A review by esems
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Entertaining, but I was able to predict most of the twists. Nothing shocked me as I had already made those possible predictions prior to them being revealed. From the start it reminded me of Ruth Ware’s ‘Turn of the Key’. Troubled women living in an expensive home as live-in help, bedroom door that locks from the outside, a groundskeeper that is attractive, a bratty child, a creepy attic. And
an attractive husband character that is alluring at first but is so obviously part of the twist. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is! And they are always the ones with a dark side.
. All that said it was still fun enough when the twists reach their peak. I listened to the audiobook and kept following along because I wanted to see if my predictions were correct (which they were). Even
when Evelyn reveals that she was the one to start the disciplining ‘games’. And yes, I also knew we would be loop back to Kathleen being one of the ‘firsts’. I will say the one bit I didn’t predict was Nina planting the pepper spray in the bucket for Millie. And I wasn’t convinced Andrew would die in the end. I expected him to be carted off to prison instead.
. I will eventually check out the other two books in the series but will likely do the audiobooks again rather than read them. 
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