The Housemaid Is Watching
4.2 | 248,398 ratings
Price: 12.58
Last update: 12-04-2025
Product details
- Publisher : Poisoned Pen Press
- Publication date : June 11, 2024
- Language : English
- Print length : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1464221138
- ISBN-13 : 978-1464221132
- Item Weight : 11.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 1 x 8 inches
- Book 3 of 3 : The Housemaid
- Best Sellers Rank:#167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Psychological Fiction (Books)
- Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:4.24.2 out of 5 stars(248,422)
Top reviews from the United States
- rickInteresting seriesThis story has more twists and turns than the tail of the dragon highway. Look up tail of the dragon. You'll understand.
Very enjoyable.
All of her books. - Stephen P.Another HousemaidThere’s a line in the book, told with a wink, about how a third novel in a series is never as good as the first two. Not true in this case. This was just as good as the other Housemaid novels.
For background on Millie and Enzo, it definitely helps if you’ve read the first two novels. This one is set a decade later, in which Millie has 2 children, and is no longer a Housemaid. She’s a social worker, which - though maybe a bit unrealistic given her prior years in prison- is a perfect job based on her willingness to help other women in need.
The first half of the book is somehow both fast-paced, and also a slowish burn. I felt there was some repetitiveness in Millie’s thoughts about Enzo’s secrets, especially his possible infidelity. It’s exciting to read, but just when you think the plot’s going to really move, the author pulls back, and it only inches forward. Normally building this type of suspense is great, but I think the author did it a few too many times.
The other thing I found a bit puzzling was the hesitation between Millie and Enzo to communicate with each other about what they were separately doing. If you’ve read the other 2 books you know that, both separately and together, Millie and Enzo have done a number of criminal things (even though they were done to protect themselves, or others). Their unwillingness to truthfully communicate - mostly from Enzo’s side - after having gone through so much together, felt a little out of character.
Those two areas are why I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5.
Otherwise, this book was terrific. An attentive reader might guess some things, but would be unlikely to figure it all out. As the book progresses, the pages fly by. You can’t stop reading. Millie is, and always has been, a very likable and sympathetic character. Enzo is more of a mystery, but also very likable (and apparently VERY hot, which contributes to driving the plot). And Millie’s 2 very different children, Nico and Ada, are written realistically, with the mix of doubt and happiness that children aged 11 and 9 normally have.
If you’ve read and liked the previous Housemaid books, you’ll like this one. If you haven’t, go back to read the first 2, and then come back to this one. - HL DallasThe third in a series...SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW
If you make it that far in the book, that seems to be some foreshadowing that this one is not on par with the rest of the series or McFadden's other books. I usually enjoy her books as a fast, entertaining read with 2 (or more!) sides to every story and an interesting twist at the end that at least I don't often see coming. This book was slower getting started and never really gained speed. There was a LOT left unexplained and at the end, even the plot twist was a big "ummm, what??" moment.
So we are to believe Nico was horribly traumatized because he had to play with toys in a room? So traumatized that he started beating up other kids, flushing pet insects, not eating and acting up? I thought maybe this was not so stated pedophelia but TBH, the vagueness took away from the credibility. And he’s so traumatized that his sister felt compelled to stab the person doing this? And then other references (ok, maybe 2) to what a horrible person Jonathan was but no previous evidence? The no details about the other kid who went missing 3 years ago but nothing until all of a sudden there’s a boy in the neighborhood? The weird Martha stuff all throughout... The weird 11 year old boys stuff in Ada's part? There really were far too many odd little tangents that didn’t line up, make sense, or get resolved.
I dunno, this one just didn't work for me. I finished it but it all left me scratching my head because it just didn't make much sense. - Tracy M.Very good bookEasy read. Lots of twists I didn’t see coming. Best book I’ve read in a while. Can’t wait to see the movie.
- Iris RobinsonQuick read - spoiler alert!** spoiler alert ** Like the first two books in the series, this was a quick, enjoyable read. But I definitely have some critiques! The discrepancy between Ada's POV and how Jonathan actually died had me thinking it was an egregious editing error, and I was really frustrated for a bit. Then we learn the truth about his murder...OK cool, so not an inconsistency. But Millie and Enzo didn't seriously question that?? When Ada finally told the truth, it wouldn't have made sense for her to leave that part out if she was the one who slit his throat since she already assumed that she had killed him. Millie actually saw the body seconds after, and she didn't probe her daughter with more questions?? This really bothered me.
And then Suzanne. OK, she was admittedly a crappy person and should've reported her husband to the police once she discovered his secrets. But the options that Ramirez gave to her were awful and definitely an injustice to the justice system. Not saying that Jonathan didn't have it coming...but that left either his true murderer not going to trial, or the little boy's family never finding out what happened to him.
And I'm not trying to cast Jonathan in a better light, but based on what we know, it's not clear that he was a pervert. A child killer, yes. And how he manipulated Nico was definitely weird and inappropriate. But otherwise, it wasn't really clear what was happening there. He was watching Nico on camera...OK, and? I guess his perversions are supposed to be implied, but that was super vague. Nico was obviously going through some serious stuff, and his parents barely attempted to address any of his behavior. Granted, there was a lot going on with their lives, but why would he drastically change right after he starts helping the Lowells at their house? Come on, huge red flag!
I'd probably round up from a 3.5 because these things just weren't in line with reality. - Lisa RobertsonGreat book, wonderful series!Great Book series! Suspenseful with great plot twists! Have enjoyed every book I have read from this author!