A dead body is one mess she can’t clean up on her own…
Location- The Regency Grand Hotel- Toronto, Canada
Cast of Characters:
Molly Gray– The Maid- the main character- “ …no one cares about what you’ve left behind…the mess or what I might see when you’re gone”
Mr. Preston– The Doorman- “ There’s always a reason for kindness”
Gran– Molly’s grandmother. Died of cancer 9 months ago… but never forgotten. “ When you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.”
Charles Black-A realestate tycoon…and a hotel guest who Molly finds “ very dead in his bed”
Giselle Black-Mr. Black’s second wife (and counting!)-often described as a young trophy wife- but she is so much more.
Juan Manuel-A dishwasher. “ I know what it’s like to be completely alone in a strange world”
Cheryl Green– The Head Maid. Molly’s supervisor- nicknamed “ Chernobyl”. She steals from others to better herself at the expense of others.
Mr. Snow-The Hotel Manager. “Never leave a mess to be discovered by a guest”
Rodney Stiles-The Head Bartender. “ This part’s the secret, Molly.Are you good at keeping secrets?”
Detective Stark-“ You can hide dirt for a while, but at some point, it all comes to the surface”
Before I begin my review of this book, I would like to give some background information on the author, Nita Prose. Ms. Prose’s debut novel, “The Maid,” hit both the New York Times and Irish Times bestseller lists and was a #1 New York Times bestseller. The novel has sold more than a million copies worldwide, and film rights have been optioned by Universal Pictures. Ms. Prose lives in a house that she describes as only being “moderately clean” in Toronto, Canada.
I would like to start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This was a story that had many twists and turns and kept me guessing until the very end. The author seemed to be very adept at telling the story in a way that captures the interest of the reader from page one until the very end of the story. Molly, the maid, narrates the story and provides the reader with her perspective of the events as they unravel.
I really liked the way the author begins each chapter as the day of the week – i.e., Monday – when Molly finds the body and the events that occur daily until the end of the story.
Molly is in her mid-twenties – 25 years of age to be exact, has been raised by her Grandmother, Flora, who passed away about 9 months before the story begins. Although it is not specifically alluded to, it appears that Molly is on the autism spectrum with the additional trait of OCD – not that Molly ever uses these terms. Molly is now living without the woman that helped her interpret other people’s social cues.
Molly has worked at the Regency Grand for four years. She describes herself as a young woman with pointed cheekbones, pale skin, and simple dark hair that she maintains in a short bob and that she parts in the middle. Molly has never known her father – apparently, he left before Molly was born. Molly’s mother has been estranged for years due to a lifestyle filled with drugs. Molly has been raised from a young age by her grandmother, who sadly passes away from cancer. Molly admits to aspiring to be a maid. Her grandmother was a domestic maid for a family for many years until her health issues prevented her from continuing to work. Molly is proud to be able to work at a 5-star Hotel. She states that as her Gran used to say, “if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Every day of work is a joy to me. I was born to do this job. I love cleaning, I love my maid’s trolley, and I love my uniform.
On a Monday, Molly opens the door to room 401 – the Penthouse Suite – only to find Mr. Charles Black, a magnate and a real estate tycoon, “dead in his bed” in the bedroom. Molly verifies Mr. Black is really dead by putting 2 fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse, which she did not find. She then shook Mr. Black, called his name… no response. She then decides to call down to the front desk. She identifies herself and proceeds to explain the reason for her call: “I don’t usually call for help… but I am dealing with a rather unusual situation. An uncommon mess of sorts.”
Thus, the story begins. As Molly narrates the story from her perspective, we are introduced to the other characters – i.e., Mr. Preston, Mr. Snow, Cheryl, Giselle Black, Rodney, Juan Miguel, and Detective Stark. The reader is obligated to view the events that take place from Molly’s viewpoint. As I continued to read this story, I found myself wondering what I would do if I were in Molly’s shoes.
There were several instances when I had a hard time believing that Molly was either very naive or far too trusting. Going back to the moment Molly finds Mr. Black’s body – there may have been another person in the room… did Molly actually see this person or not? Also, in every room, there are exactly 4 pillows… why were only 3 pillows found by the police – what happened to the fourth pillow? Additionally, Molly ends up being an unwitting participant in Rodney, the bartender’s, illicit drug dealing scheme, which casts more suspicion on Molly in the death of Mr. Black.
There were times when I didn’t necessarily agree with some of the choices that Molly made. However, I did have to keep in mind that many of the hard choices we make in our lives are based on our world view and our personal experiences. Additionally, sadly, the scales of justice are not always fair and balanced depending on your station in the class hierarchy. Elite versus impoverished – are the scales of justice equal all of the time?
Also, this story highlights the unfortunate truth that not everyone appears to be who they really are. Many of us are like Molly, and we like to see the good in people. Others are skeptical – they have to verify before they are able to trust someone. After reading this book and some of my own personal experiences, it would probably do us all good to heed the “Trust but verify” rule.
After the conclusion of this story, I liked the fact that Ms. Prose, the author, posed some questions that would be good to ask if you are a member of a book club (or not).
Here are some of those questions:
1. What did you think of Molly as a character? What made her believable to you?
2. What were your feelings about the revelations in the epilogue about Molly’s involvement in the case?
3. Molly says she is “blessed with the ability to clean her mind as I would a room. I picture offensive people or recall uncomfortable moments and I wipe them away.” What did you make of some of the moments when Molly’s memories came creeping back in? Did you understand why she’d want “to wipe them away”?
This was quite an involved story. In my opinion, a story that certainly kept me guessing and kept my undivided attention. I am looking forward to seeing the movie version. I will give “The Maid” – 4 out of 5 stars.
I welcome your feedback and observations, my fellow mystery buffs. My next review will be on a seasonal Cozy Mystery, A Merry Murder by Kate Kingsbury – Susan B
