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The Maid's Diary: A Novel Kindle Edition
A cunning, twisty, and unsettling novel of psychological suspense with a startling conclusion by Loreth Anne White, the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Patient’s Secret.
Kit Darling is a maid with a snooping problem. She’s the “invisible girl,” compelled to poke into her wealthy clients’ closely guarded lives. It’s a harmless hobby until Kit sees something she can’t unsee in the home of her brand-new clients: a secret so dark it could destroy the privileged couple expecting their first child. This makes Kit dangerous to the couple. In turn, it makes the couple—who might kill to keep their secret—dangerous to Kit.
When homicide cop Mallory Van Alst is called to a scene at a luxury waterfront home known as the Glass House, she’s confronted with evidence of a violent attack so bloody it’s improbable the victim is alive. But there’s no body. The homeowners are gone. And their maid is missing. The only witness is the elderly woman next door, who woke to screams in the night. The neighbor was also the last person to see Kit Darling alive.
As Mal begins to uncover the secret that has sent the lives of everyone involved on a devious and inescapable collision course, she realizes that nothing is quite as it seems. And no one escapes their past.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMontlake
- Publication dateMarch 1, 2023
- File size3470 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Have you ever done something so heinous, so shameful, that you buried it deep and split your life into a before and after, never admitting your wrongs?
Have you ever wished someone dead—or worse?
The characters in The Maid’s Diary have.
I won’t say more about this book—if you’re a fan of psychological suspense told in colliding timelines, this is the read for you. Loreth Anne White is a writer at the very top of her game. We have worked together now for ten books, and I can confidently say that this is her most riveting, her most grab-you-by-the-guts-and-twist, her most unrelenting yet.
If you’re one of the lucky few who has yet to read one of Loreth’s novels, I envy your first foray into her moody, atmospheric world.
Cancel your plans. Order some takeout. Silence your phone. Get ready for an unforgettable read.
—Alison Dasho, Editor
About the Author
Loreth Anne White is an Amazon Charts, Washington Post, and Bild bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense, including The Patient’s Secret, Beneath Devil’s Bridge, In the Dark, The Dark Bones, and A Dark Lure. With more than three million books sold around the world, she is a three-time RITA finalist, an overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, an Arthur Ellis Award finalist, and a winner of multiple industry awards. A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now calls Canada home. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, dividing her time among Victoria on Vancouver Island, a ski resort in the Coast Mountains, and a rustic lakeside cabin in the Cariboo. When she’s not writing or dreaming up plots, you’ll find her on the lakes, in the ocean, or on the trails with her dog, where she tries—unsuccessfully—to avoid bears. For more information on her books, please visit her website at www.lorethannewhite.com.
Product details
- ASIN : B09TZM8CZK
- Publisher : Montlake (March 1, 2023)
- Publication date : March 1, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 3470 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 376 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #27 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Loreth Anne White is an Amazon Charts, Washington Post and Bild bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense. With over 3 million books sold around the world, she is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a three-time RITA finalist, an overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Arthur Ellis finalist, and winner of multiple industry awards.
A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now calls Canada home. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, dividing time between Vancouver Island, a ski resort in the Coast Mountains, and a rustic lakeside cabin in the Cariboo.
When she’s not writing or dreaming up plots, you will find her on the lakes, in the ocean, or on the trails with her dog where she tries—unsuccessfully—to avoid bears.
Connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loreth.Anne.White
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Loreth
Or via Instagram: lorethannewhite
Or Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150272.Loreth_Anne_White
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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From the very first page, I was completely engrossed in the gripping narrative. The story revolves around Kit, a maid who finds herself thrust into the heart of a scandalous mystery that unravels the dark secrets of the household she works for. The author's meticulous attention to detail in describing the daily struggles, dreams, and aspirations of maids breathes life into these characters, making them relatable and unforgettable.
One of the standout elements of this book is the way it tackles social issues and highlights the often-overlooked voices of domestic workers. Loreth White skillfully weaves these important themes into the narrative, making the reader confront the realities faced by maids to ignite empathy and understanding.
The pacing of the plot is exceptional, with the author expertly balancing suspense, intrigue, and emotional depth. I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth behind the secrets that shaped the maids' lives.
White's prose is poetic and evocative, effortlessly painting vivid images of both the opulent household and the grim realities of maid life. The author's command over language imbues the story with a captivating atmosphere, transporting readers into the maids' world and making it impossible to put the book down.
