THE PLOT: ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose is a cosy mystery set in a hotel. Molly Grey is a maid at the Regency Grand. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. But Molly’s orderly life is upended when she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find him dead. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanour has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. With time running out, Molly unites a cast of unlikely friends to discover the real killer.

RATING: I read this on the beach in Portugal and it was the perfect holiday book. Easy to read and moreish, it’ll keep you hooked. Though not too complex, the mystery was very fun and I was surprised by some of the twists. My main criticism is that the portrayal of the main character’s autism seemed to play into some harmful stereotypes. However, this is a commercial, plot-focussed novel so I could accept the lack of realism. Overall, a good four-star read.

GOOD BITS:   This is definitely a plot-focussed novel with lots of twists and turns. I loved how the little breadcrumbs of information kept me guessing as I enjoy coming up with my own theories while I’m reading. Even though the mystery aspect wasn’t ground-breaking, it was very fun and I was genuinely surprised at the end. Additionally, most of the characters are endearing and I loved Molly’s relationship with her grandma and the friendships she builds along the way. The strong themes of found family and accepting people’s differences really stood out to me.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: Although I love the increased representation of neurodiverse characters, it does worry me a bit in commercial books like this. Although it’s never specified Molly is clearly supposed to be autistic but the novel only shows the superficial ‘textbook’ autistic traits and none of the true complexity of the condition. I totally appreciate realism is not always possible in a commercial novel that’s supposed to be fun and plot-focussed. However, I am a bit concerned that it feeds into stereotypes of autism that fuels stigma.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of ‘The Cliff House’ by Chris Brookmyre or ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman. If you’re staying in a hotel this summer and want a fun book to read poolside, I suggest you pack a copy of ‘The Maid’.

This book is available to purchase with a discount on my bookshop.org profile.