One of the best thrillers I have read in a while - destined to be one of the biggest titles of 2022! Loved the characterization, and the plot was never headed where you thought it were! Brilliant debut and I am looking forward for more.

I really enjoyed this book - I read it in a couple of days. I found Molly to be a fascinating character who you're constantly learning more about as the story goes on. A great modern thriller with a few unexpected if slightly predictable twists. It's weirdly charming with a great cast of characters and really holds you until the last page! Recommend if you're a fan of easy/warm crime thrillers

Molly Gray works as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a 5 star boutique hotel. Molly loves her job, she feels that what she does is worthwhile. For Molly restoring rooms to perfection is just as vital as an other job in the hotel. During one of her shifts Molly discovers the body of a VIP guest. This discovery then leads to an unexpected chain of events when the police decide the guest was murdered.

Molly is a strange character. She loves wearing her uniform and admits that when she puts it on it becomes like an invisibility cloak, to the extent that hotel guests don't see her and don't care what she sees or hears. Combined with this is Molly's general nature, she's an innocent, an old soul, who takes people at their word. As a result of this she is taken advantage of by other staff at the hotel. Having been raised by her Gran Molly tries not to let the opinions of others get to her. Her Gran gave her a set of rules to live by (etiquette, elocution and erudition) and Molly likes nothing better than clear rules. Sometimes Molly's interpretation of the rules are amusing. One moment you are laughing with Molly (never at her) and the next you want to cry because of the cruelty of people. It does take a couple of chapters to get used to Molly's style of speech but once you do you realise what a wonderful character she is. Thankfully she's also got some true friends to help her through her drama.

This had a very modern Agatha Christie feel to it.
I loved molly the maid and following her detective clues into what happens to mr black.
I like how her confidence grew through the book and the lady she is becoming.
A great detective read.

The Maid is a charming crime novel: Eleanor Oliphant meets an Agatha Christie mystery.

As mysteries go, it's pretty straightforward: the twists are predictable and there weren't many surprises. But somehow, Molly's narrative still makes for a compelling read. She's a vibrant character, quirky and awkward, and a guilessly unreliable narrator. As a reader, you often feel like you know more than she does, although Molly has a few tricks up her sleeve.

I've seen a few North American authors try to replicate the Eleanor Oliphant magic, but this is the first time I've seen it done so successfully. It's a real skill to be able to write a mystery novel that's so transparent but still manages to hold your interest.

The Maid is bold, quirky and charming - the kind of book you'll want to read in one sitting.

Molly is a 25-year-old maid at a boutique hotel who pays close attention to detail and takes things literarily. She and her pal the hotel washer-upper become embroiled in a murder investigation when she finds a wealthy guest dead in his room. At times it hints at the cosiness of .The Thursday Murder Club, at other times the cold simplicity of My Sister, the Serial Killer., but mostly it resides in Eleanor Oliphant territory. Ideal for readers who enjoy the pedantic, slow innocence of the narrator.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for a free e-copy.

This story begins with finding out Molly (I know) is a maid for the Grand Regency Hotel and she discovers a body in one of the rooms she has been cleaning - a well known businessman called Mr Black.

Molly at first seems to have some strange habits and peculiar thoughts . I really enjoyed Nina's writing flow and loved how she would change subjects and conversations at times r to give an effect of her random observations, this made her seem more realistic as a character.

I also loved how even though Molly's gran has recently died we still got to know her as quite a strong character through her sayings and memories.

I thought the story line was good and made me want to keep reading to find out exactly how everything wraps up.

Molly is the maid at a very grand Regency hotel where lots of rich people stay. She is to most of the guests ,and probably staff, invisible. That is until one day she stumbles upon one of the guests Mr Black dead in his bed!! There are pills on the table at the side of the bed and some crushed in the floor, has he overdosed, has he been murdered or is it natural causes?
This leads Molly to her very own drama, as she becomes a suspect with the police. Who can she trust who are her real friends and who are just using her? Molly has always found it difficult to read people's emotions and what they are trying to tell her, she only has her grans guidance to follow the rules who unfortunately isn't there to help her anymore!Who will she turn to and will they help her or make it worse for her?

