Pages: 340
Published: 4th January 2022
Genre: Mystery
Content warnings: Drugs, discrimination
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads 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 been navigating 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 upended 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 dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanour 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?
This book offers a fresh and unique take on the murder mystery genre, but the outcome is something more frustrating than extraordinary. Revolving completely around the main character’s first person perspective, its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness as while parts of it are just as uplifting and funny as intended, it often struggles to find the correct tonal balance.
It is clearly a novel that has captured imagination by capitalising on recent literary trends and using some savvy marketing techniques, yet more of the credit has to go to a clever concept and interesting themes. There is a certain quirkiness to it that sets it apart and goes alongside the more serious underlying elements, while the mode of storytelling alone is enough to make it memorable.
Molly’s voice is absolutely central to everything that occurs in this book. The author goes the distance in what appears to be aimed as a sensitive portrayal of a neurodivergent young woman who finds herself exploited in the name of criminality. In many ways it works with many moments that are endearing or even empowering, but there are times where she does not quite manage to hit the right note and it comes across as quite patronising.
The plot itself is entertaining, even when you do not have to be an especially good detective to work out what is truly going on. Amid the folly of harmless, innocent Molly becoming a suspect, it leads to some amusing scenarios where the joke is on other characters who believe they are smarter than her, and the actual answer to the mystery is less intriguing than finding out how she is going to clear her name.
Although the simple facts of the case are relatively easy to figure out, some of the more intricate parts of it are well hidden with some random details having more significance than you might expect at first. There is more to certain characters than meets the eye and the author also does a great job of using the hotel setting as a basis for many of the events that take place within the plot.
In reality though, it feels much more of a character-driven story as the first-person narrative is front and centre of everything. Molly’s voice is so distinct as it carries us along, giving every scene a kind of whimsical feel with her forever trusting, glass half full view of the world. It is well executed in parts but does occasionally fall into the realm of bad taste, an unwelcome thought that lingers in the back of the mind. On the bright side, the idea of Molly being more or less invisible in her role of a hotel maid is something that comes across very effectively.
Much of the person Molly has become is shaped by her recently deceased grandmother, who on the one hand seemed like an extremely loving, warm hearted person. On the other, she also has to be one of the most annoying unseen characters imaginable, as on what feels like almost every page Molly is repeating an idiom or phrase that she used to come out with when she was alive. In fairness these sayings do help Molly make sense of the world, but honestly, it becomes tiresome very quickly.
The story contains nothing overly complex and that also extends to the side characters. Rodney is little more than an opportunistic criminal who takes advantage of Molly’s trust and uses her for his own selfish needs. There are others too who see her as an easy target such as her awful colleague Cheryl, and the unusual case of the victim’s widow Giselle, whose motives are more subtle.
It is at least heartening to know that Molly does have people on her side. Even if the way Mr Preston speaks to her at times is a little saccharine, he is a likeable character whose role in the book ends up being fairly substantial. Charlotte is also fun and there is the kind Juan Manuel, whose relationship with Molly veers towards a contrived romance towards the end.
As previously mentioned, the setting is nicely woven into the plot and not simply chosen for the sake of it. Molly’s job is one of the things that most defines her as a character and through her we witness the inner workings of the establishment and the dodgy dealings of some of the guests. It gives the novel a neat sense of scale, which along with the mystery is what keeps you engaged.
Overall, there are eye-catching elements to this book, not least the innovative spin on the mystery format and Molly’s endearing point of view. The writing is decidedly hit and miss, with the plot and some decent pacing making it hard to lose interest but the tonal shifts and constant Gran-isms do grate on the nerves. It is something hard to love, but also difficult to truly dislike.
Having been a writer for literary magazines and a production editor with publisher Harper Collins Canada, Nita Prose has had remarkable success since releasing The Maid at the age of 49. The book was a multi-million copy bestseller and won several awards including an Anthony Award and a Goodreads Choice Award in 2022 for the mystery and thriller genre.
It was followed in 2023 with a sequel called The Mystery Guest, while a festive novella was also published in 2024. Prose lives in Toronto.
There was a time when it felt like everyone on my social media feeds was reading this book, so I knew it was popular and that there was a lot of hype. After finishing it I found it very difficult to decide whether I actually enjoyed it or not – it was good and hard to put down, but also a frustrating read. A mystery all round!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
