It's a gruesome miniature doll in her likeness, trapped inside a dollhouse, lying in a pool of blood. Freida McFadden was a name that kept popping up to me, especially since I’ve gotten much more into thrillers lately. For understandable reasons, finding employment has become quite difficult for her and she can’t afford to be picky with the jobs coming her way.

The Housemaid Series by Freida McFadden - Goodreads

Funnily enough, it almost seems like the more they clash against each other, the more their similarities become unveiled. The job comes with a great pay, a room of her own, and in a stunning stately home owned by the Howard family. Unfortunately for them, she isn't easy to scare and she also has a motive for wanting to stay at Highwood Hall. But I'd forgive the author because of how brilliant her storytelling is, and how wonderfully she has strewn various red herrings throughout the story to keep the readers recommend.

I will concede the first half of the book does move a little more slowly, largely to give the author the chance to drum up the mystery to her liking, to leave clues laying about for our benefit, and naturally, to create expectations which will subsequently be shattered. Many thanks to the author / Victory Editing Netgalley Co-Op / Netgalley for the digital copy of this riveting psychological thriller. And with her growing attraction to Nina’s handsome husband Andrew, she’s not even sure she’d wanted to. In the Prologue, an unnamed maid worries about being arrested after a body is found in the house where she works.

The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil | Goodreads The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil | Goodreads

Not completely, but still – it actually freaking got me, which almost never happens to me with thrillers.She’s best known to date on the feature side for penning the horror-drama The Keeping Hours, produced by Blumhouse and directed by Karen Moncrieff, which won the Audience Award upon its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Alex in particular and you feel early on that this is someone who is dangerous and things can’t possibly end well where he is concerned.