The Turn of the Key Hardcover – 6 Aug. 2019

As this book begins we find Rowan Caine imprisoned for the murder of a child. We don't know which child has died but we do know that the child was in Rowan's care when she died and we also know that Rowan strongly refutes the notion that she is guilty. An account of what happened is narrated in retrospect by Rowan.Rowan takes a job as a nanny in a house in the remote Scottish highlands, caring for two small girls and a baby. There's also a teenage girl who's due back from boarding school in a week's time. Immediately Rowan takes up post the parents head off south on work business leaving her in charge of the household. The little girls are inexplicably hostile and frightening things keep happening- lights and music coming on in the middle of the night, footsteps coming from the roof space above Rowan's bedroom, etc, etc. Could these events be linked to the mysterious death of a child in the house years earlier and what is behind the mysterious locked door in Rowan's room? The author was hinting that there was ghostly activity but it seemed obvious to me that it was all being orchestrated by a human hand. That then raised the question of who was behind it all and why were they doing it? There were a few suspects and I had various theories - it was great fun to speculate!I felt that where this novel fell down was in the utter implausibility of the solution to the mystery. No spoilers here so I won't go into details. Suffice to say that this is an enjoyable tale provided the reader is willing to suspend a great deal of disbelief.

This truly was a great read from start to finish , strange noises, unexplained things happening but who's behind it all?. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

When Rowan stumbles across the advert, it seems too good to be true: a live-in nanny position for a picture-perfect family in a luxurious ‘smart’ home paying a staggeringly generous salary! Rowan isn’t even looking for a job but the opportunity seems too good to pass up. What she doesn’t know is that she is stepping into a nightmare. One that will end with a child dead and herself in prison.While awaiting trial for murder, Rowan becomes desperate to tell her side of the story and decides to write to Mr Wrexham, a lawyer she hopes will represent her in court. What follows is Rowan’s spine-chilling recount of the build up of ominous events leading to her incarceration. She knows she’s made mistakes; she knows she hasn’t always told the truth, but she maintains, with ardent determination, that she did NOT kill that child. So who did?This book was so freaking creepy and by far Ware’s best book in my opinion. The storytelling was so spellbindingly atmospheric and eerie throughout, I questioned many a time whether this was in fact a ghost story rather than a mere thriller. There is certainly an air of gothic fiction to this tale which I resolutely adored and hope to read more of. While there were a few plot holes, the overall premise of this book was exceptional, making it a solid 5 ⭐️ read!

You know how the saying goes, if something is too good to be true, then it usually is.When Rowan comes across a nanny job with very high pay, alarm bells went off in my head instantly. The house maybe in the middle of nowhere and cut off from civilisation but it doesn’t really warrant the extremely high pay, although something must be wrong due to previous nanny’s not lasting more than a few months at a time.I loved the remote setting in Scotland. The house which had been left to ruin has been renovated to a very high and ultra modern standard which I have to admit, I was very much with Rowan in disliking just how modern it is. Cameras in the rooms, it just sent a shiver down my spine. There is also a ghost like feel to this story. Strange things are happening, usually during the middle of the night and as there aren’t too many people to point the finger at, it does make you wonder if the gossip about the old house is true.The Turn of the Key has a spooky and sinister air to it. I like how the author has written this story with the main character telling her story through the form of a letter. It kept my interest piqued as the story built up to what led Rowan to be in prison. It’s obvious that secrets are being hidden which leads to some shocking revelations, more so one as I had guessed one part of one secret but was bowled over when it all comes out as I hadn’t seen the other part coming. An eerily thrilling read!