‘I’m Mary,’ she says, looking up at me expectantly as if I should know exactly who she is. She’s wearing a fitted tunic dress with a starched white collar and short sleeves. But it’s her eyes – piercing, with something dangerous lurking behind the cobalt blue – that send a shiver down my spine.
She told me she was the housekeeper, and who was I to question? Our stay in this perfectly renovated Victorian house on the rich side of Hastings was a favour from an old school friend while the fire damage to our own little place was being fixed. This is not my house, and they are not my rules. So I step aside, and I let her in.
Am I paranoid to think that she’s watching my every move?
What am I supposed to do when she rests her head on my husband’s broad shoulder, a glint in her eye that only I can see?
Should I have packed my bags and left the moment I found her rooting through my belongings?
And when I return one day to find she’s moved into the spare room with her son, do I believe her when she says she has nowhere else to go? Do I trust her here, alone with my two little children?
Each night I lie awake wondering who this strange woman is, and what she wants. I hold my babies close as the lights flicker and songs from the childhood I spent a lifetime trying to forget blast through the speakers.
But when I finally uncover the secrets hidden in this house, my past crashes into my present. I realise I’m in more danger than I could possibly have imagined…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller from an Amazon No1. bestselling author. Strap yourself in for a totally twisty page-turner that will leave you gasping for breath. Fans of The Housemaid, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be flipping pages all night long!
You let her in...she wants you out...
WOW! Just wow! I love a good psychological thriller and this one hits all the marks and that ending just blew me away. While there was nothing overtly standout about it, it packed a powerful punch at the end. One that leaves you thinking about it long after you've closed the book. I admit, the climax was a tad OTT and requires some suspension of belief but overall it was still a fantastic read and worth every one of its stars.
The opening prologue leaves you wondering where this tale is going to take you while you flip the page and it's an about face as you look at the scrambled pieces of a twenty five year jigsaw and ponder just what is going on. Especially when the housekeeper comes knocking.
Gina and Matt, along with their two children - 3 year old tearaway toddler Tommy and newborn Gracie - find themselves temporarily homeless after Matt's inexpensive installation of a light fixture shorts and burns their house down. Thankfully, they were away with friend Laura for the evening. Not so good for their house or the problem with where they're going to live in the meantime. Their insurance covered a short hotel stay and would also cover a short term rental but they have been unable to find one.
And then they receive a lifeline. In the form of Gina's childhood friend Annie, now a successful singer and actress, who kindly offers them the use of her luxurious renovated home in Hastings while she is out of the country. Annie's kindness and generosity is a dream come true...until it became a nightmare.
No sooner have they arrived and have barely unpacked their bags when they receive an unexpected arrival. Enter Mary, Annie's housekeeper - "just pretend I'm not here". Gina is uncomfortable with having someone unfamiliar in the house with her and her two young children so she texts Annie to verify Mary is indeed who she says she is. She's relieved when Annie confirms this and that she is a godsend, having been with her for over a year. Gina is still a little unsettled, especially as Mary is there almost every day. Until one day Mary turns up with a suitcase and a teenager in tow, having escaped her abusive husband and had nowhere else to go. Knowing Annie wouldn't turn her away, Gina assures her that she's welcome to stay as there is plenty of room. Besides, she's in constant contact with Annie via text for confirmation on anything she is unsure of. Still, she can't escape the unsettling feeling she has around Mary. And her son Tyler just gives her the creeps.
If that wasn't all, Gina is having difficulty being back in Hastings and can't imagine why Annie would return to the place they grew up and escaped some twenty five years before when everything changed. When they were just fifteen and there were four of them. Gina, Annie, Laura and Sara - the GALS, as they called themselves. They all knew Matt from a distance; he was older by a year and was devilishly good-looking. Gina, Annie and even Sara all secretly were crushing for him. But being back here was playing on Gina's mind and she was reminded of what happened twenty five years ago and the missing member of their friendship circle.
But as the days turn into weeks, suspicions around Annie's seemingly competent housekeeper grow and Gina soon discovers some unsettling secrets about the woman, the house and the past...leading to the unsettling realisation of the danger she has unwittingly put herself and her family in.
Unfolding through Gina's, Mary's and "the past" narratives providing a deeper understanding of the characters and the layers of complexity to their stories. The author has peppered a lot of red herrings throughout and it is up to the reader to sift through them all as you begin to piece together the remaining jigsaw pieces for the bigger, clearer picture...leaving you shocked at the final twist, which is truly unexpected.
A fast paced read from start to finish, this is one of the author's best tales to date, despite the OTT climax leading up to the big reveal at the end. I was able to piece together pretty much all of it, even the unexpected twist we are given, but it was the epilogue that will leave you shocked and breathless. For me, that was a genius touch, leaving the reader with so many emotions about it all. It was the twist in THAT that I didn't see coming. The rest I had already figured out. Well done, Ms Hayes.
Overall, a fast paced suspenseful read that can easily be devoured in a day. But be prepared for the powerful mix of tragedy and happiness...and that jaw-dropping end.
I would like to thank #SamanthaHayes, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerHousekeeper in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Samantha Hayes grew up in a creative family where her love of writing began as a child. Samantha has written eight thrillers in total, including the bestselling Until You’re Mine. The Independent said “fantastically written and very tense” while Good Housekeeping said “Her believable psychological thrillers are completely gripping.” Samantha’s books are published in 22 languages at the last count.
When not writing, Samantha loves to cook, go to the gym, see friends and drink nice wine. She is also studying for a degree in psychotherapy. She has three grown-up children and lives in Warwickshire.
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