The Maid

"The Maid is a masterful, charming mystery that will touch your heart in ways you could never expect. . . . This is the smart, quirky, uplifting read we need." --Ashley Audrain, #1 bestselling author of The Push


A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut.

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misinterprets the intentions of others. 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 unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black--but will they be able to find 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.

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Published Jan 4, 2022

304 pages

Average rating: 7.15

2,541 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Gwendolyn
Jun 12, 2024
8/10 stars
Very nicely written murder mystery. Loved how well organized the plot unfolded and character twist and turns.
priscillaa_c
Mar 06, 2024
8/10 stars
I would place this book under a cozy mystery genre. The narrator is Molly Gray, the maid, who is a 25yr old that struggles with social interactions and misinterprets others intents. She works at the Regency Grand Hotel, where she finds Mr. Black (one of their regular guest) dead in his bed. Molly becomes a suspect of Mr. Black’s murder and must figure out what happened to not get wrongfully accused. Although there is a mystery to this book, I found the books’ main focus to be on Molly’s personal growth and the relationships in her life. Molly lived with her grandmother until she passed away. She relied on her Gran to help her interpret peoples intents and for guidance with social interactions. Since Gran’s passing, she’s had to navigate life on her own. The book also covers treatment of the working class and friendships. Molly does an impeccable job when it comes to cleaning. She describes the invisibility of a maid to the guest, but also makes it a point to show that a maid knows a lot more about the guests than they think. The maid is a short and straightforward story. It was a heartwarming and enjoyable read for me. But if you’re solely looking for an actual thriller mystery book then this is not it.
Rena M Led
Dec 09, 2023
10/10 stars
This book was surprisingly good because it was a page turner.
Renmoews
Sep 29, 2023
7/10 stars
A quick fun mystery
Shananigans
Mar 02, 2023
7/10 stars
This was a cozy mystery with a neurodivergent MC, Molly Gray, who loves her job as a maid at The Grand Regency Hotel. Molly's high attention to detail and love for cleaning allows her to return hotel rooms to states of perfection as well as stay invisible, which is her preference since she struggles with fully understanding social cues. When she stumbles upon the dead body of long-term hotel resident Mr. Black, she becomes the prime suspect. The story weaves a fun cast of characters as the mystery unravels.

As others have pointed out, there are moments where Molly is poorly depicted (we are intended to laugh at her rather than with her) and sometimes her actions are inconsistent with her character, waxing and waning depending on the needs of the story. I did enjoy most aspects of the plot but struggled with the ending. I don't like when mysteries withhold information pertinent to the murder from the reader. I felt like this particular "twist" cheapened the story. I know the focus wasn't so much about the murder but more about the character arc of Molly, but I would have been more satisfied if it was handled differently.

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