The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

"I am the nanny in the Elincourt case, Mr. Wrexham. And I didn't kill that child."

What it's about: This gothic suspense novel is told in first person via a letter format. The 27-year-old nanny has been remanded to HMP Charnworth (in Scotland) awaiting her murder trial and is trying to get Wrexham to agree to represent her as her solicitor advocate. She's not been happy with her present solicitor, Mr. Gates, as she perceives that he hasn't listened to a word she's said. So she decides to lay out the full story, from the beginning, for Wrexham. She admits to many misdeeds and mistakes during the duration of her employment with the Elincourt family, but insists that she is innocent. Yes, she applied for the position as live-in nanny for the family - Bill and Sandra (the parents, both architects with their own firm necessitating a lot of time away from the home) a 14-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, 8-year-old Maddie, 5-year-old Ellie and the baby, Petra, is 18 months. Despite the nanny's desperation to get the job at the beautiful renovated SMART home, Heatherbrae House, Carn Bridge, things start going wrong almost immediately. Her dream job turned into a nightmare and it ends with one of the children dead. NO SPOILERS.

Why you should read it: I love a slow build gothic suspense novel and this one is most definitely that. As you read about the nanny's experiences, the superstitions and tales of haunting and ghosts, the isolated setting, the sense of menace increases even though it's hard to tell what might be going on. The characters add to the foreboding with the young, handsome handyman, Jack Grant, who just happens to show up when she needs him most. The housekeeper who seems to hate her on sight. The children, who are obstinate and difficult. She's alone and scared. I liked her and felt for her predicament. I believed her story. I wonder if you will too? The writing is excellent and I liked the first person narrator style though the ending came a bit abruptly and was quite surprising. I'm sure that you'll want to discuss this title with friends who have read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book ARC to read and review. I've read most of the books written by this author and will definitely be waiting for her next one.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre-- gothic thriller