The Nanny

Author: Gilly MacMillan
Genre: Suspense
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: William Morrow
First Published: September 10, 2019
Opening Lines: The water closes over the body. Swallows it.

Book Description from GoodReads: When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.

My Rating: 2 stars

My Review: There's lots of buzz about this thriller but it just wasn't for me. I think the author was going for Gothic mystery/family drama and for awhile it was working. 

And then it wasn't. 

First, there were too many pieces to the story which didn't flow well together. Second, (and this one surprised me) readers are told the plot 'twists' early on. Kind of blows the whole suspense angle out of the water! Readers are left with a long-winded, underwhelming story featuring insipid characters who made silly decisions based on weak (and sometimes unexplained) motivations. It never quite captured my interest, but I soldiered on, skimming much of the second half to see how things would end. 

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. It had a good premise, but it was frustratingly contrived, much too long and unfortunately, I thought it lacked tension, character development and the ability to hold this avid suspense reader's attention.