The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware – a Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes / Google Play / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
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.

Review:

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is another one of her exciting and intense thrillers. Rowan Caine is in jail, having been accused of murdering a child; she is desperate to prove her innocence.  The story starts with her writing a letter to a solicitor to plead for his help, and detailing everything that happened from beginning to end, and that she did not kill the child.

We learn early that Rowan was offered a job to go to Heatherbrae House in Scotland and be a nanny for a family’s three children; the money is very good, and Rowan wanted to leave her existing job. On her arrival she meets the lady of the house, who is welcoming and Rowan s thrilled by the home that has modern technology and conveniences.  She will quickly learn that their were 4 nannies previously in less than a year that left, and the children tell her the ‘ghosts’ do not want her there.   Is the house haunted?

In a matter of days, the husband and wife go on a business trip leaving Rowan with the two girls (the 3^rd girl is away at school until later in the book); Jean, the housekeeper and Jack, the handyman. Jack did turn out to be a friend to Rowan, helping her out when things go wrong, and they do go very wrong.   Each night she can hear creaking footsteps, and missing items; even a doll’s head, a locked closet or being taken by the girls to a poison garden.   Rowan at first ignores things, but with each passing day, things do get worse and she is desperately trying to fight off her panic.  Though this was a thriller, I felt it had too much of the ‘creepy factor’, causing me not to enjoy it as much.

What follows is a dark, scary and intriguing thriller that has us on the edge of our seats, with many twists and surprises as we race to the climax.  I do not want to give spoilers, as it will definitely ruin things for those reading this book.  I thought The Turn of the Key was a well written story by Ruth Ware.  I did think the ending was a little rushed, and a shocker or two that I never expected.  I did feel that it left a little bit open at the end.  But that is my opinion.  If you like a thriller with a bit of creepiness, then I suggest you read The Turn of the Key.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher