The Maid

The Maid gave me a delightful book hangover.

The Maid is a slow-burn mystery with a memorable, neurodivergent main character in Molly Gray, a 25-year-old hotel maid at a posh hotel. Molly views the world differently than others and is proudly meticulous, adheres to schedules with the utmost precision but has difficulty interpreting social cues, often making her the butt of jokes. When Molly discovers a dead body while cleaning a room, she finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation. Armed with years of watching Columbo episodes with her beloved Gran, Gran's inspirational tidbits to guide her, and her social invisibility as a maid, she hopes to get to the bottom of this mess. 

“It’s easier than you’d ever think—existing in plain sight while remaining largely invisible. That’s what I’ve learned from being a maid.”

This story felt like the love child of a cozy locked room mystery and a charming story about relationships and otherness. It has great depth and a main character who is delightful, honest, resilient and 100% herself at all times - despite how that makes others around her react. You'll adore Molly's manner of speaking and through her narration the reader gets a bird's eye view of what life is like for Molly - her life, her losses, her pride in her job and the regular misunderstandings between her and those around her. 

“The truth is, I often have trouble with social situations; it’s as though everyone is playing an elaborate game with complex rules they all know, but I’m always playing for the first time.”

This is a murder mystery with more. There's a burst of heart stemming from the themes of loneliness, otherness, family and friends, but what stood out the most for me was Prose's subtle but powerful plot twists that will change the reader's perception of the story and gave me some satisfying ah-ha moments as things fell into place. 

The Maid is an incredibly impressive debut by Nita Prose who is a long-time Canadian book editor. Don't miss this charming, multilayered mystery that has an original flare, a huge amount of heart, a touch of humour and a main character you'll adore.

Note: Word on the book nerd street is this book has already been optioned as a film starring Florence Pugh!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Ballantine Books for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Nita Prose

Genre: Mystery, Canadian

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)

Expected Publication Date: January 4, 2022

Opening Lines: I am your maid. I'm the one who cleans 

your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when 

you're out gallivanting for the day, no care at all 

about what you've left behind, the mess, or 

what I might see when you're gone.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.