My enormous thanks to Caitlin Raynor at Headline for sending me a surprise copy of The Housekeepers by Alex Hay. I’m delighted to share my review of The Housekeepers today.

Published by Headline Review on 6th July 2023, The Housekeepers is available for purchase through the links here.

The Housekeepers

UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON.

DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY.

When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.

A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King’s predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane far too long.

Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball – and play out right under the noses of her former employers…

THEY COME FROM NOTHING. BUT THEY’LL LEAVE WITH EVERYTHING.

My Review of The Housekeepers

What a delicious read. I absolutely loved this witty, brilliantly crafted story.

The Housekeepers romps along at a cracking pace assisted by the countdown to the ball taking place on 26th June. I found the dated and timed chapter headings heightened my anticipation and although I was reading about a group of felons, I was absolutely desperate for their audacious plan to succeed. My heart rate ramped up as the plot progressed. 

The setting and era are perfectly portrayed and Alex Hay’s writing appeals to the senses through beautiful use of language so that The Housekeepers is completely immersive as well as enormously entertaining. I adored the author’s style. I also loved the wit and humour that comes through, particularly through the direct speech. Indeed, I read The Housekeepers with an expression of complete pleasure throughout and every time I think back to reading it, it brings a smile to my face.

Alex Hay has created the most wonderful set of characters. Through The Housekeepers he shows just how appearances and supposed social status can be deceiving. Hepzibah’s actress profession highlighted this theme so well, but it is those like Mrs Bone who are complete characterisation triumphs. To say too much is to spoil the read as the reasons for the plot are very much tied up in character, but I thought the links were perfectly drawn in a kind of poetic orrery as the two aspects danced through the story. The Housekeepers are exactly that. They are the cogs that keep the house running, but they are the keepers of truth and justice too so that the book thrums with life, intrigue and engagement.

Alongside all of this are some darker themes too so that The Housekeepers presents depth and contrast to the reader. Control of many kinds, status, identity, feminism, crime, poverty, ambition, revenge and so on, become a richly satisfying undercurrent that make The Housekeepers simply wonderful. 

Visual, entertaining, beautifully crafted and plotted, if The Housekeepers isn’t snapped up for television immediately, there’s no justice in the world. I thought it was brilliant and loved it.

About Alex Hay

Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied History at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector, and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel course. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. Alex lives with his husband in South East London.

For further information, follow Alex on Twitter @AlexHayBooks and Instagram or visit Alex’s website.

It’s far too long since I featured Gail Aldwin here on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed her novel The String Games. I’m delighted to rectify that by reviewing Gail’s latest book The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell.

The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is published today by Bloodhound Books and is available for purchase here.

The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell

A true-crime podcaster investigates a decades-old suspected abduction, in this powerful psychological suspense novel.

1979
Sixteen-year-old Carolyn Russell grows increasingly infatuated with her school mathematics teacher who is also giving her private lessons. Then she disappears.

2014
Struggling journalist Stephanie Brett creates a true-crime podcast focused on the disappearance of Carolyn Russell. By digging deep into this mysterious cold case, her confidence and flagging career are boosted. But after she confronts the suspects—and talks to a potential witness—the leads dry up. However, Stephanie refuses to let the story rest . . .

Can a small-time journalist with a shoestring podcast really hope to reconstruct the ultimate fate of Carolyn Russell after all these years, or are some secrets best left buried?

My Review of The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell

What really happened to Carolyn Russell?

The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is a layered read that needs to come with a warning – there are a lot of references to food and I found it made me ravenous as I read!

The plot is carefully crafted and ends leaving the reader pondering many aspects of morality and truth. What The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell does is to open up a world where mis-interpretation, half truths and obfuscation impact lives far beyond any initial intention. I found reading the narrative made me think long and hard about what appears in our various media because of the mature observation I found here.  

As well as a mystery to enjoy, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is a sensitive insight into burgeoning womanhood, complex feelings and relationships with an exploration into how our upbringing can impact our behaviour.

I especially enjoyed two time frames as Gail Aldwin conveys the eras really well, particularly through cultural and societal references so that the reader gains a good understanding of the way Carolyn and Stephanie are living; particularly through Carolyn’s first person account that reveals her friendships and her innermost feelings. This element of the narrative enhances the reader’s enjoyment as it feels as if Carolyn is addressing the reader directly, drawing them into the story. 

Interestingly, although I was totally invested in finding out what had happened to Carolyn and she gained my sympathy, I didn’t like her, as she is frequently immature and selfish – exactly as a teenager should be! I think this illustrates skilled writing because the balance of uncovering what kind of person she is as a flawed, layered and true to life character in the mind of the reader is so carefully done by Gail Aldwin. There is also real trauma in Carolyn’s life that influences both her behaviour and the reader’s response.

Whilst discovering what caused Carolyn’s disappearance is entertaining in its own right as Stephanie conducts her investigations and carries out interviews for her podcast, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell includes important themes too, from racism to suburban living, poverty to bullying, echoes of #MeToo, sexism and education for example, so that the story holds concepts to ponder after the book is read. Indeed, I think The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is one of those books that deserves rereading so that all the nuances can be fully appreciated. 

The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is both entertaining and thought provoking, lingering in the mind long after it’s read and I enjoyed it very much. 

About Gail Aldwin

Novelist, poet and scriptwriter, Gail Aldwin has been writing for over a decade. Her first two coming-of-age novels were runners-up in the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2020 and 2022. Gail was awarded a creative writing PhD in 2018 and still laughs whenever she’s called Doctor. She has appeared at Bridport Literary Festival, Stockholm Writers Festival and the Mani Lit Fest in Greece. Her psychological suspense mystery The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is published by Bloodhound Books. Gail splits her time between a tiny flat in South West London and a home overlooking water meadows in Dorset.

You can follow Gail on Twitter @gailaldwin, visit her blog and find her on Instagram and Facebook.