Book Review: The Maid by Nita Prose

Title: The Maid

Author: Nita Prose

Release Date: January 4, 2022

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Mystery

Format: Ebook/Hardcover/Paperback/Audio
Pages: 280
Source: Netgalley

Purchasing:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “A twist-and-turn whodunit, set in a five-star hotel, from the perspective of the maid who finds the body. Think Clue. Think page-turner.”—Glamour

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Glamour, W magazine, PopSugar, The Rumpus, Book Riot, CrimeReads, She Reads

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Molly is one of the most unique characters I have ever encountered in reading. I have read some reviews that say they think she is possibly on the spectrum and I would have to agree. I thoroughly enjoyed how she was portrayed, very scheduled in what she did every day, and even through the loss of her Grandmother she continues following her routine because it is what she knows and thrives on.

When she finds a guest dead in one of the rooms, and becomes a suspect it is hard to believe. She has become more than friendly over time with the wife of the dead guest and when she finds out the betrayal that she was involved in it changes everything. Thankfully she has some really great friends who are more than willing to go to bat for her and help her in any way they can.

A good mystery, not earth shattering but a book that I would recommend because it was enjoyable and held my interest. 

Meet the Author:

Nita Prose is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean. Follow Nita on Instagram @nitaprose or Twitter @NitaProse