This book has confused me! The blurb suggested I should love it and at times I did, but I also almost have up on it more than once. There were too many characters that were too similar - I got rather muddled at times! Furthermore, the story dragged in places and contained too much 'extra' detail that took my attention away from the main plot. However, I loved the last few chapters, with all the exciting twists and turns. I'm glad I persevered with the more tedious sections!

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the ARC, in return for an honest review.

Wowzers - What a debut!

I was really excited to read this and as soon as I started I was drawn into the world of Mrs King and her band of brilliant women.

Set in 1905, Mrs King attempts to pull off a daring theft against her former employer. This story is filled with a variety of interweaving characters and about halfway through something is revealed which adds another twist and reasoning to the theft.

Each member of ‘The Housekeepers’ had their own interesting backstory and I can imagine it would make a fab Guy Ritchie / Oceans 11 style film!

I absolutely loved it and eagerly await further stories from Alex Hays.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headlinebooks for the ARC

Great premise for a book and it is reasonably well executed. This is an enjoyable read but I felt that despite a good start, the pace slowed down and there was too much uninteresting trivia and I began to lose the thread and anticipation of the heist.
I enjoyed the crazy characters but felt these could have been developed more throughout the story and by two thirds in I was getting their bland personalities mixed up. This is a shame because I really wanted them to shine. A few more edits, imo, could have made this more of a romping read than it was

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the arc

Quite possibly one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. There were times when I was going to give up on it, I won’t lie. But I’m glad I kept up with it. It’s the story of Mrs King and how she manages to rob an entire house if it’s contents. It’s very imaginative and unique. There are so many twists and turns I sometimes couldn’t keep up with them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Review for letting me see an advance reader's copy of The House Keepers, the debut novel by Alex Hay.

What a wonderful caper this is. Talk about Ocean's Seven meets Downton Abbey. If you want to read an exciting adventure story set in the Upstairs, Downstairs world of Edwardian London, then this is the heist for you.

When Mrs King is unceremoniously sacked from her housekeeper position she promises herself that she will get her revenge, and she knows people who can help. The trouble is, Mrs King isn't the only thing with a dark history. The house itself has its own troubled past as well. And so did its late owner.

I really enjoyed this alternative take on historical fiction and had fun meeting Mrs King's fellow conspirators, the other six of her Lucky Seven. It did take me a few goes to get into it, but once in I was hooked for the duration.

My stumbling blocks at the start of the story were too many people with similar sounding names confusing me: King, Bone, Jane, Flynn, Winnie. I persevered, though, because I absolutely adored the premise of the book and was curious to see how the author might pull it off – and how the characters would do the same.

Later, I got a bit lost during the climax as well and in the immediate aftermath. There was a lot going on with a lot of people doing a lot of things, and I was forgetting characters locked in rooms.

All of the bits in between, however, are wonderful and they paint a fascinating picture of life both above and below stairs as well as in the seedier parts of London at this time.

Overall, the author did a good job, and I'd be interested to read another of his novels in the future.

Four stars.

A brilliant debut novel set in Edwardian London that makes Raffles look like an amateur. A cleverly plotted tale about a former Mayfair housekeeper, Mrs King, who, after being dismissed from service, determines to get revenge on the home and investments of her former mistress, Miss de Vries. This is quite a slow burning book as the scene is set and we are introduced to a large number of characters; it did take me a while to get my head around them all. But it was an absorbing story and kept me up until 2am needing to know the outcome.

Briefly, Mrs King gathers together a number of criminals and friends who can help her carry out her impudent plan to strip the property she has been dismissed from of all its contents, from priceless furniture and paintings to the carpets and curtains! At the same time Miss de Vries is planning a massive ball inviting all of London’s notables, including royalty.

There were some wonderful female characters in this book, in fact virtually all the main characters were women. I’m not sure I liked too many of them, apart from maybe Alice, but I could sympathise with how their lives had brought them to where they now were and I was rooting for them to succeed in their audacious plan. This isn’t a book to be taken tremendously seriously, so leave your sense of reality at the front cover, and just enjoy this good fun read. Some great reveals as the book progresses, more than a few, and a shocking one as the book moves towards the end. An exciting historical heist novel with great narrative and a startling reason for the theft, so much more than sour grapes at being dismissed. Very enjoyable.
4.5⭐️

This is a rattling good read that grabbed me from the off.

With shades of Dickens and Conan Doyle, the story combines a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ heist thriller and a satisfying tale of wrongs revenged.

With well-sketched characters and a story that keeps going til the very last line, I’d recommend this for holiday reading or a book club

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

This is a fun little mystery, I liked the setting, though I dont think being set in the past really added anything to it but the characters were really interesting and it did keep me entertained for the most part.

DNF @ 27%

I found this to be really slow and honestly, I just didn't find myself interested enough to want to push through. The concept sounds interesting but it just don't think it's executed well.

I'm honestly surprised that this book received as many favourable reviews as it did. I expected it to be a thrilling, fast-paced read. I found instead that the plot dragged and the characters themselves were surprisingly uninteresting.

Perhaps it wasn't the book for me, although the cover and the blurb did make it seem like it would be. I found myself unable to finish the book, unfortunately, which is something I always try to avoid. It feels as if the author was trying to do too much with it and that it really lacked because of it.

Just love heist stories and to add that in a historical setting is really intriguing! The book was fast paced too due to the short chapters which I loved as I thought it added to the tension even more. Four stars!

The Lady of the house plans a party, while the servants downstairs plan a heist.

This wasn't really the book for me - it dragged to begin with and by the time it picked up, I wasn't keen on any of the characters. Great premise but didn't work for me!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was a very clever story with an engaging storyline. My only issue was that I didn't feel hugely connected to the characters but that could be a personal thing. I would definitely pick up another book by this author in the future.

The idea of this book should work really well, the servants downstairs plotting a heist whilst the lady of the house hosts a ball, however it wasn't engaging enough for me.

The pace was slow, the start had a lot of character introduction and scene setting and I struggled to connect with the characters if I'm honest, i found I didn't care for any of them.

I hoped it would gain momentum as the story progressed as we got closer to the robbery but it didn’t. The sub plots over complicated matters and as for the actual heist there wasn't enough risk, I felt the stakes weren't high enough and the conclusion didn't satisfy me.

Interesting story. Not my normal read as I’m not into historical fiction. Well written and enough going on to keep me interested. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc of this book.

I liked the premise of the novel, downstairs servants plotting an elaborate heist of a posh Park Lane property. However, the pace was too slow to hold my interest. Other readers will enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading this book! It was an intriguing historical fiction mystery that kept me hooked from the start. The settings, the characters and the pacing were all very well done. An incredibly clever novel, you'll find yourself rooting for the scheming to all fall into place.

It’s 1905. Housekeeper, Mrs King, has been dismissed from her role at one of the luxurious houses in Park Lane, Mayfair, London. The Master of the house has passed away, leaving behind a daughter who grieves by hosting a ball. These events bring the opportunity for Mrs King and some close friends to right some wrongs - planning an Oceans 11 style heist to rob the big house while the ball is underway!

I loved the premise of the story but for me, it lost its excitement and momentum halfway through and I found I couldn’t connect to some of the characters, but found others complex and brilliant!

While this wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down, I still enjoyed it overall as a nice read which made me smile, and worry, at points throughout.

3⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers Headline for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining, well-written, if preposterously far-fetched, I really enjoyed this book. A great easy read.