Molly Grey is neurodivergent, although what labels might apply are never spelled out. She has spent most of her life with her Gran, who interprets things for her, but her Gran recently died, leaving Molly to puzzle things out on her own. And puzzling they are. Molly is a maid in a very posh hotel, and she takes great pride in her work. She is the consummate maid, proper and prompt and doing everything by the books.
So she’s completely unprepared to enter a suite one day and discover a dead body. The suite’s occupant, the weathly Mr Charles Black, is dead, and Molly’s expert eye notices the minutest of things disarranged. However, her unusual demeanor (read her neurodivergency) make her the police’s number one suspect. On top of that, she’s not always sure who to trust, or how much to trust them, and her readings of social situations and people’s character aren’t always accurate. For example, there’s the young man with the immigration issue she’s trying to help by providing keys to empty suites for his bulky luggage. And the handsome bartender who’s always flirting with gorgeous and rich women, but Molly’s pretty sure he likes her best.
The Maid is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in ages! I loved it immensely. It’s a great read–just a well-written story with a very sympathetic heroine who manages to ultimately figure out who she can trust. I loved how we see the world through Molly’s eyes, and yet that world is well constructed enough that we can see the realities that she can’t. It’s also the sort of book that you can pass along to everyone from your teenager to your grandmother. I give it 5 stars.