Author: Freida McFadden | Genre: Psychological Thriller | Number of Pages: 329
‘The Housemaid’ by Frieda McFadden, is a domestic thriller, that revolves around Millie who is just out of jail and is living in a car and in desperate need of a job. She lands a housemaid’s job at the Winchester’s, where she’s forced to live out of a no-window attic room, follow orders from a maniac boss, put up with her tantrum-throwing kid, and battle with her growing attraction for Andrew, Nina’s husband.
The book introduces the reader to a whole horde of characters that evolve in surprising ways. The characters are quite compelling and believable, ranging from being annoying to creepy to irrational to reckless. A good thriller thrives on the tension created by characters who blur the lines between good and bad, and this book does not disappoint in challenging readers’ presumptions, if any.
The plot leads readers to an alluring suspense without divulging too much. It follows two separate narratives – one of Nina Winchester and other that of Millie and this tactic proves to be a strong choice, exposing the inner workings of the characters’ minds. The gradually rising tempo of the plot keeps the readers hooked until the last page and it sure does its part to put this book on the page-turners’ list. But the coincidences that line the events are too unreal and bit too convenient and thus unconvincing. The ending was pretty predictable too and that took away most of the thrill the novel manages to create since the start.
The eerie atmosphere that pervades through the most part is quite as captivating as the plot itself, and works really well to build the tension and amplify it keeping readers engaged. The end is a bit of a downer, especially, the core premise to keep the series going, is terribly far-fetched. Despite minor disappointments, the novel succeeds in keeping the readers desperate for the upcoming novels in the series.
The Housemaid is a psychological thriller that’s dark, creepy, with complicated characters, a twisted tale, and gobs of twists and turns to keep one engaged. Lovers of contemporary thrillers will find it unputdownable as it sure is engaging enough to flash past a dull day.
About the Author
#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She 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.
Have you read ‘The Housemaid’? What did you think?
