Last year I was invited to watch HarperFiction’s 2022 Showcase online to hear more about some of their authors and novels for 2022. It was a brilliant hour where I was able to hear about the 2022 debuts from Nita Prose’s The Maid to Cecilia Knapp’s Little Boxes. The time went really quickly and helped me add lots of books to my wishlist. Harper Collins also kindly gifted me a copy of The Maid!

The Maid by Nita Prose

I couldn’t wait to read The Maid which sounded like a classic murder mystery set in an exclusive hotel. I love a good murder mystery and there’s a lot of chatter around The Maid. (Note this is a very different book from Maid by Stephanie Land, which is a memoir and adapted for Netflix). Universal Studios have bought the rights to The Maid and English actress Florence Pugh is set to star in the film adaptation.

Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook? 

This is a real page turner of a book. A clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit. I couldn’t put it down and read pages whenever I could, on the tube and in a coffee shop before work! There are some great twists and turns and I just wanted to know what was going to happen.

I would totally recommend this book and I can’t wait to watch the film adaptation when it comes.