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The Turn of the Key

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The Turn of the Key

Written by: Ruth Ware
Narrated by: Imogen Church
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About this listen

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes Ruth Ware’s highly anticipated fifth novel.

When Rowan stumbles across an ad for a live-in nanny, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” house fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What Rowan doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and Rowan in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, Rowan struggles to explain the unravelling events that have 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 children, 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.

Rowan 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.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Highlander Crime Mystery Thriller Technology Murder
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I’m a huge Ruth Ware fan, but this is not her best novel. I found it very repetitive - to the point of annoyance. I understand that she was trying to build the suspense throughout the novel, but it felt like there wasn’t enough of a story to keep the reader interested. The whole climax came in the last chapter - some of which the reader will guess and the rest just doesn’t play as the big bombshell of an ending you feel promised. At least that’s how I felt... Especially in comparison with The Woman in Cabin 10 or In a Dark Dark Wood.

Not her best

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I really enjoyed this one of Ware’s. I’ve enjoyed most of her books (did not care for the Lying Game), but this one might be my new favourite. The mystery was well-plotted and I only figured out a few of the twists before they were revealed. The narrator was fantastic and made the story come alive. You could clearly tell which character was speaking at any given time and her pacing was great. I would definitely recommend this book for mystery lovers or fans of Ruth Ware’s other works.

Engaging mystery; fantastic narrator

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A really well done story! Twists and turns to the end. Great ending one of my favourites from Ruth Ware!

Another great Story by Ruth Ware

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The narrator made this book come to life!!! the story was amazing and exciting. I listen to the book to and from work and it was hard not to listen in between! the pace of the story was excellent and every detail was necessary to tell the story. I did not want it to end!!

AWESOME!!

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The very beginning was a bit too repetitive(all the term started letters) but once she finally got the story going, I was hooked.

Rowan has a few weaknesses that I think the author failed on hence the 4 star. Really I was going to give it 3 but I did like the ending. (And I definitly don’t enjoy not knowing what happened with the solicitor or her case ...)

Grabs you right off the start!

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