The Maid

"A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed, turning her once orderly world upside down--and inspiring a motley crew of unexpected allies to band together to solve the mystery--in this utterly original debut. Molly Dunn is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and interprets people literally. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has had to navigate life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's odd demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect and she finds herself in a web of subtext and nuance she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, a medley of friends she didn't realize she had refuses to let her be charged with murder--but will they be able to discover the real killer before it's too late? A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different--and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Nice mystery submitted by Bethybeth07 on July 10, 2022, 4:32pm Good plot twists and not entirely predictable

Ok submitted by cldaniels on July 12, 2022, 7:38am A mystery involving a quirky maid who loves her job, memories of her Grandmother's sweet quotes, and array of hotel guests and employees.

Good idea, but needs better execution submitted by zixyxuan on July 25, 2022, 3:39pm Hmm...I have very mixed feelings about this book. There are certain parts that I really enjoyed - mostly Molly's narrative and her comically murderous thoughts about people that have wronged her in life. However, there were many parts of this book that I just felt were lacking. First, the storyline was very simplistic and linear. This means that I saw everything that was coming and really takes away the fun of reading a mystery novel. Second, for an almost-300-page mystery, not much really happened. In fact, I had to really push myself through the first 50 pages of filler because I was just so bored reading it. Lastly, I think the author could've done a better job with Molly's character. It is clear from the narrative that she is on the autism/neurodivergent spectrum because Molly is hyper-focused on hygiene and cleanliness and sometimes fails to pick up on social cues. Instead of mentioning it in the book, the author instead played it off as Molly's "quirkiness" that other people tend to take advantage of or laugh at. This just really rubbed me the wrong way because it always felt like Molly was portrayed as the butt of the joke. Overall, I think the author had a good idea going, but the execution needs to be significantly improved.

Overall rating: 2.25 / 5 Stars

Thoroughly enjoyed submitted by leah karr on August 10, 2022, 9:33pm Molly, the main character is a very interesting narrator. Her unique view of the world and what is right and wrong made for a wonderful read. I didn’t see the ending coming and very much enjoyed the book.

Fun read submitted by jmarie5605 on August 11, 2022, 9:28am A great, unordinary, quirky main character

Clever and Fun submitted by selujules on August 15, 2022, 8:01pm Reminds me of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I really liked it! Unique voice and great twists.