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. Then Gran dies, and twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. She throws herself into her gratifying work as a maid at a posh hotel. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms to a state of perfection. But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the Black suite and finds Charles Black dead. Before long, she is the prime suspect. Who really killed him?
A quirky whodunit about a quirky young woman. On many levels, it reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. The plot was delightful and offbeat, as was the main character, Molly Gray, but her OCD made me anxious, and believe me, I don’t need any help in that department. I just wasn’t crazy about the writing. The pacing was slow, and the author repeated phrases too often. Every time she wrote about a smile that reaches the eyes, I cringed. One last observation and I’ll quit picking. Remember how The Lord of the Rings movie had a couple fake endings before Frodo finally left Middle Earth? It’s bugged me for years. Well, I felt the same way with The Maid. I liked it; I just didn’t love it. 3.5 stars.
Published Date: January 2022
Genre: Canadian fiction, mystery
Read-alikes: Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little, The Lazarus Hotel by Jo Bannister, The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris.