Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

So I am now going to go read all of Ruth Ware's other novels. The suspense in this one was absolutely killer, and I must have more.

The Turn of the Key is The Turn of the Screw (which I never read I just know about because it is old and spooky) meets Smart House. Rowan, a nanny who is jailed for killing a child in her care, is writing a letter to Mr. Rexham, hoping he will be her new lawyer while she is awaiting trial. Her letter begins before her interview then continues on until her imprisonment. We follow her arriving at this fabulous old house in Scotland that is half victorian opulence and half brutally modern, the whole thing completely a 'smart home' full of cameras and speakers. It is a wonderful combination of whodunnit and who is going to actually die.

I really liked almost everything about this book. The one thing I didn't like was the implication at the end; I was not bothered by who did it, but by the implied choice made by a character at the end. It didn't make emotional sense to me, and it didn't make legal sense either. I am vague because spoilers; if you read, I am sure that is clear enough.

On to what I loved! Everything else basically. I especially loved the way Ware wrote suspense. I was jumpy and checking behind doors and absolutely glued to the book throughout. I read it with one of my little sisters, and whenever I was unable to read the book because I was waiting for her, I was thinking about it. I cannot overstate how well the suspense worked on me. I liked the secret that was absolutely not a secret from the audience, and I liked that once I met three of the four children, I immediately guessed who was going to die. I loved the complicated family tensions and how they coalesced in the end, how the pieces and behavioral patterns all made sense as we learned more about this family.

I have been a nanny, and I also liked that this really feels like a nanny feels. My nanny family was wonderful, there was no murder, and the kids were not trying to get rid of me, but I felt the authenticity of beginning a new nanny position.

I really liked Rowan as a narrator; her voice is so strong and compelling. I really understood why she was doing things, even as I wanted to stop her from doing them. Even if you don't like her, it is very easy to follow and anticipate her choices.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a domestic thriller, modern takes on old mystery tropes, or a good dark, entangled mess of a family.