. I find Ruth Ware to be an excellent storyteller and the book was well-written. I look forward to reading her next book and I would highly recommend this book to those who love suspenseful mystery thrillers.

I was so excited to delve into Ruth Ware’s latest book. I recently read how her books are essentially modern gothics, and when I consider this – YES, that is precisely what I’ve enjoyed about them and couldn’t put my finger on. This latest book is I think the most gothic of them yet, and also my favorite so far.

A secluded house, a narrator who seems a little too perfect, and a setting that is an unsettling paradox, a contrast of both Victorian country manor and technologically hooked-up Smart House. Oh, and there are local ‘murmurings’ about this house’s past. Say no more, I was in.

Without saying too much, as it is a mystery/thriller sort of book and those can be so easily spoiled, this is another win from Ware, for me. I enjoyed the remote Scottish setting. I enjoyed her sort of conversational voice, present in all her books, that makes them all so readable for me. There’s a smattering of “today” in them too, like when the protag in this book forgot a book to read and her phone’s died so her Kindle app is inaccessible. Very relatable.

Another thing is the pacing. The book moves along rather quickly, and yet – we know from the first couple pages someone died. But the book stretches on and on, the plot racing towards 100% on my Kindle, and I’m going Oh my god that hasn’t happened, so what IS gonna happen? for the entire duration of reading. That’s an excellent book, keeping you alert and wondering, keeping you flipping towards the end. There were also several plot twists of varying sizes, and I have to say I did not see many of them coming, a rarity as a seasoned mystery reader.

The one thing I will say is, this book did not really work as a believable epistolary. The whole thing is told via letters to a solicitor, and the level of detail required to, well, comprise a complete novel, didn’t ring as true to what you’d sit down and pen to someone. That said, the format lent the ending a lot more OOMPH than it would otherwise read.

A combination of plot coolness and those Gothic vibes, Ware’s reliability as a good storyteller for me, and sheer kept-me-reading-ness adds up to a solid five stars for me.

First of all, just a word of thanks to Scout Press/Simon & Schuster as well as netgalley.com for an advanced copy of this novel for an unbiased review of this novel.

I'll begin by saying, I am a fan of Ruth Ware and her novels. All of them have been decent reads, but a couple of them (In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10) were well-written stories that made you wonder how it would all end. Although The Turn of the Key was, in my opinion, as interesting as Ware's other novels, this book had a great ending that made me shake my head and say "Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

The novel begins with our main character, Rowan, becoming a nanny for three girls in a mansion-type home in Scotland. The parents of the girls have had trouble keeping nannies to stay, and that, along with other unexplained "bumps in the night" make Rowan begin to think the house is haunted. Add this to the fact that the house has been equipped with high-tech lights, cameras, etc., that Rowan isn't sure the parents aren't continually watching her every move.

Ruth Ware does her usual job, as the story continues, of making the main character seem to question herself ("What's going on in the attic?"; "I didn't remember seeing the key behind the washer when I looked before."; etc.). However, what makes Ware an excellent story-teller is how she is able to tie all the loose ends up and gives the reader an ending to both think about later on and to enjoy.

Again, well-written and an enjoyable thriller.

I received an e-ARC of The Turn of the Key from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rowan Cain is a former nanny, in prison awaiting her murder trial and writing to Mr. Wrexham, a solicitor advocate she is hoping to engage to defend her. She wants to explain the entire story from the beginning, as telling it in pieces has led to misunderstandings with investigators and her assigned advocate.

Rowan wasn't even looking for a job when the advertisement for a nanny post came up in her Google search results, but the ad seemed almost too good to be true. A high paid nanny position caring for four young girls in a beautiful but remote high tech smart house in the Scottish Highlands. She applies for the job and gets an interview and subsequently gets the job. The couple who hires her, the Elincourts, are desperate for a nanny to immediately start as they have recently run through a series of nannies. The job ends up not being what Rowan expected - the Elincourts immediately leave her alone with the girls to attend a conference. That's when the trouble starts - the children are hostile, items appear and disappear, music blasts out of the speakers in the middle of the night, the door bell rings and no one is there, and above Rowan's room is the creak, creak, creak sound of someone pacing back and forth in the dead of night. As the bizarre occurrence stack up, Rowan becomes increasingly on edge.

