The Housemaid by Freida McFadden - Review

I have seen a few people reading this book and I was intrigued, so I looked it up on Amazon and found all three books on Kindle for only a few quid so I bought them. I'll read the next two soon I think because I liked this and found it really compelling. In the most I like books that keep me engaged and that I want to finish reading, and this definitely fulfilled that brief. I don't think any of the characters are particularly likeable. I knew there was a twist in this book and it really didn't disappoint - I didn't expect it at all. That's the mark of a good book for me - I've read a lot of books and can often predict what is coming, but I didn't predict this at all. 

The hero of the book is Millie. She has recently been parolled from prison and is desperate to get her life back on track. She applies for a job as a housemaid with the Winchesters. She will be a live in cook and cleaner and will help to take care of their daughter, Cecelia. She somehow doubts that she will pass the background check but to her surprise, she is offered the job. The Winchesters live in a huge house and clearly have a lot of money. Millie's room is in the attic, and to her shock, her room only locks from the outside. 

Straight away she comes up against Nina, the woman of the house. Nina is exacting, wanting things doing to her exact specifications and finding fault with Millie at every turn. Her daughter, too, refuses to eat what Millie has prepared and then says she is allergic to peanuts - so then why is there a huge jar of peanut butter in the pantry? Nina says she told Millie, but Millie is certain she didn't. This is just one example of the weirdness within the house.

But Millie has nowhere else to go. She was sleeping in her car before this and she needs a job. She also likes Nina's husband, Andy. He's dashing and very charming and she wonders what he sees in a woman like Nina. 

There are murmurings about how ill Nina was when Cecelia was born, and how she's 'nuts' now, and how no one thinks Millie will hack the job. There's also the hot gardener, Enzo, who speaks little English but who seems to be trying to warn Millie away from the job and the family. 

As I said I thought the twist was excellent and I can see what might happen in the next books. I'll have to get to them soon. I'm giving this four out of five.