#79 Turn of the Key

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware 

The Turn of the Key is Ruth Wares 5th novel, ive read them all. Im a massive fan of her work and i must say this one was fantastic. Her writing style is simple yet effective and i enjoy her plot twists, this book was no exception. Ruth Ware has been described as 'The Agatha Christie of our time' which i whole heartily agree with. I could sing her praises all day.

The book follows Rowan Caine, a Londoner living pay check to pay check and working in a baby room of a nursery. When she comes across a job advertisement for a live in nanny position in remote Scotland she is instantly intrigued, when she sees the salary she decides to stop at nothing to secure the position. When Rowan arrives at Heatherbrae House she is swept away by the beautiful scenery and its remoteness. The house itself is high tech- a refurbished smart home with round the clock surveillance, in which all of the appliances are controlled via an app. Rowan is immediately informed by Mrs Elincourt the lady of the house, that a few of their previous nannies had left due to the history of the house and it is implied that they 'scared too easily'. Rowan will become the nanny to the 4 Elincourt children, three problem children and a baby. Rowan becomes their sole carer within a few hours of accepting the position and is immediately thrown into the deep end when both the parents leave for work projects. With the nearest house miles away and only the groundskeeper/handyman to rely on this novel becomes very dark, very quickly.

The book is told in letter form to a lawyer that Rowan is seeking representation from which is interesting in itself and very unique in thrillers. There is a constant creepy vibe to it, Rowan wakes in the night to footsteps on the floorboards and strange noises, she also feels constantly watched not only by the cameras that cover the majority of the house but also whilst she is on the grounds. The children are also problematic and dont exactly warm to Rowan straight away. Maddie, one of the middle childrens behaviour is unpredictable and some what volatile towards Rowan, she hints that the house is haunted and that 'the ghosts wont like her being there'. When one of the children is found dead Rowan maintains her innocence but is charged with the murder and is awaiting her trial, the book is her account of what really happened told in a letter to a potential solicitor. Will we find out what really happened at Heatherbrae House?

My only gripe with this book was the ending. It felt very rushed and not satisfying after all the build up, i was heavily invested in the story and then left it feeling a bit of an anti-climax. Dont get me wrong this was still a solid 4 star read but if the ending was better executed it would have been a 5 star read for me. The twist was enjoyable but was hinted at a few times throughout so was easily worked out but still executed fairly well. I eagerly await Ruth Wares next book.