Book 2 of 3: The Housemaid: An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night.
THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE GOODREADS AWARD FOR BEST CRIME AND THRILLER 2023
SEQUEL OF THE HOUSEMAID, SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job – not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .
It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything….
That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go….
An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train will be completely hooked!
I tore through The Housemaid's Secret in two sittings and still found time to side-eye every locked door in my flat. What it’s about: Millie...Read More
I tore through The Housemaid’s Secret in two sittings and still found time to side-eye every locked door in my flat.
What it’s about: Millie returns, trying to keep her life on track with a new housekeeping job in a glossy Manhattan apartment. The wife never leaves the guest room. The husband is charm on a stick. The rules are odd. Then the pay goes up and so do the questions. That is all you need before the rug starts moving under your feet.
What I liked: McFadden keeps chapters snappy and the tension tidy, which suits Millie’s dry, survival-mode voice. The moral murk is the fun of it. No one is spotless, everyone has leverage, and the reveals arrive at just the right clip. I also liked how the book nods to consequences from the first novel without making new readers feel lost.
What gave me pause: A few coincidences lean convenient, and you will spot one twist if you read a lot of domestic noir. It still lands because the fallout is messy in a satisfying way.
Try this if you love: Lisa Jewell’s knotty secrets, Ruth Ware’s closed-room unease, and bingeable, high-stakes nanny/housemaid plots.
Verdict: Slick, pacey, and deliciously untrustworthy. I had fun.
