In 1987, Hannah Burgess worked as a nanny for Lord & Lady Holt looking after their seven year old daughter Jocelyn. One morning, Locelyn awakes to find Hannah has left with no reason. It's now thirty years later and Jocelyn and her daughter, Ruby have no choice but to move back in with her bitter estranged widowed mother after Jocelyn's husband died. Ruby and her grandmother quickly form a relationship. I don't want to say much more as I don't want to spoil it Dor you. The book does start as a bit of a family saga but it's not long until you'll find yourself questioning who you trust. This is a very well written novel with a plot that's been well thought out, and has a fabulous set of characters. I loved it. 

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Gilly Macmillan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The nanny in this novel is not quite the Mary Poppins figure that usually springs to mind when nannies are mentioned, but a more devious, scheming person looking out for number one. In 1987, Hannah Burgess worked as a nanny for Lord and Lady Holt, looking after their 7 year old Jocelyn until one morning Jocelyn wakes up to find Hannah gone with no explanation. Now 30 years later, Jocelyn (or Jo as she now calls herself) and her young daughter are forced back to live with her estranged and bitter widowed mother on the family estate after Jo's husband dies suddenly leaving her in a dire financial position. Jocelyn begins to question what happened to her nanny and what role her parents may have played in her disappearance. 

This psychological thriller is a little slow to wind up, but it does eventually lay out a web of lies and deceptions meant to beguile Jo into trusting the nanny and suspecting her mother's motives. Neither Lady Holt nor the nanny are very likeable characters, although Jo does seem just a tad too naive and gullible to always side with the nanny, especially when her own daughter's safety is at risk.

There are lies, dark family secrets and jealousy in this novel. Jo discovers that her childhood wasn't as straightforward and honeyed as she'd thought when she returns home in 1987. Things don't seem right. The sour, disengaged interaction between mother and daughter is intriguing. Then suddenly the plot turns on its head and the ending hits you between the eyes - sheer genius. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK.

I’ve been reading this on and off from last night. I read the bulk of this book until dawn. I finished the rest over breakfast and lunch.
The book was glued to my hands, I really had a job putting it down.

I love a dysfunctional family, and we certainly have one in the story, I loved the “rich class higher archly “ in this too. “We have servants”. 

The Nanny is a class pounding thriller that I loved. Plenty to get your teeth into.

Highly recommend

I was expecting ‘sonething’ from this book but in fact got a very different book to what I had imagined
The Holts are titled and noble folk and even though it is just Lady Holt now in the big manor house she keeps appearances and customs as they always have been, stiff upper lip, straight backed and aloof and still employs ‘staff’ ( I adored her in all her entitled luxury ).....’Jo’ her daughter has arrived after a tragedy and is now also penniless, with her is her daughter, she has lived in America for years and is now back as has nowhere to else to go, the tension between mother and daughter and their different ‘take on life’ is wonderful....but under all this is the secret and the mystery of ‘The Nanny’, Jo’s Nanny, who disappeared one night, never to be spoke of again, and nor could she be,afterall she is dead as Lady Holt knows......imagine then her surprise when she turns up at their home....
The story continues from there as secret upon secret within secrets make a really good and dark story, of
course with twists and turns and all manner of things you expect in a book like this but told in a complete and organised fashion
Polished! Thats what I would say, an experienced author telling a very interesting and scarily credible story
Very much enjoyed 9/10  5 Stars

Wow, was this book good. Told from the aspects of Virginia, Jo and Andy Wilton they tell the story from all  angles. Very well told with lots to keep you hanging on. I did think that one part of the story was not concluded (painting). Apart from that I really enjoyed this.

What a fabulous read ! Jo and her daughter Ruby have to return to the UK to her childhood home and her Mother,Lady Holt whom she had never been close to .As  a child she was brought up by her  beloved Nanny in a magnificent mansion set in acres of land . Suddenly her Nanny disappears when she is seven and life changes for her . Now she is back as her husband has died and she is broke .A skull is found in the lake and suddenly the Police are investigating.There are plenty of twists and turns and dark secrets .to be uncovered ,this is one of those books that is compelling  from the first chapter and is hard to put down .The story is told through all the main characters which I particularly like as I feel you get more detail this way .This book is very well written and I particularly liked the ending .Many thanks to the Publishers ,The Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K./Century for an eARC via NetGalley of Gilly Macmillan’s ‘The Nanny’ in exchange for an honest review.

The tag line for this novel ‘Can you trust her with your child?’ sets the tone for this gripping psychological thriller.

Jocelyn (Jo) grew up as a child of privilege, daughter of Lord and Lady Holt. She has serious issues with her mother, Virginia, not least because she blames her for the sudden departure of Hannah, her beloved nanny, when Jo was seven. Jo eventually left home and moved to the USA, married and had a daughter of her own.

After the sudden death of her husband and shaky financial and residential situations, Jo returns with Ruby (aged 10) to Lake Hall. With her mother also being recently widowed both women are hoping to build bridges. However, when a skull is found in the lake on their property secrets of the past emerge. 

Keeping with my policy of not saying too much about the plots of thrillers, I trust that this gives a taste of this intriguing novel. Trust me it has an intricate plot that takes many interesting twists and turns.

