Millie has a secret. Well, not much of a secret, since it comes up if you run a background check or do a Google search: she's spent the last ten years in prison. She really needs a job, but who's going to hire an ex-con? When she gets the job offer from Nina Winchester, it seems like a dream come true: she'll be a live-in housekeeper doing cleaning, some light cooking, and occasional babysitting. However, as it turns out, the Winchesters have some secrets of their own, and Millie could be in serious danger...

This is a gripping, fast-paced read, good for fans of women-centered thrillers. I found the writing to be unsubtle, and some of the details to be more than a little farfetched. However, I read the whole thing in just over a day, so it does its main job. Popcorn. ( )

The Housemaid is one of the best thrillers I've ever read (listened to).

Millie is an ex-con, living in her car, looking for work. With her criminal record, she is extremely surprised to be hired as a live-in housekeeper by Nina, who is married to the extremely rich, handsome and powerful Andrew Winchester. Nina is kind, generous, and warm, and welcomes Millie to the household in such a way that Millie begins to think that her problems are over. She is so very wrong. Nina is not sane and treats Millie horribly, Nina's young daughter treats Millie terribly, and only Andrew, the dashing husband, gives her any backing at all. Millie doesn't quit. She needs this job.

This is a dark tale, one which really shook me. There is rampant domestic violence, which triggered some of my own memories, and I would guess that victims of domestic crimes might want to give this book a miss.

The final twist at the end of the book made me feel like I had been punched in the stomach. I congratulate Ms. McFadden on her ability to shock.

Lots of well-developed characters and an unusual story line made this book a winner for me. I've already downloaded another of Ms. McFadden's novels onto my e-reader. ( )

Halfway through, I got a creepy feeling about where the story was going and skipped ahead to fast-scan to the end. Yuk! I have no tolerance for suspense involving torture. ( )

Varsin onnistunut nk. psykologinen trilleri, joka välttää turhat rönsyt ja tyhjäkäynnin ja onnistuu pitämään mielenkiinnon yllä alusta loppuun muutamista ennalta-arvattavuuksista huolimatta. Käännös sai muutamin kohdin toteamaan, miten jotkin käännöslainan tapaiset muodot ja ilmaukset alkavat nykyään tuntua ihan tavalliselta kieleltä, vaikka ne on vielä takavuosina mieltänyt häiritseviksikin anglismeiksi.

Millie has just exited prison and is living in her car when she gets a job as a maid for Nina. Nina is cruel and capricious, but Millie has no other choices. She also can't understand what frumpy Nina is doing with her gorgeous husband.
There's one minor twist at the end, but mostly, this was reasonably predictable. It was just okay for me, not the addictive thriller as advertised. ( )