The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden Book Review

 The Housemaid is Watching 

( The Housemaid #3)

By Freida McFadden 

Published Year: 2024

Page Count: 402 pages 

Medium Used: Kindle Scribe 

Genre: Thriller, Murder Mystery, Suspense, Drama, Family Dynamics, 2026-read. 

Rating : 4/5 

I really, really didn't like the ending. The last three to four chapters are so incredulous that it is hard to accept them as plausible. Yes, I agree the author wanted to add an element of surprise and also bring Millie's family out of the trenches but the way she did it is laughable! You don't just go and threaten a person into taking the fall for something they haven't done, right? Is it ok to do bad things to bad people and get away with it? The answer seems to be an yes here. Shouldn't it be the job of the justice department to decide who goes free and who gets punished, once all the secrets are laid bare in front of them?  Apparently not. It is easy to trick the system, to fool the people involved. Just so unbelievable!! But there is another voice in my head whispering that since all things have fallen peacefully into place and no one is really complaining, why bother. Which side of the argument do I hear? I think the police should do a thorough investigation instead of zeroing in on the one suspect and trying all ways to nail it on him. 

But despite this, I enjoyed reading the book. I was having way too much fun with the story till about 60 percent. I remember telling myself that this book is much better .. than the first two in the set. And it went south from there for me but I can't go beneath 4 points for this book. :) 

I have wracked my brain but for all the intelligence I have, I cannot understand why this book is titled The Housemaid is Watching. Millie, the main character of the book series and the Housemaid from the previous two books is not a maid anymore. The other housemaid who is part of this book has so little presence in the entire story that it is safe to say she wasn't watching anything.

So digging a bit into the story. Millie and Enzo have been married for over 11 years now. They have two kids - Ada, 11, silent and matured and Nico, 9, naughty and rabble raiser. They move to a new house on the Long Island from Bronx, New York. They love their new house though they could barely afford it and Enzo must really find more business for his landscaping to meet mortgage requirements. After moving there, they meet their two neighbor families. One of them is Mrs. Janice Archer who puts a leash on her son in an overprotective gesture. She spends lot of her time spying on her neighbors and complaining about the children to parents. The other family belongs to the Lowell's - Jonathan and Suzette. Suzette appears to be a snob and also very attracted to Enzo. She offers him job opportunities should he work on her backyard and make an example of it. Midway into the plot, Johnathan is murdered. His throat is slit from ear to ear. Millie finds the dead body and rushes back home to call the cops. She finds Enzo wiping blood off his hands and discarding a shirt drenched in blood. The cops arrive, Enzo is blamed and arrested. All the while, the real culprit(s) are hiding. How does Millie save her family from the disgrace? If Enzo is innocent, then who did the crime?

I didn't see the ratings for this one on goodreads but can't imagine people really gushing over it. I mean the twist is okay but the ending is pretty lame. And there is no housemaid who is watching - other than ofcourse maybe a bit of a TV at the end lol lol lol. I really missed Millie in action. I mean she has to save women from their bastard husbands and enlist Enzo's help right? Well, it is not so in this book. Maybe the author wanted to right something different. Where Millie is not in trouble but Enzo is and she helps him out!