The Turn of the Key is an engaging, slow-burn of a novel that is part twisty whodunnit and part creepy haunting tale. So often the problem with this genre is that you can see the end coming from a mile away. That was not the case with The Turn of the Key. I recommend this novel for fans of creepy suspense.

I have been a Ruth Ware fan since the beginning, with In a Dark Dark Woods. This new book definitely did not disappoint me. Great plot and storyline. Characters are well written. Will be waiting for Ruth to write another hit book.

This book was interesting to say the least. I am to the point where I will read anything written by Ruth Ware since her books are always entertaining.
This book is about Rowan who is jail for murder. She is writing to a lawyer to try to convince him to represent her. In the letters, we learn that Rowan was a nanny and she began nannying for a rich family in a remote mansion in Scotland.
This book had a lot of good twists and was quite suspenseful, however I feel like the ends weren't tied up properly. I still have a lot of questions about what happened.
It's a good thriller and definitely kept me interested, but I wish there was another chapter or an epilogue to better sort out what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this ARC, out August 2019!

This is the third book that I've read by Ruth Ware, and I feel like she just keeps getting better. I liked The Woman in Cabin 10, and loved In a Dark, Dark Wood, but The Turn of the Key blows both of them out of the water in my opinion. What begins as a supernatural thriller turns into much, much more and kept me hanging until the last page. I honestly could not put this book down, and when I had to I was just counting the minutes until I could pick it up again. The narration style of this was an interesting one, and I think that it added a lot to the overall story. All of the twists and turns that you expect from Ware are there, and are even more amped up in some cases. I felt a little let down at how the ending wrapped up, but it was also satisfying in a way, and this would be more of a 4.5 for me because of that. I couldn't tell if I was angry or just sad by the end with how everything turned out, but this was truly a ride that thriller fans are going to love.

Another great release from Ruth Ware. This story keeps you guessing until the bitter end, and has you constantly questioning what is real and what is not. A fun, fairly quick read.

Ruth Ware's The Turn of the key was quite an exciting experience to read. The pace was quick and the suspense was palpable. I found myself not wanting to read this when I was home alone because it was all so very creepy throughout the whole book. The twists were wonderful and not something I figured out immediately. While there were a few details that didn't quite add up I was willing to overlook them because the rest of the book was so suspenseful.

A young, 27 year old woman lives in London and works at Little Nippers. While online looking at something else, she sees an advertisement for a live-in nanny in the isolated Scottish highlands. The money is unbelievable! She decides that she wants this interview very, very much. Without giving anything away, I would say that this is a very spooky, atmospheric read. If you've read the Turn of the Screw, you'll have an idea of the flavor of this book with a modern twist: a smart home. Doors, curtains, shower heads and water temperature, lights are all controlled from a small pad in the room (or from a cell phone or iPad with permissions). There are cameras and speakers everywhere. I finished this the first night my husband was away from home, maybe not the best thing...yikes (but in the best way)!
Thank you, Ruth Ware for the adrenaline!
#Netgalley

Ruth Ware is nothing if not prolific, which always makes me nervous as a reader (Can someone really churn out novels at this pace and keep the quality sufficient? Eek!)

Fortunately, Ware appears to be defying my expectations about overly prolific authors, as her work has for the most part gotten better rather than worse since her first novel was published. I didn’t like The Lying Game, but otherwise Ware’s books have been a case study in honing your craft as your career progresses.

The Turn of the Key is a bit different than Ware’s previous novels. This is modern gothic at its finest, a delight for readers like me who love creepy house/creepy kids/creepy domestic staff tropes. This book had ALL of those along with the stellar pacing and high suspense we’ve come to expect from Ware.

This one was a standout for me among Ware’s work because of the exceptionally rendered high gothic atmosphere. The book also had a good (semi-surprising) solve and employs Ware’s signature gleefully flippant tone, which I find to be a delightful way to lighten a mystery with content that could have become too heavy if handled differently.

Well done as usual, Ms. Ware.

I could not put this book down. But the ending has left me haunted. I may come back and change my stars, but right now I will stick with the three. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. I thought the story was excellent.

This is the best book I've read all year! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. Let me say that I have been anticipating this book for a while, as all of Ruth Ware's books have been amazing, and it did not dissapoint. The idea of a thriller set in a older home with smart home capabilitie is brilliant. Let me say that it had me guessing and I did not expect that ending, at all. It is rare now to read mystery/thrillers where the ending is not obvious but this book was an exception. Well done!

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!!!!!