Psychological thriller set on LONG ISLAND

19th February 2026

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, psychological thriller set on LONG ISLAND

Millie has a history. She has been in jail for several years and is now out on licence. She cannot afford to do anything wrong, she also can’t afford to live. She is in a desperate situation and when she applies for and then is offered the job of housemaid in the Winchester household, she jumps at the chance.

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It comes with accommodation (a rather grotty garret, it has to be said) but it beats living in her car. Nina and Andrew seem to be a gorgeous couple, yet young daughter Cecilia is an oddball, prone to rudeness and truculence. And she is always dressed in flouncy, starchy dresses, which are at odds with the dress code of her class mates. At first, Nina seems like just another wealthy housewife but as the days pass, she becomes increasingly volatile and hostile towards Millie. Millie starts to feel as though she is being gaslit. She knows the instructions she is getting from her employer are clear but then Nina will deny and reformulate her demands leaving Millie floundering – and at a loss to understand Nina’s motives.

There is some indication that Nina has suffered from mental health problems in the past….

Andrew, meanwhile, is tolerant of his wife’s behaviour, and is definitely Mr Nice Guy. It is hard to understand how this marriage works but Millie – given her penal background – has to grit her teeth and succumb to the vagaries of her new employment. But something really doesn’t feel right….

There are a fair number of twists in store for the reader in this novel. It has many favourable reviews and in fact it has been turned into a film. I found it gripping as it switched this way and that, and felt the ending was pretty well thought out.

A very good and well written novel for poolside relaxation.

Setting isn’t particularly strong.

Tina for the TripFiction team

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