Loved this novel, and can't wait for the film to come out will Definitely be watching it!!

I’m conflicted. The Maid has a fantastic set up. Molly, a maid at the upmarket Regency Grand Hotel, finds one of the most important (and rich) guests dead in his room. Was Mr. Black murdered by his wife? His ex wife? Or, as the police begin to suspect, Molly herself.

On the face of it, The Maid is a very compact and accomplished mystery, leaning distinctly onto the cosy side, and there are elements of it that I admire very much. Prose has a real flair for dialogue and timing, and I really enjoyed the long diversions into past events, which were so gentle and natural that you hardly realise they’re happening - but suddenly here you are, with a lot more character context or a clue you didn’t have before.

But Molly is very clearly coded as being on the autistic spectrum, in the way that conflates OCD (or at least OCD-like tendencies) and autism together, along with difficulty reading social situations or emotions in others. Can some autistic people be like that? Sure. But at this point it feels like a reductive stereotype to present autism this way. It’s a theme of the book that other characters - or indeed, the reader - underestimate or infantilise Molly, and she eventually does a bit of rug pulling of her own. But the book itself does, unintentionally, since the entire crime and basis for it rely on Molly misreading a social situation to the point it seems to make her actually stupid, but again presenting that as an aspect of her autism. Meanwhile, the book itself leaves out any allusions towards actual diagnosis - the word ‘autism’ is never said, which feels like plausible deniability. I’m afraid I was disappointed with such a stereotypical characterisation, when I’d been looking forwards to this book very much.

Molly is a 25 year old maid at The Regency Grand Hotel. She recently lost her Gran and is finding it hard to navigate life without her. One day at work she walk into the room of a regular guest and find him dead in his bed. Thus begins Molly's big adventure.

This is my very first cozy mystery and I have to say that any following it have a lot to live up to. This was just perfect. It was such a fun reading about Molly and her misadventures. This is for sure a character driven novel, it seems the murder is secondary, at least it was for me. Molly is the best character ever, I love how much she changed and grew as a person along the way.

This story is written in the first person perspective of Molly herself and I really liked that style of writing. I was totally besotted with Molly and her story the entire time and was cheering her along the way. What a smashing debut! All. The. Stars.

I predict a 2022 best seller here!

I read this book a few weeks ago now, and it seems to have taken me an age to write a review. I think the main problem has been that I feel daunted by the task of doing this unique and intriguing story justice.

The Maid tells the story of Molly Gray, our quirky and eccentric narrator, who works as a chambermaid at the sophisticated Regency Grand hotel. She loves her job! The routine, the satisfaction of returning rooms to a ‘state of perfection’ and the anonymity of her job are all things that she enjoys. However, when one morning on her rounds she finds the body of a rich and powerful guest, Mr Black, in his suite, she quickly becomes embroiled in a murder investigation.

This novel combines elements of cosy mystery, with incredible characterisation and a very original, but believable, narrative voice.

There are twists, turns, red herrings and a varied cast of suspects, as you would expect from a traditional whodunnit. The plot is very clever and really will keep you guessing until the end, even when you think you know it all.

However, Molly is the real star of the show here. All alone in the world since the death of her Gran, she spends her days in a strict routine, keeping things clean, and trying to steer clear of ‘bad eggs’. It soon becomes clear that Molly’s take on the world is a little different to that of most people. With only her Gran’s advice to follow as ‘rules’, she clearly isn’t good at understanding the motives of others, leaving her vulnerable to unscrupulous characters. So who can she trust? Rodney her bartender friend, for whom she harbours secret feelings; her friend and the dead guest’s widow, the 2nd Mrs Black; Mr Preston, the kindly doorman; Mr Snow, the hotel manager; or Juan Manuel, the kitchen assistant with a secret?

I love an unrealiable narrator and Molly is the best I’ve read in a long time. You simply can’t help rooting for her and willing her to see the truth, as she slowly discovers that her gleaming hotel may not be so squeaky clean after all.