Moreover, the characters in "The Maid's Diary" are multi-dimensional and flawed, making them feel authentic and human. Kit, in particular, is a remarkable protagonist whose strength, resilience, and determination inspire and resonate. Her journey is not only a quest for truth but also a personal voyage of self-discovery, and witnessing her growth throughout the book was truly rewarding.
Overall, "The Maid's Diary" is an exceptional novel that weaves together intriguing mystery, social commentary, and unforgettable characters. Loreth White's exquisite storytelling kept me enthralled from beginning to end, leaving a lasting impact on my understanding of the world around me. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a thought-provoking and captivating read.
The story begins with “How it Ends - Slowly, she slides she slides between sleep and consciousness”… This is the murder. The novel then goes into detail of the night of the murder by a neighbor witness and from the perspective of a couple in the midst of a scandalous sexual affair at the sight of the body dumping; they are political figures and cannot report what they have seen because it would expose their affair.
When the authorities arrive at the scene of the bloody crime they notice a pie smashed and oozing out of its box on the steps of the house with a note from a friend. It doesn’t take the investigators long to determine it was from a friend of the house owners (Vanessa and Haruto North) Daisy and Jon Rittenberg. We then learn a lot about those main characters. We learn the Jon has a very sordid past that Daisy has helped stay hidden. The story is leading us to believe Jon and or Daisy may be involved with the Murder since the only eyewitness (that speaks to the police) states that one of the people at the scene appeared to be a man and the other a larger (round) person and Daisy is pregnant.
I think this is a good suspenseful novel with a good twist at the end, however the alternating timelines (some undated) can be a little confusing.
MINOR SPOILERS:
The neighbor who reported the crime never saw the body but rather a large rug being lugged out to a vehicle; a vehicle that matches the Rittenbergs. The maids car was also at the scene. However, we learn that the North’s are not who we thought they are. The North’s are confirmed as vacationing out of the country and have been for some time. We now know that the friend of Daisy is a poser living in the North’s house. Meanwhile, another side story is Daisy’s paranoia surrounding ominous and threatening messages she is receiving regarding her unborn baby. They are very personalized and refer to things only people from her past would know about. She is obsessed with who this mysterious person could be and tries tracking down people from her and Jon’s past. She has no idea that that person is related to the main story. The Maid who is the protagonist is quirky in her own right. She loves pretending to be someone she is not and posting social media about a fabulous life that is not hers. She loves snooping in her clients house and learning of their secrets. She is the maid at the Norths and also starts serving at the Rittenbergs. At the Rittenberg’s she realizes it is Jon’s house and her past comes screaming back to her. She is part of the Rittenbergs past.
MAJOR SPOILERS:
Although we shift our victim(s) from the Norths to the Main; we eventually learn it is no one. We learn that Kit is playing the Rittenbergs and acting as both Kit Vanessa and Mia and has been orchestrating the entire “Fake murder” to set up the Rittenbergs. However, due to the encounter and the devasting effects she has had on Jon’s life we are led to believe that he actually did murder her…
My biggest issue with this book is the timelines… I love twists and I love how many authors lead you down a path but in this case I feel the book is written in a way that you cannot put pieces together. For example: On page 302 (Kindle version) the author writes:
Kit says: “Full disclosure”, she says as she sets her glass carefully on a small table at her side. "I only became Mia after I saw what
Daisy had locked in her safe. It really was a point of no return, seeing that recorded footage-that proof of what happened that night at the ski lodge party. This is not true. John meets Kit as “Mia” on page 76 while John is having food and drinks with Henry on 10/17/19 and Kit doesn’t discover the evidence until page 168 during the Maids Diary (undated). So since the diary is undated it could be accurate but it seems to be misleading.
Top reviews from other countries
All the plot twists, Loreth Anne White is my new favorite author. This book really had me hooked.
The technique of using the personal diary of the main protagonist is interesting and works well interspersed with the other narrative. It is a bit confusing at first especially as the narrative jumps around a bit, but persevere, it's worth it. If you're reading this on Kindle have a notepad handy to write down important dates etc at the beginning. You'll soon get the hang of it..
It certainly is an inventive story. Clever use of various devices that will trick you until the end..A lot of insights into the subject of sexual assault, and how money and power buys you a free pass.
Enjoy