The Turn of the Key (Ruth Ware)

I've read and reviewed everything Ruth Ware has written, and she is definitely one of my go-to authors, mystery or otherwise. During my bookstore days, The Woman in Cabin 10 was the book I most often recommended when customers asked for a suggestion. I am a very slow reader, but I stated in my review that I read the whole thing in a 24-hour period and raced to the end to see how Ware would wrap it up. The same thing happened to me with her latest, The Turn of the Key.

This is your classic "All alone in a big haunted house in the middle of nowhere" story; however, Rowan Caine is not "quite" alone. She answers an ad to become a live-in nanny to four children (well, three and a teenager in boarding school), a job which pays a suspiciously outrageous sum but has lost all the other nannies over the years. The house feels like it is constantly watching, and that's because it has cameras everywhere.

But this isn't where the story begins -- it starts with Rowan in prison after her stint as the nanny. She is writing letters begging Mr. Wrexham to become her new solicitor and adamantly proclaiming that she did not kill that child. So before we even get into the main gist of the novel, Ware sucks us in
with the knowledge that one of the children will end up dead and Rowan will be arrested for the murder.

From the intriguing beginning to the final twist on the last two pages (literally), Ware has created another fascinating page-turner. I may even go all the way in saying that The Turn of the Key is now my favorite Ruth Ware novel, beating out finally The Woman in Cabin 10.

MY RATING - 4

The Death of Mrs. Westaway (Ruth Ware)

Ruth Ware’s novels are incredible addictive. I consider myself a fairly slow reader, but I read The Woman in Cabin 10 very quickly. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is no different, and when it is released in May, it will most likely be Ware's latest bestseller.

Hal has certainly not had the easiest life. Her mother was run down right in front of their house, and now Hal is all alone, trying to make ends meet by reading tarot cards. One day, she receives an intriguing letter, telling her that her grandmother (Harriet Westaway) has passed away and she will receive part of a large inheritance. Since Hal doesn’t have a grandmother, she believes that the letter was mistakenly sent. However, she knows that she will not be able to last much longer with no money. Hal is a good person; however, in desperation she tries to pull off a ruse, meeting Mrs. Westaway’s large family and attempting to get some money out of the deal. Thus begins a novel of deception and deep secrets, all culminating in a heart-stopping climax.

Ware has often been called the modern day Agatha Christie. Just like her other novels, The Death of Mrs. Westaway drips with suspense, and it is very difficult to stop reading, even in the dead of night.

MY RATING - 4

The Lying Game (Ruth Ware)

A few months ago, I sat down to read Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 and finished it in a 24-hour time period.  As I said then in my review, that's very rare for me -- I usually prefer to take my time with a book to really savor it.  With that one though, I couldn't put it down.  Ware's The Lying Game didn't quite have that same effect on me, but it was still a good read.

Ware takes her own time to build up the suspense, so this is definitely a slow-burning novel.  After Isa receives a text message from her old friend Kate, she immediately packs up her baby daughter and heads to Salten to see what's wrong.  The other members of their group, Fatima and Thea, also come, and Kate tells them that a long-buried secret of what they had done as schoolgirls has returned.  These girls had once been known for playing "The Lying Game," and it seems now that they will pay the consequences as adults.

The overarching problem of The Lying Game is that none of the characters are particularly likable or even that interesting.  But since this is primarily a plot-driven novel, Ware is able to make up for this deficit with her atmospheric writing and suspenseful story.

MY RATING - 3

The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware)

It's the rare book that I read over a 24-hour time period.  I usually like to savor novels over a few days/weeks, especially the ones I'm particularly enjoying.  Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 was the exception, as I couldn't put it down and raced to the end to see how Ware would finish it.

Travel journalist Lo Blacklock has just been burglarized at her home but doesn't want to cancel the major assignment she's been given at work: to write about her experience during a week on a new cruise boat.  At the beginning, everything seems wonderful -- luxurious accommodations, delicious food/drink, and pleasant travel companions.  This is a tiny vessel, with only ten cabins, but the last cabin is empty due to a cancellation.  But one night, Lo hears what sounds like someone being dumped overboard from that cabin; she can't get anyone to believe her though because that cabin is supposed to be empty.  Except it isn't -- Lo had previously knocked on that door and talked with the woman who she thought was the inhabitant.  So what's going on here?  Did Lo witness something horrible?  Is she going mad because of the burglary?  As readers, we're never quite sure.

With the mysterious premise and plenty of suspects to go around, The Woman in Cabin 10 reads like an Agatha Christie novel.  It's well written with tons of twists, and Ware succeeds in giving the reader the same sense of claustrophobia that Lo is going through.  I couldn't put it down.

MY RATING - 4