The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware Review

The Turn of the Key| Ruth Ware| Simon & Schuster| Pub: August 6, 2019

I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware, but I have to admit that this book doesn’t compare to how much I loved The Woman in Cabin 10.

It was a very slow-paced read, there was barely any action and I felt like it was dragging on. The book did pick up near the end but overall, it was kind of excruciating to read.

I still gave this book 4 stars, so there are other things I quite enjoyed! Firstly, you can always count of Ruth Ware to deliver an atmospheric vibe! A super technological advanced mansion in the middle of the woods? Yes please. That definitely increased the creepiness factor.

I also really enjoyed the creativity of the writing. The book was narrated by letters written by the main character, as she was sending them to a solicitor in hopes that he would help get her out of jail. Super creative! I’ve never seen anything like that done before.

Finally, I loved the unpredictable twists and the great ending! The ending wasn’t a complete surprise, but I still really enjoyed it. Again, my biggest complaint is how slow-paced this book was.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

Synopsis

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 unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, 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, Jack Grant.

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. Which means someone else is.

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