The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

July 15, 2019

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The first time that I realized that my iPhone and iPad “talk” to each other (usually when I’m not around), I was totally creeped out.  Ruth Ware takes that uneasy feeling to its highest level in her latest novel, The Turn of the Key.

When Rowan Cain comes across a job posting for a live-in nanny at an incredible salary, she thinks it must be too good to be true but applies anyway.  She gets the job and at first, it seems like a perfect situation in a beautiful house in the Scottish Highlands.  The parents are both architects, and their house is a “smart” house designed to test out various kinds of technologies, including touchpad controls, surveillance cameras in most of the rooms, and a super-stove that cooks meals by itself.

But the children that Rowan met at her interview turn out to be far different from who they actually are, and the house’s remote location and sinister history unnerve Rowan as they have the four previous nannies (there is even a poison garden on the grounds).  However, Rowan is hiding her own secrets, and when disaster strikes, finds herself accused of murder.

Gothic and creepy.  The title and the story are both a play on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, set in a “smart” house instead of a haunted house.  This would be a great spooky read for the Halloween season.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.