Millie, the housemaid of the title, is down on her luck and desperate to land the job working for the Winchesters. The thought of being able to stretch out in bed, rather than having to curl up on the back seat of her car as she does presently, is like a dream come true. Once Millie moves in strange things begin to happen. Nina Winchester begins to act erratically, accusing Millie of all manner of mistakes. Luckily Nina's husband, Andrew, is sympathetic and explains that his wife is highly strung. Gradually Millie and Andrew grow closer, with devastating consequences.
This was my first ever audiobook. If I go out for a walk I tend to listen to podcasts. Another of my hobbies is jigsaw puzzles. It suddenly dawned on me that both of these times were ideal opportunities to continue my book habit via a new medium. I'm happy to report that it was a complete success.
The first half of the story is told from Millie's perspective. There are hints early on that she's had a troubled past, mention of being "rusty" with police procedures and then comments about being out of circulation for the past 10 years. We eventually learn that she's been in prison. The narration of Millie is quiet, almost simpering. She's desperate to keep this job and a roof over her head so is willing to put up with Nina's increasingly erratic behaviour. The description of Nina's contradictory and difficult nature made me want to scream.
Halfway through we switch to Nina's story and discover her background and her reasons for the way she behaves. Up until this halfway point I wasn't particularly taken with this book but it was at this point that things really changed and I wanted to know exactly what was happening and what the conclusion would be. I became invested in both Millie and Nina, intrigued as to how their individual stories would end.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is available now in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a review copy.
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