The Housemaid is Watching

The Housemaid is Watching is the third book in the Housemaid trilogy and it's just as wonderful as the first two.  Its a psychological thriller with yet another twisty finish that surprised me. The story takes place ten years after the first novel and Millie Calloway returns with husband Enzo and their two kids. 

The publisher's summary: 

“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…

I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…

The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here? I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?

Millie and Enzo have two nosy, annoying neighbours. Suzette Lowell cannot stop flirting with Enzo and Millie is jealous. The neighbor across the street, Janice, is the neighborhood spy. She spends the entire day and night looking in everyone's windows with her binoculars. The Lowells have a maid, Martha, with Thursdays open and Suzette talks Enzo into hiring her even though the Accardis cannot afford it. 

Millie and Enzo have two kids, eleven year old Ada and nine year old Nico. Ada is quiet but Nico has tons of energy. Millie repeats several times that she is obsessed with her new house and that the mortgage payments are too high for her to pay. She also has quite a few internal thoughts about her husband maybe cheating on her. Why repeat these two items?  It seemed unusual for McFadden to repeat any information in a novel. It felt odd as I was reading. In addition, Millie's usual housemaid activities are not written into this novel. It made me confused until the ending. 

Who was the villain?  There were a few possibilities. Suzette, Janice and Martha were the characters I was thinking about. The identity of the whodunnit wasn't revealed until the ending but all three characters were suggested throughout the story. 

I had a few issues with the writing.  The formula used in the prior two books in the series was not followed. This reduced the suspense factor during my read. While the ending tied up all of the loose ends, it was not as shocking as the earlier novels. Unfortunately, I have to reduce my rating of the book to 4 out of 5 stars.