The Maid ⭑⭑⭑⭑
Genre: Mystery
US Publication: January 4, 2022
Print: 304 pages
Audio: 9 hours
Confetti Rating: 4 stars
REVIEW:
The prevailing thought I had while immersed in The Maid is that this is the book people who didn’t like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine wanted to read. If Eleanor’s corners were just a little too sharp, The Maid’s make for a nice, squishy alternative.
Like Eleanor, the titular maid, Molly Gray, is socially awkward in an eccentric, unlabeled way and leads a pretty solitary existence. Her dear Gran has just died, but she carries on with her dedication to her job as a fancy hotel housekeeper. She delights in returning each guest room to its previous state of perfection!
Then one day, wouldn’t you know it, she finds a dead body in one of the suites. Before you can say feather duster five times fast, Molly gets caught up in the police investigation as a witness and potential suspect. Cozy, upbeat mystery ensues!
The Maid is really a delightful read, and I don’t have a negative thing to say about it. While I don’t think I loved it quite as much as many of my trusted reviewer pals, I’m sure I’ll be recommending it to people at least as often as I have my recently-acquired Bissell CrossWave All-in-One Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac.
While I’d like to thank the author and Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy of The Maid to review via NetGalley, I would NOT like to thank Bissell seeing as how I had to shell out some big-ass cash for that kick-ass vac myself.
Oh, and the expected US publication date of The Maid is January 4, 2022. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that this early-month timing is set to coincide with the announcement of the novel as a celebrity book club pick. What say you, crystal ball?
PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:
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.