I picked up The Housemaid by Freida McFadden because Kindle bullied me into it. This book was at the top of my recommended for you page every time I opened the app, and finally, curiosity got the better of me.
Millie is fresh out of a ten-year prison stint, living in her car, and in desperate need of a job. After an interview with the poised and wealthy Nina Winchester, she thinks there is no way she will get the job as her live-in housekeeper. It just seems too good to be true. When she gets the call a week later that she got the job, she very quickly finds out that while the Winchester house looks perfect from the outside, the family is hiding dark secrets, and Millie might be in over her head.
“If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs.”
The Housemaid opens with a bang and a first line that immediately hooks the reader. Throughout the story, the author uses high drama to make sure the reader stays invested. There are very short chapters, which makes it easy to voraciously binge-read this book.
All of the characters seem quite unhinged at various times. All of them are suspicious, and it leaves readers wondering who the real villain is really going to be. For the first several chapters in the book, it seems like lots of information is being revealed very quickly, so it’s clear there’s got to be a twist coming.
There was in fact a twist, but it was completely predictable. The whole book is a fairly predictable read, especially for seasoned readers of mysteries and thrillers, but sometimes knowing exactly what’s going to happen is fun too. It’s satisfying to be right.
While the plot is easy to guess, the author’s writing style still lends itself to keeping the reader engaged with lots of drama, intrigue, and suspense. The Housemaid is the perfect example of a page-turner. This would be a great option to read on a flight, or if you’re looking for an easy book to rip through on vacation.
Writing: 3.5
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