The Maid
A Novel
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE • *WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION* • *SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGAR ALLAN POE BEST NOVEL AWARD* • SHORTLISTED FOR THE KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE • INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • CITYLINE 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, Daily Hive, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Stylist, Canadian Living
“Excellent and totally entertaining . . . the most interesting (and endearing) main character in a long time.” —Stephen King
“An endearing debut. . . . The reader comes to understand Molly’s worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted—a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft.” —The New York Times
“The Maid is a masterful, charming mystery that will touch your heart in ways you could never expect. . . . This is the smart, quirky, uplifting read we need.” —Ashley Audrain, #1 bestselling author of The Push
A dead body is one mess she can’t clean up on her own.
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 demeanour 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?
Both 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We couldn’t wait to get back into Nita Prose’s charming murder mystery every night. The book’s heroine, Molly, is a maid at an upscale hotel, where she takes great pride in her fastidiousness and finds inspiration in the general manager’s motivational speeches. But Molly’s personal life is much less tidy—she has a hard time reading social cues, and with her beloved grandma gone, she’s lonely…and an easy target. And when one of the hotel’s wealthy guests is found dead in his suite, which Molly was assigned to clean, she becomes a suspect. Prose strikes a perfect balance, drawing us into Molly’s life while keeping the whodunit humming along. The Maid is full of heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Molly Gray, the 25-year-old neurodivergent narrator of Prose's assured debut, has sought solace in her maid's job at the Regency Grand, a boutique hotel in an unspecified city, since the recent death of the grandmother who raised her. Molly's uniform makes her feel invisible, which is a relief given her difficulty reading social cues, and she derives great satisfaction from returning things to a "state of perfection." When frequent guests Charles and Giselle Black check into one of Molly's assigned rooms, she's pleased; though tycoon Charles is imperious, Giselle tips well and treats Molly like a friend. To her dismay, upon entering the couple's suite, Molly discovers that Giselle is out, and Charles is dead. The police find Molly's stoicism suspicious, and someone seems determined to make her their patsy, but Molly thankfully has more allies than she realizes. Not every twist feels earned, but on balance Prose delivers a gratifying, kindhearted whodunit with a sharply drawn protagonist for whom readers can't help rooting. Fans of fresh takes on traditional mysteries will be delighted.
Customer Reviews
An interesting message
An interesting read and message that has the reader reconsidering what it means to be honest and to tell ourselves (and others) different versions of the truth in order to exact justice. No
Not it
If you’re looking for an extremely easy read then this is the book for you. Not much to grasp. Did I even read a book? I’m unsure.
Fantastic book about a unique wonderfully different soul
This book’s hero reminded me of my adult autistic son. Different to many, hero to many. Thankyou Nina for this fabulous read!