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  • The Turn of the Key

  • By: Ruth Ware
  • Narrated by: Imogen Church
  • Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,405 ratings)

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The Turn of the Key cover art

The Turn of the Key

By: Ruth Ware
Narrated by: Imogen Church
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

I know you don’t know me but you have to help me. I didn’t kill anyone.

When Rowan stumbles across the advert, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss: a live-in nanny position, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten by the luxurious ‘smart’ home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

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

She knows she’s made mistakes. But she’s not guilty – at least not of murder. Which means someone else is…

Full of spellbinding menace, The Turn of the Key is a gripping modern-day haunted house novel.

©2019 Ruth Ware (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Will hold you captive until the brilliant ending." (Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door)

"So clever and original.... Pure suspense, from the first gripping page to the last shocking twist." (Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said)

"Creepy, engrossing, and oh-so-hard to put down." (JP Delaney, author of The Girl Before)

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What listeners say about The Turn of the Key

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Amazing

This book was amazing. It was full of twists and turns and it keeps you wanting to listen, all the time. Highly recommend this audio book. 😮😮😮💖

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The complete package

This is everything you'd look for in an audio book. The plot is well constructed, not overly complex but has its really great moments. The characters all stand out for us and are well defined. The narration is excellent. The narrator has taken the time to read the book, got to know the book and puts in a great performance on every line.

The only one slightly irritating thing is a slight overdose of the upper middle classes. We have many uses of the word "supper" not dinner. For some reason, for me this word smacks of people who've never done a proper day's work in their lives.

Anyway, I digress. This book is great. If you want to listen in large doses then you won't be able to stop. For a short bedtime listen then you won't find it a problem to follow the story over a period of several weeks or months.

This really is as close to a perfect audio book as I've ever found. I really like the other Ruth Ware stories as well.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bravo Imogen Church!

I really enjoyed Ruth Ware's unsettling story and it was read brilliantly by Imogen Church, she did a fantastic job. I particularly liked the "creeeeeaaaaak"s :) Definitely worth a credit.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

turn of the key is worth a turn!

Imogen church not only narrates but captures these characters perfectly. such a spooky holiday read

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • jj
  • 14-10-19

Fab

Utterly brilliant from beginning to end and the narrator did a stellar performance job. I couldn’t stop listening and was gripped from beginning to end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I loved it but.....

Why did it end like that?? I wanted to know more! Narration perfect from Imogen Church as always.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The behaviour of the characters is not believable.

I liked the premise of this book and it parts it was quite creepy. But I don’t believe that anyone would behave like they did in this book.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but the end is just not believable at all.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

loved it. kept me on the edge of my seat.listened at every opportunity. Well narrated

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I thought it was a thriller turned horror

Do you know what I’m glad I stuck at it. It was an alright listen. The twist at the end I didn’t expect. The narrator Imogen Church is a class, best narrator on audible.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A tribute to gothic ghost stories with modern flair

As a huge fan of archetypal haunted-house stories this one has become an instant favourite of mine. The actions of all the characters involved feel far more human and believable than the vast majority of ghost stories, with each turn and secret ultimately fully in keeping with the established personalities of each character. Unlike so many other stories of this kind you never find yourself frustrated by irrational behaviours. Even the many characters’ secrets are all surprisingly mundane and human, managing never to feel contrived but also keeping the motivation to keep the secret totally understandable, a very fine line to walk. And without spoiling things I found the ending one of the most satisfying, though tragic, that I have read (heard), that really manages to pull together all the strings present throughout the novel. As a final comment, the narration is some of the best I have ever heard, conveying a very human sense of exasperation, frustration and despair in turn that completely compliments the tone of the novel. The accents too felt genuine to me when they came up, although I’ve a tin ear for accents so I may be off the mark there. All told this is one of the most enjoyable audiobooks I’ve purchased and I’ll definitely be looking at other stories from this author and/or narrator.

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