Is "The Maid" The Best Mystery & Thriller of 2022?
A review of Nita Prose's 2022 novel and Goodreads Choice Awards winner
It’s been a long time since I picked up a mystery or thriller novel. Having read my fair share of the genre over the years, I got burned out after seeing similar plots and concepts. However, after receiving a recommendation to read The Maid, I decided to give it a chance. It helped that Nita Prose’s debut novel had high ratings and was also winner of the Best Mystery and Thriller Novel for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Plot Summary
Molly Gray works as a maid at the Regency Hotel, delighting in returning the guest rooms to a state of perfection. Since her grandmother died a few months ago, Molly has had to navigate life by herself. She’s different in that she struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others.
But Molly’s orderly life gets disrupted when she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to discover Mr. Black dead in his bed. Molly finds herself caught in the middle of a crime, targeted as the police’s lead suspect. Fortunately for Molly, friends from the hotel help her proclaim her innocence and search for clues to uncover the truth of the crime.
“I am your maid. I know so much about you. but when it comes down to it: what is it that you know about me?” — Nita Prose, The Maid
Review
The premise intrigued me. It’s comparison to the classic board game, Clue, along with the hotel setting already showed me it was different than other novels I’d read in the genre. I’ve also never encountered any story with a maid as the protagonist. It’s a unique perspective, I wanted to hear more about. As Molly says, she’s a crucial part of the hotel, visible, yet unseen.
“It’s easier than you’d ever think — existing in plain sight while remaining largely invisible. That’s what I’ve learned from being a maid.” — Nita Prose, The Maid
One of the reasons I grew tired of mystery and thriller novels were their tendency to overemphasize plot at the expense of characterization. This meant reading stories where you could tell when writers were pulling the strings and denying characters’ their agency. However, The Maid leaned more towards character rather than the mystery. As someone who prefers character-driven books regardless of genre, I enjoyed how the book was all about Molly and her growth.
Molly is a fantastic protagonist. I often enjoy outcasts and socially awkward people, so she came off as endearing and empathetic with her routines, rules, and quirks. Her narration made for an engaging and at times humorous read. For instance, it was fun to dialogues play out when her formal language contrasted with the other characters’ more casual vernacular.
Despite her grandmother’s death, Gran lives on in Molly, particularly in her way of understanding of the world. The relationship she has with Molly feels real and gives the book moments of emotional poignancy. Molly is alone, singled out by her coworkers, but gradually she learns she can find a sense of belonging. The incident with Mr. Black reveals potential allies and friends, teaching her to discern who she can trust and those she can’t (or in her words, who is a good and bad egg).
The mystery itself was interesting enough, though not necessarily the most twisty or unpredictable. If you’re looking for a super complex and mind-boggling crime, The Maid might not be your book. However, the page-turning suspense combined with Molly’s fun narration kept me hooked.
By the time Prose explains the final reveal in the epilogue, I wasn’t surprised. However, I liked how it ended on a more impactful note of how the crime changed Molly. Her worldview transforms from rigid to flexible, expanding her ability to see the gray within the black and white. Thematically, Prose touches upon the subjectivity of the truth. After all, we can’t believe our assumptions just because someone appears different to us. And for Molly, she embraces her difference.
“Gran used to say, Never mind what others think; it’s what you think that matters. And I agree. One must live by their own moral code, not follow like a sheep blindly.” — Nita Prose, The Maid
As a whole, The Maid is one of the best page-turners I’ve read in recent time. As for whether it’s the best mystery book of 2022, I can’t say because I’ve yet to read the other nominees. However, The Maid is one of the best titles I’ve read in the mystery and thriller genre. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries with quirky characters, I highly recommend this novel.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and the Amazon Associates Program. If you purchase this book through these links (Bookshop.org or Amazon.com), I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Originally published on Medium
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J. S. Wong
Fiction writer, compulsive book reviewer, horror/Halloween fan. Subscribe if you like stories on writing, books, and reading!
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