Told in Ruth Ware's signature gothic style - albeit with a few modern additions this time (the ULTIMATE smart house, equipped with voice recognition, personalized shower experiences, mood lighting, music and of course, cameras), The Turn of the Key does a fantastic job of building the suspense page by page. The prologue lets us know that Rowan is sitting in jail accused of murder for one of the children she is nannying for - via a letter she writes to a lawyer enlisting his help. We then start at the beginning to how this job is landed and the events that eventually land her in her current predicament.

The suspense builds with each page, the tension is palpable and will leave you eager to know what is going on. Many nannies have been scared off before Rowan - but what exactly is lurking under the surface at Heatherbrae House?

I enjoyed the build up here and The Turn of the Key really is a slow burn, however, the payoff was just not exciting enough for the level of slow burn here, in my opinion. I think fans of Ware's will still enjoy this one as it has her signature writing style, but this one missed the mark a bit for me.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout press for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Definitely captivating! I was really into this and just feel a little let down by the ending. It wasn’t bad at all but I guess I just wanted more!

I felt like this was a revised version of the Death of Mrs. Westaway, far too many similarities and all the characters were insufferable. A lot of the plot was really unbelievable and the ending felt very unsatisfying.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I was captivated from the get go- I really like Ruth Ware’s other novels! This one was excellent through about halfway through and then it starts to get... meh. It’s not that its bad... it’s just very anticlimactic. And the ending leaves a whole lot to be desired. Total bummer, but I’ll live ;)

I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the start! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The story is told from the perspective of Rowan, a nanny who is currently in jail for the murder of a child that was in her care. She has written a letter to a very prestigious lawyer in the hopes that he will believe that she was not responsible for this. She tells the lawyer her story, from the beginning of finding the job posting online, to the bitter end when she found the dead child. There are so many twists in this story and the ending is SHOCKING. This book was AMAZING!!! I highly recommend!

Another fantastic book from Ruth Ware. This one kept me reading for an entire day. I could not put it down. I loved how the plot had lots of twists and turns. I do wish that the last "twist" wasn't in the last few pages though... It left me a bit confused. Thank you for the advanced copy. I have already recommended to all my reader friends.

I’m a huge Ruth Ware fan and have read and enjoyed all of her books, but this was by far my favorite. Right from the start, we learn that the protagonist, Rowan, is in prison writing to employ the help of a solicitor to help her overturn the charge of murder for which she is incarcerated. And then she dives right into her story. I was captivated from the very start and would have read this straight through had I unlimited time to read.

Rowan travels to isolated northern Scotland to become a nanny for a rich and eccentric family. The remote location, including old gothic architecture and an actual poison garden on the grounds, has a very creepy vibe which immediately sets the unreliable narrator, along with the reader, on edge right up to the end of the book. Ware brilliantly executes multiple twists, none of which I saw coming. From start to finish, this was an absolute, pulse-pounding joy to read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery/Scout Press and Ruth Ware for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Somewhat disappointing. I have enjoyed most of Ruth Ware's other books, especially In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. For the positives here, the environment and characters definitely lent well to the creepy environment of the house. The main plot (a child who the nanny is in charge of is dead and she has been charged with the murder, but swears she is innocent). is compelling, and it is not one of those predictable thrillers where you see the twists coming a mile away. My main complaint here is the pacing of this book. NOTHING at all happens except a bunch of creepy things in the house for the first 85% of the book. Then in the last 50 or so pages, everything happens and the truth is revealed. And also in the last few pages there is a big "twist" but said twist has absolutely no bearing on the rest of the plot, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.

I adore Ruth Ware's books and this immediately became my favorite as I read it in one sitting! It has all her classic features: suspense, unreliable, often unlikable characters, a masterful and intricate plot, and gothic elements for the creep factor we readers have come to know and love! When Rowan applies for a nanny job in Scotland, she is lured by the money as well as the promise that the house and grounds are magnificent. And yes, it is a "smart" house with all the requisite bells and whistles...and cameras, lights, and music all controlled by an app. The children are a handful which is not surprising as she learns that at least four previous nannies haven't lasted. Then as she begins to hear strange noises above her bedroom, she suspects all is not as it seems. And of course it never is with Ware's novels! Needless to say, this book will keep you hooked until the very end and I can guarantee you will not see it coming! Run, don't walk to pre-order this one out in early August!

The Turn of the Key was a 5 star read for so many reasons. It was the perfect suspense novel that had me jumping at every sound and gave me chills multiple times. Ruth Ware is the master of creating a tense atmosphere with an overwhelming feeling that you’re trapped right along with the characters.

The story opens with our protagonist writing to an attorney from prison. She has been accused of a terrible crime and is claiming innocence. The story unravels in her letters, her finding a perfect nannying job in the countryside of Scotland, yet four other nannies have come and gone just before her. She settles into Heatherbrae House, a Victorian mansion turned into a smart house, and is left alone with the three girls after the first night. It is immediately clear there is something sinister at work that has been driving these nannies out. As Rowan spends more time at the house, she learns more about its disturbing past and she is kept from sleep by bizarre noises and interruptions of blasting music or freezing cold temperatures in the night. Is it a malfunction with the house or something else entirely more terrifying? So sleep deprived she feels like she’s going mad, Rowan continues down this spiral until the unimaginable happens and one of the girls winds up dead. Ruth Ware writes suspense with a skilled hand, each detail laced with a dark edge. She also has the unique ability to describe the house in a way it feels like a character in itself. I love everything Ruth Ware writes, but this one surpassed In a Dark, Dark Wood as my favorite of hers.