View source for The Housekeeper by Suellen Dainty

{{infobox1
|title=The Housekeeper
|sort= Housekeeper
|author=Suellen Dainty
|reviewer= Zoe Morris
|genre=General Fiction
|summary= A delicious book of gourmet flashes and more nourishing staple moments.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=320
|publisher=Washington Square Press
|date=March 2017
|isbn=978-1476771403
|website= https://www.suellendainty.com/
|cover=1476771405
|aznuk=1476771405
|aznus=1476771405
}}

Annie has broken the cardinal rule of never mixing business with pleasure, and so when the latter ends, she's left without the former, and in need of a new job. She never thought about being a housekeeper, but her OCD tendencies mixed with years of working in hospitality mean she's quite capable, especially when an opportunity arises with her girl crush, Emma Helmsley, one half of a well-known celeb couple on the London circuit. Nothing is ever as it seems, though, and Annie soon finds that behind those tall walls there is a family no less dysfunctional than anyone else's, despite their fame, fortune, and front page headlines.

A lot of research has gone into this book, and it shows. I loved the matter of fact way in which the restaurant kitchens were described, such an ordinary, mundane work place for Annie and yet much more intriguing for the rest of us. I also loved the descriptions of Emma and Rob's home. They're not quite too posh to wash but you can feel Annie's satisfaction as she takes over the chores and gets things into shape.

Annie has had an odd upbringing, and parts of it still haunt her, so it's understandable that she takes an interest in Rob's work which intersects with her past in a way she could not have anticipated. It's a slightly odd angle to the story, and if I'm being honest I enjoyed more the simple aspects of her day to day job, and her involvement with the kids, but sometimes in life you cannot pick the way things go, you just have to roll with it. So although it was an unexpected twist, I accepted it as part of Annie's past and present, and understood why it was being brought up. Rob's part of the story extends beyond his academic work, and it added a further surprising twist but again, it wasn't unacceptable or unfathomable as part of the story, even if it did end up feeling like there were three stories all vying for my attention at the first time.

I enjoyed the language of this book. It has a touch of formality to it that is often lacking from books these days, and I thought this was fitting for Annie's personality. The story maintains a steady pace and you can sit back and enjoy the progression as manipulation mingles with lies and hidden agendas.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review. If you enjoy stories where not all is as it seems, then [[The Life You Want by Emily Barr]] and [[Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng]] both come up trumps.

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