The Maid by Nita Prose (2022)

Twenty-five-year-old Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills, has a hard time reading verbal and nonverbal cues (like sarcasm or a smile that doesn’t reach someone’s eyes). Her gran used to help her interpret the world and to figure out simple rules that Molly could follow. But Gran died a few months ago, and Molly’s a bit adrift. Life is tolerable because of her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a historic, 5-star hotel. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with her supplies, and returning the rooms at to a state of perfection. She’s meticulous and polite no matter what. She embraces Mr. Snow’s “we’re all busy worker bees in the hive that is the Regency Grand.”

Molly’s work ethic and skill earn her excellent tips (note to self: tip housecleaning staff) — when her supervisor Cheryl isn’t stealing them, that is. She also makes friends with the other maids, the doorman, Mr. Porter, the hotel’s dish washer, Juan Miguel, and guests like the Chens and Giselle Black, the socialite wife of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black. As we jump into the action, Molly arrives at the Blacks’ suite to clean, only to be shoved aside by an angry Mr. Black as he’s leaving. Giselle spends the entire time Molly’s there in the bathroom (Is she crying?). When Molly returns later to clean the bathroom, Giselle is gone and the suite looks like she never cleaned. She decides to clean again and when she enters the bedroom, she finds Mr. Black dead in his bed. She has to call the front desk twice before they get the manager and call the police. 

The dead body makes some people nervous: Rodney, the bartender, who’s been 'helping' Juan Miguel and his 2 burly friends by giving them the keycard to one of the empty rooms every night. Juan Miguel is homeless, you see, so Molly readily agrees to help by telling them what room to use and cleaning up after them the following morning. (The dusty duffel bags and burly men are JM’s, not Rodney’s.) Her friend, Giselle, worries that the police will suspect her of murder, especially if they find the gun she’s hidden in her suite’s bathroom’s fan. (Molly’s happy to help her friend out, retrieving the gun and stowing it in the bottom of her vacuum.) JM is worried because of the aforementioned burly men (and their propensity to burn people who displease them) and his illegal status (his work permit has expired). 

Things in Molly’s life look to be turning a corner. She’s saved from eviction when Giselle tips her $200 and she’s able to pawn Mr. Black’s wedding ring for the remaining $1,800 she owes for rent. Rodney asks Molly out to lunch (he even pays and cares enough to ask her about finding the body). But then it isn’t: the chief detective seems to think *she* murdered Mr. Black, especially when they find the gun and the ring Molly pawned and Molly withholds information like her friendship with Giselle. Molly ends up arrested, which costs her her job, and she discovers that not everyone is actually her friend. Luckily, Mr. Porter knows a very good attorney who isn’t put off my Molly’s literal way of thinking/speaking. 

The ending is quite satisfying, even if not everyone gets their comeuppance. The most deserving people do, so you don’t begrudge the way life isn’t always tied up in a tidy bow. It’s a great book, with someone on the spectrum as the protagonist. One of the things that makes the book great *is* the protagonist. Molly’s smart and observant and loyal. She doesn’t always know what to do in new situations, but those she has rules for she’s able to handle well. There’s a lot of heart in these pages. 

The author does a great job of pulling us into her world view and revealing a bit at a time what’s going on at the Regency Grand. Molly’s way of thinking begins to make sense. Molly may be literal, but she’s doing her best in trying to navigate like after her rock (Gran) is gone. Adult readers suspect that Molly might not be picking up on when people are playing her false. How do JM’s friends track in so much dirt? After Molly agrees to help her, did Giselle give that big tip out of appreciation for Molly’s friendship, or some other reason? Is there something fishy with JM’s explanation for the burns on his arms? Is Rodney ready to progress their relationship, or does he have another reason for giving her his phone number and being so helpful? 

(Her Gran and Gran’s nuggets made me miss my grandma.)

4/5 stars

Trigger warning: discusses suicide, death due to cancer, and spousal abuse.