The Turn of the Key

Ruth Ware

Aug 2019 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A superb suspense writer…Brava, Ruth Ware. I daresay even Henry James would be impressed.” —Maureen Corrigan, author of So We Read On

“This appropriately twisty Turn of the Screw update finds the Woman in Cabin 10 author in her most menacing mode, unfurling a shocking saga of murder and deception.” —Entertainment Weekly

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes this thrilling novel that explores the dark side of technology.

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder—but somebody is.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Ratings and reviews

I'm assuming from the title and premise that The Turn of the Key is a retelling of a certain drawn out James novel. Actually, I didn't make the connection until I started reading. Maybe it's because I'm older now, or maybe not, but this one held my interest and didn't drag nearly like I was afraid it might once the connection clicked. Ruth Ware gives us a modern day smart home with all the bells and whistles, yet she still manages to give the story a Gothic feel. There is a lot of the mundane, taking care of kids, everyday stuff to get through, but interspersed throughout the story we get strange sounds, drafts, sinister comments, a rather strange family, and a nanny with secrets. Oh, and it's all wrapped up and tied in a pretty little bow with a completely unreliable narrator in Rowan as she tells the story via letters to a solicitor. Smart house or no, I can't imagine reading this one and not feeling the need to occasionally look over your shoulder as you notice all those little noises that houses make. I will add that this one does take a good amount of suspension of disbelief, especially in this age of everything being on the internet. There were a few too many key elements that just couldn't have happened in this day and age. That would normally be a deal breaker for me, but this time it wasn't. Whether is was the writing, which is quite good, the creepy atmosphere, the secrets, or a combination of it all, I enjoyed the read. I also enjoyed the twists. It does take a while to get there, and I did have one figured out, but I still enjoyed them. I think the final twist will receive mixed reviews with some liking it more than others, but I am firmly in the former category. In the end, unbelievable or not, I found The Turn of the Key hard to put down from the very beginning, and I will be checking out more of this author's work.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is a Suspense Mystery Thriller that has scary and creepy plot twists to the very last pages. I have read every book Ruth Ware has written and enjoyed each one. In this book the characters are intriguing but all seem to have very disturbing personality traits and values. The smart house blended with a Victorian house was an interesting addition since both added to the creepiness of the story. I enjoyed this book except for the ending. There was no real resolution of what happened to the characters except for one person. To the very last pages I would have given this book 5 Stars but because of what I felt was an unresolved ending I will give it 4 Stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just wow! I loved this book so much. The characters were all great. I felt they were easy to connect to and imagine as real. It honestly read less like fiction and more like I self told true crime. I was kept curious throughout the entire story. The ending was very sad but unfortunately so inline with human nature! #ruthware #theturnofthekey #bookstagram #bookreview #5star #lallahbookreview #readinginlallahland

About the author

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.