by Freida McFadden

“What did she mean by that? Is Nina more than just an eccentric and demanding boss? Is there something else going on with her?”

This was a fun and fast-paced domestic thriller that seemed shorter than it actually was. It just sped along which was very welcome after the last few books I’ve read. I read it on Audible, narrated by Lauren Allman.

Millie is an ex-con who was imprisoned for reasons unknown. She is also young and beautiful. After being fired for reasons unknown from her last job, she is hired as a live-in housekeeper and nanny for the fabulously wealthy and socially prominent Winchesters. It is well-paid and if her room is a little small, with no working windows, locks on the outside rather than the inside  and deep scratch marks on the door, well, after living in her car, who is she to complain? At first, it seems like a dream job but it’s not long before her sweet and friendly employer, Mrs. “call me Nina” Winchester starts to show a very very dark side. Nina seems to delight in gaslighting Millie, lying to her, setting her up for failure, blaming her for things that were her own fault, and otherwise mentally torturing her. And then there is her 9-year-old daughter, Cecelia, who is a spoiled mean brat and more than a little strange. Think Rhoda in The Bad Seed. But Millie puts up with it because anything is better than destitution and living in her car. Not to mention that Mrs. Winchester has the power to send her back to prison. Millie seems to be utterly in her power. And, you know, sometimes with her unpredictable mood swings, she is quite nice. Thank Goodness for Mr. Winchester, who is kind, handsome, and seems like a port in the storm.

This one has lots of twists and turns, and although I guessed the big twist because it was the only thing that made sense based on some of the behaviors, I enjoyed the ride anyway. It wasn’t deep, complex, or flawlessly planned or plotted. There were ways that Millie could have handled things that would have made her life easier. And some of the ways things were handled at the end to ensure a happy satisfying resolution would make no sense in real life. But I was in it for the thrills, chills, and schadenfreude, not the intellectual exercise. Also, “things” went a little too far for my liking.

But, Yeah. There are two sequels and I am definitely up for the next book in the series.