Synopsis
"Nita Prose’s novel, The Maid, follows the days preceding Mr. Black’s death through Molly’s first person point of view. Molly is a young woman employed as a maid at The Regency Grand hotel. She defines her identity through her occupation and navigates social dynamics by following the advice of her deceased grandmother."
Genre
Mystery/Thriller
Achievements
GMA's Book Club Pick
Goodreads Choice Award
- Winner for best Mystery/Thriller
- Nominee for Best Debut Novel
Review
In terms of things that a mystery novel needs, The Maid has it. Molly is a very lovable character. Plus, I really like her nickname, Molly The Maid, it is really catchy. It combines cozy mystery with whodunnit vibes, I LOVE a good whodunnit book. The setting is the Regency Hotel which is a high-end hotel that makes the stake of the mysterious murder even grander. The reputation of the hotel is on the line as well as Molly's. The uniqueness of Molly's character was also very intriguing. Molly is 25 years old but does not act like other people her age. It is very charming actually. She is polite, elegant, and very caring. It made me want to read the book more so that I can see how it ends for her.
Molly was a very good character, but she had her flaws. One flaw was that she took things TOO literally. Every time someone made a comparison or said any metaphor, she looked at it with a literal meaning. That made me frustrated at some parts because it made the plot/mystery of the novel go on longer than usual. It is like Molly's obliviousness took away some parts of her charisma. The plot was also very basic. It was a good structure of a whodunnit novel, but it didn't have any extra 'humph'. It was sort of like something that I have already read or seen before. There is also a question in the book community about Molly. The question is: Is Molly on the autistic spectrum? Her literal take on everything and her social awkwardness made it seem like Molly was neurodivergent. I didn't read too much into it, I just thought that it add to Molly's lovely personality even more.
Recommendation/Rating
My rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book, it is an easy and fast read.
Written by Mariah Sturdivant
Good review!