The Turn of the Key

In The Turn of the Key, Ruth Ware takes Henry James’ classic novella, The Turn of the Screw, plants it in the Scottish Highlands, and gives it a 21st-century makeover. She establishes a few things in her 2019 version immediately: a nanny named Rowan Caine is writing from prison, a child has been killed, and Rowan claims she didn’t have anything to do with it. Through her letters, Rowan reveals how she obtained employment as a live-in nanny for a posh couple at a remote but expansive country estate, and how the house, outfitted as a “smart home,” kept her under constant surveillance. There were signs that this gig, and its hefty paycheck, were too good to be true: the past four nannies all quit, and one of the children warned Rowan to stay away. Through an unreliable narrator, creepy kids, and seemingly haunted grounds, Ware builds a looming suspense that keeps readers on their toes until the last page. —Meg Zukin

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