“My truth is not the same as yours because we don’t experience life in the same way.”
Molly Gray is unique. She struggles with social skills and often misinterprets the intentions of other people. Her grandmother used to make sense of the world for her; however, since her death, Molly has been forced to navigate the complexities of life on her own. Despite this, she loves her job as a hotel maid. One day, her world is upended by the discovery of Mr. Black’s dead body in his room. Molly’s strange demeanour soon has the police looking at her as their primary suspect. Nita Prose’s debut novel is a heartwarming journey of spirit, a celebration of being different, and an enthralling locked-room mystery. If you loved Molly’s escapades, join us at What We Reading for the best books like The Maid!
Who Wrote The Maid?
The Maid is Nita Prose’s New York Times bestselling debut novel and has garnered significant recognition, including being selected as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, winning the Ned Kelly Award for International Crime Fiction, and securing the top spot in the Best Mystery & Thriller category at the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards. Published in over forty countries, The Maid has achieved widespread success, selling over a million copies worldwide.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time – Mark Haddon
Kicking off our list of the best books like The Maid is another cosy mystery classic featuring a lovable protagonist who finds himself at odds with the world around him. Christopher John Francis Boone knows every prime number up to 7,057, all the countries in the world, and their capital cities. However, he’s always felt more comfortable around animals than people and absolutely hates to be touched by anyone.
One evening, he discovers his neighbour’s pet poodle has been killed, impaled by a garden fork. Christopher takes it upon himself to solve this suspicious mystery, embarking on an investigation that soon sees him running into resistance from all those around him. Heartwarming, funny, and poignantly told, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was listed as one of the books to read before you die by the BBC.
The Lazarus Hotel – Jo Bannister
For those who loved the five-star setting of the Regency Grand Hotel in The Maid, author Jo Bannister offers another stellar mystery story in The Lazarus Hotel. In this tale, readers follow six Londoners, all total strangers to one another, who check into a posh hotel for an intense therapy session to overcome personal tragedies.
However, once the session starts, they soon discover they are all tied together by a single event. As new tragedies befall each guest in turn, they are forced to figure out who is manipulating them from the shadows.
The Seven Rules Of Elvira Carr – Frances Maynard
Elvira Carr is a staunch believer in rules. She values crisp scheduling, clear guidelines, and taking people at face value. However, similar to Molly Gray in The Maid, Elvira doesn’t interact with a lot of people. After a series of severe incidents, she is kept at home by her overbearing mother. One day, her mother suffers a stroke, leaving Elvira on her own.
To navigate the world, she creates a list of seven must-follow rules. Armed with these, a notebook full of questions and observations, and the help of a kind neighbour, Elvira begins to realize that life is significantly different from what she initially thought. To unlock the mystery of what happened to her family and forge a new life for herself, Elvira will need all of her charm, perseverance, and courage.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Gillian McAllister
Similar to The Maid, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time was also nominated for Best Mystery & Thriller in the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards. It’s midnight on Halloween morning, and Jen anxiously awaits her son, Todd, to return home. However, when he eventually emerges from the darkness, fears about broken curfews are completely shattered as Jen watches him stab a total stranger.
Their lives are upended in an instant; Todd is arrested, and Jen falls asleep in despair. Only, when she wakes up again, it’s twenty-four hours in the past. The murder hasn’t happened yet. Each morning, as she wakes, Jen is transported further back in time before this single, seemingly unprompted act of violence occurred. Jen soon realizes that somewhere in the past lies the key to Todd’s terrible crime, and she takes it upon herself to find it and stop it from ever happening in the first place.
Check Out The Best Mystery Books From 2022
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant struggles with social skills and tends to say exactly what’s on her mind. She lives a carefully timetabled life consisting of vodka, frozen pizza, and phone calls with her mum. However, things soon change for Eleanor when she meets Raymond, the deeply unhygienic IT guy. Together, they save an old man named Sammy from a fall on the pavement, kickstarting a wholesome friendship that rescues the trio from the isolated lives they’ve been living.
Through his openness, Raymond begins to teach Eleanor how to embrace her own emotions and begin repairing her deeply damaged self. Like The Maid, Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a warm and uplifting celebration of quirkiness and originality, told through the lens of a deadpan and wholly lovable protagonist.
Mad Honey – Jodi Picoult And Jennifer Finney Boylan
Mad Honey is a 2022 book by bestselling novelists Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan that explores what we choose to hold on to from our past and what we choose to leave behind. For Olivia, her picture-perfect life in Boston was upended when her husband revealed a darker side to his personality. She moves back to her sleepy New Hampshire hometown with her son, Asher.
For a time, their do-over is exactly what they both needed. Asher soon begins falling for a girl from his school, Lily. However, that too is upended when Lily is found dead and Asher is questioned by the police. Olivia is convinced her son is innocent and goes out of her way to prove it. But Asher does have a slice of his father’s darker traits, and as she delves deeper into this mystery, she soon begins to discover that there is plenty he has kept hidden from her already.
The Golden Couple – Greer Hendricks And Sarah Pekkanen
Another 2022 mystery book like The Maid, The Golden Couple is a suspenseful domestic noir tale from the bestselling duo of The Wife Between Us. Marissa and Matthew Bishop appear to have it all until Marissa has an affair. Underneath the veneer of perfection for these wealthy Washington urbanites lies a relationship starved of intimacy and ravaged by work commitments.
Despite the challenges, Marissa wants to fix her troubled marriage and hires therapist Avery Chambers. Having lost her license, Avery still coaches couples in chaos through questionable and unorthodox methods. As the trio sit down for their first session, they are sent on a collision course that will eventually reveal it isn’t just a marriage in danger.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
