The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Review by Whitney Buzbee
If you want a good, clean, thrilling read The Housemaid is the book for you. Millie needs a job and a place to live, the listing for The Winchesters Housemaid seems like the perfect opportunity. Hired on the spot by Nina, the wife, Millie moves into their mansion, living in the attic bedroom. For Millie, who is homeless, this job signifies a fresh start. However, Millie harbors secrets of her own — secrets that the Winchesters are unaware of, including her recent release from jail. The job just seems too good to be true.. a roof over her head, decent pay. Nina Winchester seems lovely…but…something niggles, is it too good to be true? When Millie starts there’s a shift to Nina straight away and you’d be forgiven for thinking she was a little crazy. And, to top if off, Millie sleeps in an attic room that’s more of a closest. Despite this, Millie makes the most of things.. it’s still by far better than the alternative. As the story progresses we learn the marriage between Nina and Andrew is far from perfect, there’s tension and a lot of history simmering. Millie continues to try to get on with her job and ignore the erratic behavior of Nina but in doing so she sees something in Andrew. She feels sorry for him, after all Nina can’t be making him happy.. but she could. But, she’s the maid and he’s married. Things start to take a dark turn. I’m certainly not one for spoilers but it’s safe to say the twists come and while I had some inkling the events that played out were so much better and more terrifying than I could have imagined. As tensions escalate and the family’s hidden truths emerge, no one is safe. The Housemaid is a thoroughly enjoyable story to keep the reader guessing what will happen next. I read this book in three days, it is definitely one that is hard to put down!
