Julie 's Reviews > The Turn of the Key

Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is a 2019 Gallery/Scout Press publication.

Ware is back on track in this tense tale of suspense!!

I have loved Ruth Ware since I read ‘In a Dark, Dark Wood’, yet, I really struggled with her previous book. I didn’t lose my confidence in Ware, however, and eagerly jumped into this, her latest effort, with gusto- and I was not disappointed!!

As the story opens it becomes clear that Rowan Caine, a former nanny, is sitting in prison accused of having killed a child in her care. Through the letters Rowan has written to a prospective attorney, she explains how she came to be there, taking us all the way back to the moment she answered a classified ad for what Rowan would consider a dream job in her chosen field of childcare. Rowan seems thrilled to be considered for such a great opportunity and is genuinely nervous and excited when she is given the job.

The technologically advanced smart home Rowan gets to live in is fancy and modern, especially the state of the art kitchen, but the enormous venom thrown at her by one of her charges, coupled with a host of strange noises and occurrences, keeps Rowan on edge day and night, turning her dream job into the stuff nightmares are made of…

I think Ware’s most prominent asset, is her ability to quickly create a mood or atmosphere which sneakily draws readers into her well-constructed web. Once ensnared readers soon find themselves trapped, unable to escape until the very last sentence of the book has been read. This story is hypnotizing, and Ware kept me off guard from start to finish…. And what a finish!!

While I had some suspicions, I was mostly caught off guard by the twists and although the ending is a bit ambiguous, I liked it!! I have my own theories, and others will have theirs, making this a fun book to discuss, debate and dissect.

The author is gifted at dropping clues and hiding little Easter eggs within the story, but I was so distracted by the mind games I didn’t pick up on them until after I’d finished reading the book.

Very, very sneaky and clever of Ms. Ware! Well done! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and of course am eagerly anticipating her next release!