Wednesday, December 21, 2022

The Maid by Nita Prose

 
First Line: I am your maid.
 
Since her beloved grandmother's death, hotel maid Molly Gray has had no one to help her interpret the facial expressions and intentions of others, no one to help her with social skills. Her gran used to decipher all of that for her and codify it into simple rules for Molly to live by.

Molly has thrown herself into her work. With her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette as well as her unique worldview, she's perfect for the job of a hotel maid. She delights in her crisp uniform, her fully stocked housekeeping cart, and-- especially-- in returning the guest rooms of the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's world is turned upside down when she enters the suite of wealthy Charles Black to discover the rooms in a mess and Black himself dead in bed. Molly's unusual behavior has the police targeting her as their prime suspect, and things rapidly turn from bad to worse. Fortunately, Molly has friends she never knew she had. Will they be able to help her unmask the real killer?

~

The Maid is a wonderful character study that had me cheering on twenty-five-year-old hotel maid Molly Gray almost from the very first page. Daughter of a "fly by night" father and a drug addict mother, Molly was raised by her loving grandmother, herself a maid in a wealthy household. Upset whenever her chosen routine is ignored by others, Molly clings to the simple rules her grandmother gave her to navigate through a world she feels like an outsider in-- no matter how much she wants to belong.

Molly's special blend of observation and naivete easily gets her into trouble, and several times I found myself mentally trying to steer her away from the people she's placing her trust in as well as trying to steer her toward the people she should trust. Unfortunately, my mental powers aren't very good and she seldom paid attention to me-- which means that The Maid is a much better book as a result.

One of the best things about this book is the fact that, as I read, I became uncertain about Molly. Is she telling me everything? Can I trust her? My indecision made me read more carefully. Even though I only saw all the other characters through Molly's eyes, each one was vivid in my mind's eye, a testament to the author's skill. And, although this is a mystery, it's as a character study that The Maid shines brightly. I am so glad I met Molly and got to see the world through her eyes.

The Maid by Nita Prose
eISBN: 9780593356166
Ballantine Books © 2022
eBook, 320 pages
 
Standalone, Amateur Sleuth
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

16 comments:

  1. So glad you gave this book a rave. I've been wondering about it. So it goes on the list (sigh). I didn't realize the complexities of this character and solving the murder.

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    1. I was a bit worried about this one as it was getting so much hype, but another book blogger's review tipped the scales for me, and I'm glad it did.

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    2. Any idea where it's set? I started it and The Local and Bleeding Heart Yard. Juggling three books is fun.

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    3. The setting is never revealed. All we know is that it's a large metropolitan city, and that could be anywhere. As I read, I think I had NYC in mind.

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    1. With Prose' talent for characterization, I'm looking forward to her next book.

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  3. I'm about a quarter of the way through this so I haven't read all of your review. I'm really enjoying it and as you suggested, already wondering if Molly is telling us everything...

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    1. Her reasons for not being completely forthcoming are interesting and fit her character perfectly.

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  4. Oh, this sounds like such an interesting book, Cathy! Molly sounds like a fascinating character, too. And I like the idea of showing the world through her eyes. Also, can I say that hotels are fantastic settings for mysteries. All sorts of different people, all sorts of possible motives, the whole thing.

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  5. I'm so glad you chose to read this and that you enjoyed it. I think it is one of the best books I have read this year.

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  6. Isn't Molly great? I really loved her...and this book. Especially at the end when her true friends come through for her. :D

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    1. I wasn't worried so much about her real friends coming through for her, I was worried about her ability to actually see them for who they were.

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  7. I've got this one on my Kindle, as yet unread. Have heard a bit of mixed things, but I'm almost certain that I will enjoy it when I do read it. Hope you and Denis have a wonderful weekend, Cathy! Merry Christmas!

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