‘The Nanny’ is also quite character driven as the narrative viewpoint switches between Jo, Virginia, Hannah (!) and the detective in charge of the investigation. There are also flashbacks that along with the shifting perspectives means that the reader is privileged to information that is quite revealing about the secrets and motives held by the main players.

I found myself very caught up in the story and certainly will be recommending it to friends.

Although I  liked the story and plot I did not find it a page turner. A nanny who turns the child in her care against her parents who in turn murder the nanny!  I  admit I got lost a couple of times with the change of character relating their part of the story. Not a gripping tale but readable.

Gilly Macmillan is simply brilliant!! This was my first book by her, and I was completely entranced by her writing to the point I took my kindle everywhere with me. I loved her characters, each one was so different. Wickedness flowed in the veins of some, helplessness and blindness in others. 

The emotions she evoked from me rushed through my being, simply twisting by insides in a knot of panic. I could see the insidious evil, yet I could do nothing to warn the daughter Jo about nanny Hannah who was looking after her daughter Ruby in her mother's home The Holt Hall.

The story started with Jo and Ruby coming back to her mum's place after the death of her husband. A human skull was found in the lake near The Holt Hall. That started the police investigation to dig into the past, which scared Jo's mum to the core. It was presumed to be of nanny Hannah, but suddenly Hannah showed up at the doorstep. And the story rolled on. Whose skull was it? Who was lying, who was telling the truth? Who was evil, who was good?

Evil often came wearing the skin of the good, and this book proved it. So many times, I was simply so overwhelmed with the thrill in the story that I had to put my kindle down to take deep breaths and calm my heart. I wanted to tap the main character Jo's shoulder to warn her. I wanted to shake her to make her see what was happening to her daughter Ruby.

There were layers of plots and complexities of human nature all embellished like the colors of an abstract painting, which appeared to be thrown at random, but had more rhythm and sequence to it than what could be seen by the human eye. Perceptions changed when the author wrote different chapters. Every word made me question, wonder what happened. I had a theory about the story, and I was so happy to be proved wrong.

This book was seriously bad for my heart as it kept my pulse soaring high. 
I loved it!!

I loved the characters in this book- especially Virginia. The story was so easy to get invested in and had a really ominous feel to it - loved the ending too. Fantastic.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Gilly Macmillan, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Nanny in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I jumped at the chance to review this book as I have read this author in the past and have enjoyed her work. This book proved no exception. 
The storyline was well thought out and written with intriguing characters. The plot provided a rollercoaster ride that does not let up until the very end. 
Well worth a read

A slowly unfolding plot 
Full of suspense, twists and turns to keep you transfixed 
With a unpredictable ending.

Good read

Thank you netgalley, Gilly MacMillian and Random House UK for allowing me to read and review this book.

What a page-turner! Set against the background of a mother-daughter relationship between Jo and her mother, and between Jo and her daughter, this murder mystery and a thriller had me guessing the entire time if the Nanny is really who she says she is. 

While I hated Jo and her incessant mistrust in her mother, the character development for all the rest was work of sheer brilliance. Oh and the ending - I could have never expected the ending!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

A really enjoyable and fast paced psychological thriller. I was totally gripped by the storyline which was interesting and very well written.

Overall a great read

This book had many characters who were all not as they first appeared , I thought the story was well written, and well described.I wish I had liked the characters more, and felt more empathy for them though as it would have made reading the book more enjoyable for me.I really wasn't sure what to make of the book in the end.I don't want to give much away and I do think it is worth a read .Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

One of those books where you know someone is lying - but is it who your suspect?

Jocelyn and her mother have never had a close relationship. Raised by her nanny until she disappears overnight, Jo - as she now prefers to be known - leaves their stately home as soon as she can and never returns - until now. Faced with financial difficulties, she is forced to return bringing Ruby, her daughter . As her father has since died, the atmosphere is distinctly frosty between the two mothers. Then Hannah the nanny turns up unexpectedly and everyone seems suspicious of everyone else .. but what's really going on?

This starts off as a bit of a family saga, drawing the reader into a false sense of security. But as the story progresses, it is positively dripping with suspense! Who did I trust? Everyone to begin with, and absolutely not one single soul towards the end! What a cleverly created novel! It's an exceptionally exciting read; riveting, gripping and gut-wrenching at times. The ending? Never in a million years would I have guessed where it was going! The characters are fabulous - each of them are totally believable and so true-to-life that I pictured each one clearly in my imagination. With lots of authentic details, especially pertaining to British aristocracy, all adding to the credibility to the periods of time concerned, this is an all-round cracking read and one I cannot recommend highly enough. A super flashing, sparkling and dancing five gold stars - and, frankly, easily worthy of ten!

My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for my copy via NetGalley. All opinions stated here are entirely my own.

An unpredictable, twisty tale of dark secrets.
This is the 1st book I’ve read from this author but I will be reading more.
30 years ago Jocelyn woke up to find her nanny had vanished. After being widowed and forced to return to her family home the tension between her and her mother grows.
When human remains are found she’s quick to think her mother had something to do with Hannah’s disappearance.
What secrets is Virginia keeping and why?
After Hannah makes a sudden reappearance these secrets start to reveal themselves.

A tense and well paced thriller. Thoroughly enjoyed this. I live Gilly McMillan and she never fails to disappoint. Highly recommended for mystery thriller lovers.

Enjoyed the story but took me a while to read. It Was a bit fractured and disjointed. The characters were well fleshed out.