Looking for a Modern Gothic with a twist? Check out my Review of The Turn of the Key! I am all about creepy gothic stories and a big fan of Ruth Ware. What did I think of this one? Find out in my review below! With marked SPOILERS!
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Published by Gallery/Scout by August 6, 2019. I read this book in November 2019.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley for review!
Jen’s Quick Take on Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
- Goodreads Choice Nominee for Best Mystery/Thriller of 2019
- A modern Gothic suspense story
- Epistolary format (told in a letter)
- A surprising twist!
What Else Has Ruth Ware Written?
She wrote some YA fantasy (who knew?!) but her first thriller was In A Dark Dark Wood in 2015. She followed that with The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016) and then The Lying Game (2017).
She published The Death of Mrs. Westaway (2018), then The Turn of the Key (2019), One by One (2020), The It Girl (2022), and Zero Days (2023).
What’s the Best Book by Ruth Ware? I have crunched the numbers and am here to tell you!
Review of The Turn of the Key
The Turn of the Key is classic Ruth Ware – a creepy setting, strange goings-on, and characters with secrets.
Technically, The Turn of the Key is an epistolary narrative.
The story begins as Rowan, the book’s main character, writing an impassioned letter to a lawyer whom she hopes will take her case as she’s … in prison, accused of murder.
I’m not always the greatest fan of epistolary books, but the letters were long so I could forget that they were letters.
I’d also call The Turn of the Key modern Gothic fiction.
Many Gothic books feature a governess (Jane Eyre!) who arrives at a forbidding house and soon gets the sense that there’s something strange going on.
Rowan’s letters to her lawyer tell the story of how she, miserable in her job at a child care center, applies for a live-in nanny position for a rich family in Scotland. She embellishes her credentials a little and is offered the position.
When Rowan arrives to start the job, there’s a lot of weirdness. The creepy old Victorian house has been fitted with a very modern surveillance system that tracks her every move.
Her employers immediately dump their three young children (one of who ominously warns Rowan not to take the job) on her and leave the country on business.
She’s alone and weird stuff starts to happen – noises, the alarm system randomly terrorizes her in the middle of the night. Is the house trying to kill her? She does more research into the history of the house and gets pretty creeped out. Is it haunted?
I don’t want to give too much away, but The Turn of the Key just gets spookier and then ends with a surprising twist. If you love scary stories, love Ruth Ware, or are up for a book that will keep you up at night, definitely check this one out!
What Are Other Books Like The Turn of the Key?
If you love the book’s Gothic elements, check out my post on retellings of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. You could also check out The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, which is another modern Gothic (an update of Jane Eyre.)
Have you read this or other Ruth Ware books? Talk to me in comments!
SPOILERS BELOW – if you don’t want them, don’t read ANY further:
THE TURN OF THE KEY SPOILERS: Who Killed Maddie?
Rowan’s an unreliable narrator. She’s actually the daughter of her employer, Bill, and the children are her half-siblings. But Rowan didn’t kill Maddie. Ellie killed her. Maddie was the one responsible for all the weird goings-on at the house.
I just picked this book up because I’ve heard so many people talking about it. I love Ruth Ware and I’m super excited to read this one.
Hope you love it! I did 🙂
I’ve been meaning to read one of her books. She sure is making herself a household name in this genre.
I want to try this one for size.
She is! If you like Gothic fiction, definitely try this. My second fave of hers is In a Dark, Dark Wood – which to me had less of that Gothic vibe. But she definitely seems to specialize in characters trapped in creepy settings!
I rarely read thrillers/mysteries but now that I’m caught up on the TBR/review books I’m going to give them more of a try.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Where’s the review?
Hi and welcome. I’m not exactly sure what you meant by your question. If it’s a technical issue, let me know!
If your comment meant that I didn’t say enough about the book, I have expanded the post.
But I don’t want to spoil any plot twists and that’s one reason I now separate my spoiler Discussions from my reviews.
Hope you will try joining one of those. I don’t have one for this book, but I do for The It Girl, Ruth Ware’s latest.