A fun heist read. Can someone make this into a film, please?


(Adding more text so I can send this)

“Not another heist story”, I thought. “Predictable plot and one of two possible outcomes..”
How wrong could I be! This is a highly enjoyable story, set in 1905, of a housekeeper, Mrs King, who seeks to carry out the biggest burglary of a house in Park Lane,London, and leave it completely empty .
Great female characters (Mrs Bone and Hepzibah in particular) emerge as the plot unfolds little by little to reveal the motivation behind the robbery. The interaction and sharp dialogue of all the strong women involved drives the narrative and is as interesting as the planning for the heist itself. There are a few twists in the tale , proving my assumption of predictability was way off the mark.
Highly recommended for those readers looking for an original , delightful historical novel. Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

I did enjoy this book, but I'm just not the right audience for it. These sorts of stories aren't usually my go to, but I was sent an early copy of this book so figured I'd give it a go. I loved the intricacies of the plot as each little snippet unfolded, but I did find the pace drag a little in the beginning. However, I am usually a high stakes fantasy reader, so it was nice to read outside of my usually genre for a change and experience Victorian England for a while!

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is a sensational novel that brings 1905 London to life. From the grand homes of Mayfair to the meanest streets, readers will be immersed in a vivid, thrilling story of heists and revenge. Packed with strong, determined and memorable female characters, this fast-paced historical heist novel is full of surprises and contradictions that will keep you hooked until the last page. Fun, clever and totally unpredictable, The Housekeepers is a rare jewel that is sure to delight readers. Prepare to be swept up in this glamourous, gripping story and become hungrier for justice with every page you turn. A must-read!

The synopsis of this book lured me almost immediately the premise of the book, a heist driven by the very people overlooked by those upstairs but who are lost without those downstairs to quite literally keep their lives on track and everything running smoothly only to awake one morning to find everything changed was a good solid read a well thought out plot and an intriguing story as well as interesting characters.
I enjoyed this book, a definite re-read at some point a solid summer novel.

A rather unique and refreshing story with strong female characters. The plot is well established and hooks you in from start to finish, the pace is also great, making it a quick and enjoyable read. If you’re a fan of heist books or heist films in general, this is a must read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This book has been on my mind ever since the cover reveal and so I was overjoyed to get an early e-copy. And it's as splendid as I hoped it would be.

You know when you get a book and you really enjoy it, and then you realise you have to write a review of it, and all I want to say is: it's really, really, really good. It's as simple as that. It's exciting and fun and cryptic and humorous and serious. But overall, it's just jolly good.

It's more involved than I thought it would be. I assumed it was just going to be about a wronged woman wanting revenge. But there's so much more going on (I won't spoil it by going into detail) that makes it fast paced and exciting to read. It's multi-layered and intense and complex and inventive. It borrows from classic whodunnits and adds a little modernity in its writing and characterisation.

I did wonder at times if maybe there were a few too many characters to keep track of, but Mrs King keeps them all shipshape and you can easily differentiate them. They've all got their own agendas, their pasts and presents, loves and bugbears, secrets, and their own reasons to be part of this.

It's funny how your brain imagines characters. Even though it is stated that Mrs King is a youngish lady, small, slim. I know that. And yet I instantly imagined her as an older, portly, unassuming woman, even as the book went on, and I KNEW that wasn't what she was, I couldn't get that figure out of my head.

You're never fully confident who you can trust. If everyone is who they say they are and who is in it for their own gain. You feel sorry for some who then turn out to be villainous, you dislike others who you end u supporting. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I think it would make a great movie. It's so visual and Alex has painted such a clear picture as to how everyone and everything should look.

I like that practically half the book was given to the actual scheme itself. It happens so often that something is built up in a book, only to be death with quickly and you feel cheated. But Alex has given it a good amount of time, like you're living it minute by minute with them, so it's full of detail and you don't feel short-changed.

Whilst the story is finished and all is wrapped up neatly, there's still a part of me who wants to continue on these women's journeys.

Interesting story, well written and good characters. The storyline kept a good pace throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I was very much intrigued by the summary for this book and thought it would be an intriguing and exciting read.  I have to say that I was quite disappointed by it.  The first half of the book consisted of introducing the characters, setting the scene, and then putting all the preparations in place for the heist.  It was quite slow but I thought that the pace might get a little faster when the actual stealing began.  Spoiler: it did not. 

There seemed to be no real hurry for any of the characters and the whole thing took ages to progress.  It didn't help that there were several smaller storylines as well as the big heist so they all had to be covered and brought to a conclusion as well.  The subplot about the kitchen girls was introduced a bit out of nowhere.  Given the subject matter, it deserved more attention than it got and really could have done to have been an entire book on its own, rather than being shoved into the background.  There was just too much going on and too many characters. 

A lot of the characters were fairly superficial and so it was hard to really care anything about them.  The main ones were fleshed out a little more but I didn't feel that they were particularly sympathetic.  I think the only ones that were slightly engaging were Winnie and Hephzibah.  The reason for the heist was revealed later in the book and it just seemed ridiculous.  The ending did not seem to fit with the main character either.  For someone who was willing to put in the amount of effort that the heist demanded, but then not to go a small step further seemed quite contradictory.  Overall, I think this would have made a much better film than a book. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to review.