What a unusual story this is, beautifully written, intriguing and thought provoking. The premise of a hotel maid becoming embroiled in a murder which happens in her hotel is not as straightforward as it first appears. Molly Gray is an utterly meticulous person, in thought, word and deed. She is a young woman with a sense of ‘otherness’ about her, and because of this, she has no friends and is taken advantage of by her work colleagues. Shensees the best in everyone, and is unfailingly polite to her superiors, hotel guests, servers in the coffee shop, and even the woman detective who questions her about the murder.
The writing style, in terms of the language that Molly uses, takes a little bit of getting used to, as Molly’s vocabulary, including her many homilies, is not how most people usually speak. It throws people off balance, frequently creating a negative response for Molly, which she can’t quite understand. She does recognise that she is a bit different, and knows that she is not very good at reading people, but since her beloved Gran died, she has no one to advise her in this respect.
This is a quirky story, with several moments that made me chuckle. There is sadness too, that people can treat so badly those people whose task it is to serve others.
It is wonderfully clever writing, and once I had got into the rhythm of the writing style, and Molly’s language, I enjoyed it immensely.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Enjoyable mystery story with a surprising heroine.

Molly is a meticulous maid in a prestigious hotel and she seems to have a form of autism / Asperger's which accounts for her lack of social skills.. She makes an excellent narrator as she recounts how she finds a fairly obnoxious resident dead in his bed and the consequences for her and a small list of other interesting characters. She has to learn who to trust, sometimes the hard way. The novel is a pleasant read, full of insights into her world and with well-developed characters. Reminiscent of "The Curious Incident of the Dog at the Night-Time" because of its narrator, it's a novel that I can recommend to all and sundry.

Aww Molly Gray - what am I going to do now that I have finished this absolutely wonderful book! I think everyone needs a Molly in their life.

I didn't really know too much about this book before I started to read it but I had heard such wonderful things from people that had finished it.

Molly is a maid (I'm pretty sure she has heard all the jokes...!) and she works in a prestigious hotel where she loves her work and the routine it provides her following the death of her beloved Gran that she had lived with shared her life with following the death of her estranged mother. Molly loves cleanliness and routines and the wonderful and very useful sayings of her Gran, which to other people that she works with make her seem odd and almost robotic - I found it to be an absolute breath of fresh air.

One day when Molly is cleaning a room of Mr Black, a regular guest, she comes across his dead body and from then on Molly becomes embroiled in trying to solve the mystery of who murdered him and why? Armed with wanting to get to the bottom of what has happened in her beloved hotel whilst trying to prove her utmost innocence we follow Molly and her friends from the hotel as they try to solve the murder of Mr Black.

I loved Molly as have most people that have read this book, she is such an innocent and completely refreshing character (she is a quarter century old don't you know!) that you can't help but root for her.

I would definitely recommend this book - one to watch out for in January 2022!

Having heard a lot about this book and the planned film, I was keen to see what all the fuss is about. I don't tend to read a book in a day unless I am sat on a sun lounger, but this was one that I didn't want to put down. In it's female lead, Molly, we had a likeable and sympathetic character, who many either dismiss or write off as weird, quirky and 'invisible'. I loved her. This is her story told through her eyes, and she is funny as well as much cleverer than she looks. You will be cheering her on from the comfort of your sofa.
#TheMaid is definitely one to add to your TBR pile. It is charming as well as fast paced and intriguing. I recommend it to men and women, young and old. It isn't often I can say that about a book
Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author for the opportunity to read this little gem.

what a cast of characters! I loved this book. Totally unexpected charm and the characters are amazing. Well written and easy to read, this one will charm!

Molly is a dedicated, utterly focused maid at a boutique, exclusive hotel. Someone who struggles with social cues and reading others, she unwittingly becomes entangled in the strange goings-on at the Regency Grand Hotel. Through her eyes, we get an engaging, interesting view of society, relationships, and the motivations for murder. I enjoyed this.

