The Maid

A Novel

By: Nita Prose

Narrated by: Lauren Ambrose

Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, Short-listed
2024 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, Short-listed
2022 Ned Kelly Award - Best International Crime Fiction, Winner

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “A heartwarming mystery with a lovable oddball at its center” (Real Simple), this cozy whodunit introduces a one-of-a-kind heroine who will steal your heart.

FINALIST FOR THE EDGAR® AWARD • “The reader comes to understand Molly’s worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted—a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Think Clue. Think page-turner.”—Glamour

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Reader’s Digest
WINNER: The Anthony Award, The Fingerprint Award, The Barry Award

In development as a major motion picture

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.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The Guardian, Glamour, Elle, PopSugar, Newsweek, Mental Floss, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews

©2022 Nita Prose (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

*WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION*
SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGAR ALLAN POE BEST NOVEL AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE

INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • CITYLINE BOOK CLUB PICK • “A twist-and-turn whodunit, set in a five-star hotel, from the perspective of the maid who finds the body. Think Clue. Think page-turner.”—Glamour

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Glamour, W magazine, PopSugar, The Rumpus, Book Riot, CrimeReads, She Reads, Daily Hive, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Stylist, Canadian Living

One of:
Glamour’s “40 Best Books of 2022”
Amazon’s “Best mysteries and thrillers of 2022”
Book Riot’s “Most Giftable Books of 2022”
The List’s “Best Mystery Books of 2022”
Daily Hive’s “22 Best Books of 2022”
Washington Post’s “12 best thriller and mystery novels of 2022”
Business Insider’s “Top 20 mystery and thriller books of 2022”
Authorlink’s “Best Books of 2022”
Goodreads’s "Best Mystery and Thriller of 2022"
Loanstars’s “Best of the brightest – 2022 top pick”
Yahoo!’s “Mysteries, thrillers perfect for the spooky season”
Glam’s “15 Spooky Reads To Get Into The Halloween Spirit”
The List’s “Best Thrillers To Read On Your Weekend Getaway”
NPR’s “13 books full of thrills and chills for Halloween”
The Everygirl’s “18 Cozy Mystery Books to Curl Up with this Weekend”
Elle’s “Favorite Books of 2022”
CBC’s “Top 10 Canadian Books of 2022”

“Excellent and totally entertaining . . . the most interesting (and endearing) main character in a long time.”
—Stephen King

“An endearing debut. . . . Prose threads a steady needle with the intricate plotting, the locked-room elements of the mystery and especially Molly’s character. The reader comes to understand Molly’s worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted—a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft.”
—The New York Times

Simple sweet story (mystery)

Main character was interesting and made the story a pleasure. The kind old mannerisms in the main character, and a few others, in a modern world made for interesting insights with old fashioned details. I personally loved the story and may even listen to it again in the future.😊👍

Entirely unbelievable

I have to say after the first couple hours, this book wasn't boring but it was ridiculous. The performance was great. The characters had distinct voices. I won't belabor the main character's quirks as the topic has been discussed. However, the legal stuff is even more ludicrous. The courtroom scenes make it seem like the author has never seen the inside of a courtroom or even a single episode of Law and Order. A police officer does not appear before a judge without a prosecutor and a private defense attorney does not represent the state in a criminal trial.

I didn't find the story predictable but it is preposterous.

Great story

Took me a while to get accustomed to the narrator’s “voice” but once I understood the characters in the story better, the narration was completely appropriate and well done!
Great story. The main character was so well written and the story was good. Ending was mostly unpredictable, but believable!

LOVED

HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT LOVE IT SO MUCH I WOULD READ IT AGAIN GET IT

Lauren Ambrose as Molly made the story more enjoyable. The mystery itself was just OK

The plot was decent - entertaining. The villains were predictable. A few twists that you saw coming but there were two or so that just popped up. Molly is a sympathetic character with some “skills” that others underestimate. It is a solid three star book overall.

Listened to the whole thing but...

I really wish authors would pay more attention to their characters than the plot. There were so many times that Molly played true as a character on the spectrum and then others were a head scratch. The author also played pretty reality-bending with time lines.

This book was an interesting listen with a great narrator. It may not be worth 10 hours of your time though.

Lauren Ambrose's Performance is Delightful

4.5

I loved this book. And I know that it begs the question: "if you loved this book, why didn't you give it all the stars?".

2 reasons.
1. 3/4 of the way through and everything was playing out, it got a tad laggy for me.
2. There is a passage of dialogue where a character mouths off to a person of authority (pg. 247 the "important lesson" comment to the end of that convo). I didn't care for that.

Other than that I found it a most enjoyable read. Molly is a delightful person, and more than once I found myself chuckling to the point of tears over her lovable quirks.

It's the kind of book that no matter how much you figure out, there will be things that you won't be able to. I always appreciate when a book has a solid ending without loose ties.

Excellent!!

Completely surprised by this listen! So different. I hated to stop each time I reached my destinations in my daily commute. Some twists and turns, surprises, and parts that truly brought tears to my eyes. Great pacing. Lauren Ambrose Perfection as Molly!! Highly recommended. Enjoy 👍👍

Great ASD Character and Representation

I loved this story so much. There was never a dull moment. I spent the whole time rooting for Molly. Molly is ASD but is written as a well rounded human being and I love that the most.

Narration was terrible!

I really enjoyed the book.
I did NOT enjoy the narrative. Her voice really bothered me. I finished the book by just reading it.