I am your maid.
I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry.
But what do you know about me?
Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice?
But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?
Escapist, charming and introducing a truly original heroine, The Maid is a story about how the truth isn’t always black and white – it’s found in the dirtier, grey areas in between . . .
Book Information: Print Length: 346 pages. Publisher: HarperCollins. Publication Date: 20 Jan 2022
Nita Prose is Vice President/Editorial Director at Simon & Schuster in Canada and has worked at several publishing houses during her career. The Maid is her debut novel.
Visit her at nitaprose.com or on Twitter: @NitaProse.
My Review:
“Gran used to say, Never mind what others think; it’s what you think that matters. And I agree. One must live by their own moral code, not follow like a sheep blindly.”
Full disclosure: I was seeing lots of recommendations for The Maid on my online Facebook Book Club (TBC) and having quickly read the first few lines of the blurb “I am your maid. I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry. But what do you know about me?” I downloaded it thinking “oooh this sounds dark and creepy” and we all know how much I LOVE a psychological thriller!! However within the first few pages it because glaringly obvious this was NOT a dark thriller, it’s what we love to call a “quirky, cosy, murder-mystery” and thankfully my second favourite genre is anything that contains a quirky protagonist. PHEW!
Meet Molly, a 25 year old woman abandoned by her mother as a baby and raised by her loving and wonderful grandmother until her recent death. Molly is socially awkward and unable to read social situations, naive and often the victim of ridicule and bullying, she works at The Regency Grand Hotel as a maid and it meticulous, dedicated and takes her job very seriously.
“There’s nothing quite like a perfectly stocked maid’s trolley early in the morning. It is, in my humble opinion, a cornucopia of bounty and beauty.”
When Molly discovers the body of an important guest in one of the suites, her world is turned upside down, especially as Molly’s inability to process or understand the gravity of the situation makes her appear guilty when the police begin their investigation in to the suspected murder.
“Today at work, I found a guest very dead in his bed. Mr. Black. The Mr. Black. Other than that, my work day was as normal as ever.”
If you enjoyed Ove, Eleanor Oliphant, Elvira Carr then you will adore Molly. Her innocence and observational comments are endearing, heartwarming and occasionally heartbreaking. There are moments when you want to grab her and tell her that not everyone is good and kind, that there are bad people out there who will use her and abuse her kindness and naivety.
Although I did find the story predictable and knew pretty much what was going to happen, I absolutely adored the characters, the plot and more importantly all the incredible little “Mollyisms” – her observational comments were BRILLIANT. The moments when Molly recalls all her grandmother’s advice, support and unconditional love was so moving and there were many moments that I wish I had a “Gran” in my life to give me such incredible guidance.
I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and can’t wait to read more from this author.
“The best way to feel better is by tidying up! If you feel sad, just grab a duster, Buster!“