This crime novel set in Edwardian London is a real cracker - it is full of original characters who will keep you reading the original plot.
A housekeeper is dismissed and wants revenge - but she is no ordinary housekeeper, and her revenge is extraordinary too, Mrs King has access to members of the London underworld with unique skills, along with the personal skills and charisma to keep them all on track on a job that means far more to her than comeback for a lost job.
The plot twists and turns and kept me reading right through. Recommended.

What a joy to read ,fast paced and gripping .Set in 1906 in London this was such a different story .Some below stairs friends get together to plan and perform a grand heist on one of the grandest houses in Park Lane where some of them work .The plotting and the scheming was fun there were some great characters I particularly liked the frightening Mrs Bone .The descriptions of the house were wonderful a really enjoyable read I look forward to reading the next book by this Author .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Intriguing story of women righting a wrong by staying the most audacious robbery. Lots of twists and turns as we follow the fortunes of Mrs King and her conspirators. I'm not sure I would have chosen that ending but it flowed. Engaging read

If you like films and novels about audacious heists then you’ll enjoy this story! The housekeeper of the title, Mrs King, is in the process of being dismissed at the start of the novel but that is also the beginnings of a master plan to bring down a family and to take all they own.

The book is set in London in the early 20th-century and Mrs King needs the help of a network of petty thieves and criminals all of whom she seems to find quite easily. She also needs the help of other specialised servants.

The target of the plot is the recently bereaved lady of the house, Miss de Vries, and her father’s estate and legacy, while the crime is scheduled to take place during a Grand Ball which Miss de Vries has planned to help her find a husband.

As the planning proceeds more quirky characters emerge and the plot, as you might say, thickens in the sense that there is more to this heist than simply money or revenge.

There are some interesting characters. Mrs King has an accomplice in Mrs Bone, an East End villain. There’s an obnoxious adviser to the family and the recruited servants are variously under threat, in debt or in love!

It’s not a book to be taken too seriously and it’s a wry chuckle rather than a belly laugh but it is good fun and once the complications of the plot unravel it all makes some sense, while the Ball provides a grand climax.

A highly original book, set at the turn of the century. It tells the story of upstairs and downstairs after the death of Wilhelm de Vries, when his daughter throws a party. However, someone is set on revenge and a daring heist. An entertaining and unusual book.

This is an absolute ride of a book. A heist with a heart, it moves at breakneck speed as a group of women (The Housekeepers) plan the most audacious burglary of a house on Park Lane. It is exciting, funny and loving and will (I imagine) be truly universal in its appeal.

what drew me to ‘the housekeepers’ was seeing it described as ‘downtown abbey meets oceans 11’ — an interesting description of a book that ultimately is very cool.

with a unique writing style, as you read through the chapters (that are mostly short, by the way for fans of that) twists and turns are revealed gently — layer and layer peeled away. cleverly, secrets are revealed slowly, allowing the reader to run ahead and work things out before the character explains.

for me, i feel like i didn’t connect with these characters. there wasn’t time to. the book moves quickly and has many characters for you to remember and follow, going from one’s point of view to the next rapidly.

the heist itself, i would have liked to see more of. (i’d also really like to see a movie adaptation. like !!! come on. it would be excellent.) most of the book is preparation for the heist, talking about it, setting it up. however, both this point and the previous one, is absolutely personal opinion and i don’t doubt that others will love the characters and the build up in a way that i unfortunately didn’t.

and speaking of people loving it, i also firmly believe this book works for any age group. i could recommend it to my 23 year old brother or my 82 year old gran. and i will.

I love Downton Abbey and find the whole thing about the upstairs and downstairs rather fascinating, so when I heard about Alex Hay's debut novel, I was intrigued! Described as a historical heist novel and compared to Fingersmith and Ocean's 8, The Housekeepers is an irresistible and original story. I was hooked from the start, immediately became a big fan of Mrs King, and enjoyed the bunch of these Edwardian women working out their perfect plan.

I really liked the writing, most of the main characters (Mrs King, Mrs Bone and Winnie), and although it was super fast paced, the story lost me in the middle, when it became overwritten and slightly convoluted. It was brilliant for most of the time, but then it peaked too soon. The more characters were added, the less focus was on these main women who were the stars of the show and kept it going so well. It did wrap up nicely at the end, though. The Housekeepers is a fun, fresh debut that readers will have a good time with.

Edwardian heist caper. I really liked Mrs King, She's a great character, however the whole book didn't really grab me. I found my attention wandering . It felt a bit "cluttered". A bit disappointed

Thank you to the author publishers and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sorry however this wasn’t for me, it just didn’t hold my interest, so many characters, so many twists and turns and some silliness which didn’t ring true.

I may come back to it in a few months time but at the moment it’s been abandoned 67% of the way through.

An enjoyable plot with a brilliant set of very different female characters. I liked how their stories interweaved, all linked in some way to the house they're going to burgle.