Millie, her husband and her children, are excited to move into a new home. But their happiness is threatened by one neighbour’s relentless flirting and snide comments, and another neighbour being unfriendly and judgemental. Things get even worse when a body is discovered…
The Housemaid is Watching is the third book to feature Millie, a woman with a dangerous past. I have previously read and reviewed the first two books, The Housemaid and The Housemaid’s Secret. This book works perfectly well as a stand alone book but there is sufficient information about Millie’s past to understand her emotions and reactions.
We last saw Millie over a whole decade ago according to this timeline. She is now happily married to Enzo and they have two children. She no longer cleans for others and finds her new social work career fulfilling. But a new home brings financial worries as well as trying to make friends among her new neighbours who seem determined to be negative.
The first half of the book is quite slow, building up the tension for Millie and her family. I admit I got a little bored waiting for something concrete to happen but then… POW!!! The pace picks up spectacularly later on when the body is discovered (it was NOT who I expected!) Chapters shorten and Millie’s panic about rapid developments is effectively conveyed.
As usual for this series, there is a change of perspective which alters our perception of events with a shock! I did kind of guess the twist but it went beyond what I expected and the epilogue delivers a final surprise.
The Housemaid is Watching is a wonderfully tense psychological thriller.
The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden
“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.
Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…
The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.
Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?
I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?
From New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Freida McFadden comes the next installment of the unbelievably twisty, tension-packed and globally bestselling Housemaid series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone read: and once you start, it will have you up all night racing through the pages until the final explosive twist.
#1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year, she is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for best paperback, and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages.
Freida lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.
To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden.com
