Book Review: The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid's Secret

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 318

Release Date: February 20, 2023

Genre: Psychological Fiction

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…

It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.

It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…

That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.

Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go…

This absolutely explosive and shockingly twisty sequel to international bestseller The Housemaid will keep you racing through the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose, The Woman in the Window and Gone Girl will be totally hooked! This book can also be enjoyed as a standalone.

I became a huge fan of Freida McFadden after reading The Housemaid so was excited to read this one. And, while it was good I felt it was a little flat compared to the first in the series.

Millie has taken another job cleaning houses. Douglas Garrick seems decent, and their penthouse is beyond gorgeous. He tells Millie that his wife is ill and that she isn't to be disturbed. But, as the plot develops Millie can't help but wonder why she never sees Mrs. Garrick. And what are the noises she hears? And why does she hear crying? When Millie finally sees Mrs. Garrick she realizes that Douglas is a monster. What is she willing to do to help?

The first half of the book I found a little slow but then it picked up. I still enjoyed the first book more but this was a solid read and will keep me a fan ready to read more. 

#1 Amazon and USA TODAY bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

To hear Freida talk more about herself in the third person, visit her website: https://www.freidamcfadden.com/