#BlogTour ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose

About the book…

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Many, many thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours, and the publishers, Harper Collins, for my tour invite and gifted review copy of debut novel, ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose, published on January 4th, available wherever good books are sold!

This book is utter pergection, Molly Gray steps out of theses pages, fully formed and breathing, a character who once met, is never forgotten.

She is so aptly named, between the white of the clean slate she proudly delivers to the occupants of the Regency Grand, from the black of their daily mess and grime.

Because no one takes notice of the household staff, and it is almost a point of pride with Molly that she appears, cleans and vanishes like a cleaning angel, she is in the perfect position to see what those do not.

Having lost her carefully saved next egg to an unscrupulous bad egg, and then her beloved nan, the rock of her life, Molly’s job is everything to her. Few acknowledge her presence, including her fellow staff members , such as boss, but not superior, Cheryl-or, as others call her, ‘Chernobyl’. Molly’s attention to detail and discretion is highly valued but her boss seems not only to underappreciate our hero, she goes out of her way to liberate what should be tips aimed for Molly.

One of the regular visitors to the hotel, where they come to town and manage a real estate empire, are the power couple, Charles and Giselle Black. Viewed in society as a ‘trophy wife’, Molly is one of the few people who treats Giselle like a real person, and not a gold digger. Their burgeoning friendship across the class divide is beautifully rendered.

Molly’s beloved Gran has died, leaving her somewhat untethered and , as a result, she throws herself even more into her work. As it is a first person narrative, you are keenly aware of the way Molly thinks and, as a consequence, alarm bells start ringing about her boundaries, her struggles to ‘read’ people properly and there are implications that her thoroughness and lack of awareness of danger are symtomatic of potential autistic character traits. I don’t know about you, but this made me want to hold her closer and become even angrier at anyone who took advantage of such a wonderfully large hearted girl.

The other staff members are a delight to engage with, the descriptions of the hotel so vivid you half wish that you could stay there. Molly’s actions after the death of her Gran, returning immediately to work , are what puzzles her employer, Mr Snow, when she turns up, regular as clockwork for her shift after the funeral.

No one knows that Molly finds comfort in her routine, she does not come across as cold hearted or unfeeling, she needs her structure to stop her from falling apart. So when she returns to the part cleaned suite belonging to the Blacks, to find what first looks like a sleeping, but turns out to be dead, Mr Black, the cracks begin to show.

Molly arranges her life around her Gran’s teaching, the cornerstones of her firmly centered moral compass which makes sure she does the right thing when faced with problems. her keen eye for detail as well as her ability to fly under the radar make her perfectly placed to put into practice all the time she and her Gran watched Columbo, and read the extensive collection of Agatha Christie’s which inhabit their apartment.

This is a book which glows, you walk with Molly and feel both protective, and yet in awe of her strength of character. It is a remarkably assured debut novel which deserves nothing but accolades, a it presents a murder mystery wrapped in the sensibility of the best Christie tale (I was thinking particularly of ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’, which I will dig out for my next #AgathaChristie year title, I think!)

Absolutely gorgeous, The Maid will make you cry, gasp and stay up well past your bedtime to enjoy it!

About the author…

Nita Prose is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean.

Links-http://www.nitaprose.com/

Twitter @NitaProse @RandomTTours @fictionpubteam