Molly is a very good protagonist. She’s on the autism spectrum, in that she struggles with reading people, understanding nuance and other social cues. She is single-minded in her focus on work, having utterly taken on board one of her grandmother’s aphorisms. She is also, in a way, perfectly suited to her role at a hotel that prides itself on exceptional service and discretion.

“The shopkeeper described you perfectly — someone who blends into the background, until she speaks. The kind of person you’d easily forget about under most circumstances.”

Molly's perspective offers some interesting narrative opportunities for the author: for example, the reader can often see what is happening in front of Molly, but she can’t always read the situation properly. Rather than making Molly seem oblivious, the author sprinkles her own innocent observations into the situation, providing an extra layer of mystery and intrigue — we come to question everyone’s motives, when they are interacting with Molly. Also, Prose doesn’t give the reader much more than what Molly sees, hears, and does — she doesn’t fill in any details to explain what Molly has missed. I found myself questioning almost every character’s involvement in the events at the hotel, and only in the final third or so of the book did everything click into place. (Certain revelations weren’t surprises, but others came as something of a relief.)

There are so many instances of casual, oblivious cruelty from the myriad cast of character who move in and out of Molly’s daily routine. Even those who think they are being kind or are her allies can exhibit prejudice and certain biases. For example, one character (who, admittedly, isn’t the most pure of heart or intent) tells Molly to not “believe what anyone says. You’re not a freak. Or a robot.” The character clearly does not realizing that what she’s actually done is inform Molly that everyone else at the hotel thinks of her as a robot, someone to be avoided, pitied, or mocked. Molly is perfectly aware of her reputation among her colleagues and superiors, but there is something especially cruel in the way people keep reminding her of it; the use of qualifying statements amended to praise or kindnesses.

Overall, then, this was a good and engaging mystery. Molly’s worldview adds plenty of interesting opportunities to make the story a bit different. It wasn’t flawlessly executed, but it’s a quickly paced novel that held my attention and kept me reading into the night — if for no other reason than I needed to know that Molly would be alright in the end. I’m not sure it really counts as one, but The Maid feels like an interesting twist on the Cozy Mystery genre.

Recommended.

Molly the maid has a set of rules and she loves to work to them. Her goal is to return rooms to a state of perfection. So, we realise this is already no everyday maid.

Molly works at the Regency Grand and is happy in her work. Her beloved Grandmother recently passed away and she has no one for guidance anymore. She see things a little differently to others and unfortunately this can lead her to be taken advantage of.

Told through the eyes of Molly the reader soon begins to realise that all is not what it might be at the Regency Grand, except Molly will be last to realise, even after she finds a dead body. With Molly very much an innocent, it became worrying that no one seemed to be on Molly's side, but instead used her to their advance their gain. I grew to really detest her supervisor Cheryl and the Lothario called Rodney who Molly has set her sights on.

Initially I thought that the plot felt drawn out, but then the action really began and it got very interesting. I couldn't understand the need for the book to carry on once all the ends were tied up. However I was in for a surprise ending and what a surprise it turned out to be. I'm still mulling it all over in my mind now.

Well now, this is a very special read. News that Florence Pugh is to star at the title character, Molly, is music to my ears. Molly is, as you’d guess, a maid in the Regency Grand Hotel. She lives a small, quiet, compartmentalised life, made all the smaller after her grandmother’s death. Her daily goals are to bring the rooms to a level of perfect sanitation, while worrying how she will pay her rent. Cleaning the rooms, no one barely notices she’s there – after all, she’s just a maid, right? But when Mr Black, a long-time hotel visitor, is found dead in his bed, this is a mess that can’t as efficiently be cleaned up. And if Molly is overlooked by so many, there’s a chance that she can see what so many can’t – and figure out what’s happening under the management’s nose. I defy you not to root for Molly; she is a gem of a character whose language and demeanour makes her stand out (often not positively for her co-workers) but she never changes who she is to make someone else happy.

A charming story which had you wishing you could help Molly, the main character, she was very well drawn and although the word autism wasn’t mentioned Molly had challenges which you could relate to this disability. A wonderful story for a film !