Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Maid

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Maid by Nita Prose

243 reviews

isabezza's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

This is a difficult review to write as this book was simply okay. Initially I enjoyed our main character's unique, flawed, bullied, possibly neurodivergent mindstyle, but it quickly became repetitive. The mystery was generally predictable even when the main character omitted aspects of the narrative for suspense. The characters were two-dimensional; good or evil with little nuance. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable and comfortable read with some exciting moments. The little victories for the main character I particularly enjoyed.

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madamenovelist's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

⚠️ CW: grief, murder, cancer, bullying, ableism and domestic abuse ⚠️ If you're looking for an intricately detailed murder mystery that is so much more than it seems then you need to read this book. It begins like any other day for Molly Gray as she silently dusts and cleans her way through the luxury rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel. But when she enters suite 401 and discovers an infamous guest dead in his bed, a very messy mystery begins to unfold. And Molly is at the heart of it all because if anyone can uncover the secrets beneath the surface and the fingerprints amongst the filth then it’s the maid. This book had me absolutely hooked from beginning to end and was filled with so many clever twists and turns. I loved Molly so much, especially her relationship with her Gran, but also I found it so infuriating how the majority of people treated her due to her being on the Autistic spectrum even though unfortunately this ignorance made it feel all the more realistic. And the ending was just so perfect! Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it.

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emma6544's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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whewtaewoon's review

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hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Molly, an Autistic maid, finds the body of a VIP guest and finds herself square in the focus of the investigating detective. Molly must learn who she can trust to help her shine a light on the truth of the situation and uncover much more than just a murder.

I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first of The Maid. I couldn't find any information on if Prose herself is Autistic, coupled with the fact Molly is never called Autistic in the book (rather she's called "different") I wasn't sure what to expect. Actually, I think I expected the worse. However, in my opinion, The Maid is a fun and respectful representation of an Autistic woman finding her way in the world on her own for the first time in her life. Not only did I enjoy the depection of Molly but I also enjoyed the mystery itself. I enjoyed (although was frustrated by) Molly having to figure out who was friend and who was foe. The twists in the story were delightfully surprising as well.

I look forward to the next book.

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katielikestoread's review

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

If you're looking for a lighter, more digestible book with a bit of mystery thrown in, this is the book for you. Some parts of it were entertaining but it doesn't completely check out as a murder mystery to me. I do have a tendre for Molly but the rest of the book is a bit rote. Some of the topics surrounding certain characters were handled clumsily, to say the least, and it's my opinion that a book published in this day and age should be more sensitive. It felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in to make this a mystery, and there were a lot of instances in which the protagonist straddled the line between oblivious and sly, despite the book claiming the very opposite.

Spoiler

I get that the protagonist isn't supposed to be a sophisticated, seasoned murderer, but it's a different thing entirely to have her be written in an oblivious light and not address why. One strength of the book is that it's not bogged down by red herrings but in my opinion, the simplicity of the plot doesn't read well and the third act comes together all too conveniently for my taste.

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