The Housekeepers was recommended to me and when I heard the premise I was instantly hooked - a historical heist featuring wronged housekeepers. I was in!

The book starts with the dismissal of Mrs King. She is the housekeeper of a grand house on Park Lane, a new house, a noveau riche house, gaudy and opulent and filled with items chosen for value not taste or liking. It's also a house in mourning, now owned and run by the late Mr de Vries' only daughter who is in her early twenties and who has been kept close her entire life. Ready to throw off her father's shackles she is keen to replace the staff who were loyal to him, to marry into society and is ready to scandalise by holding a grand ball during her period of mourning. A ball Mrs King has organised. But Miss King isn't cast down by being cast out of the house she entered as a teenager, in fact, it's almost as if her sacking was part of a plan...

I am conflicted about this book. On one hand it is very clever, with twists and turns and revealings that show how well plotted it is, and it's beautifully researched, the period really coming alive. But on the other, maybe to protect those twists and turns, the characters always feel elusive. They are like puppets I watched, not living breathing people I inhabited as I read and so I felt distanced from the action, which definitely lessened the pace and my enjoyment of the book and at times the description overwhelmed the action. Interesting and clever but ultimately fell flat for me.

I loved the intro to this book, but as I commenced to read it it did not hold my attention at all. Sorry to say but I gave up at 65%. I did not feel that the description of parts of the book ie rooms in the house's surrounding area was enough to draw me in and to keep on reading.

Sorry but not the book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this book.

This would make a great film - the visuals would be stunning. Or maybe a TV series, as it's a complex story that takes time to unscroll. The joy of this is the actions of invisible women - the below-stairs women, the poor women - taking control and taking revenge. It's immensely satisfying.

I enjoyed this book, at first I was not sure where the story was heading but then I couldn't wait to see if they managed to pull off the feat they had planned. With some twists and turns along the way I found I had to keep reading to see how it all unfolded.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is set in 1905 Edwardian London. It’s a really fun book, think the cast of the film Oceans 8, but set in 1905 London. As you get immersed in the story you realise how complex the plot is, and the lives of the women involved. I loved the way the story unravelled and what seemed quite a simple plan, was really elaborate and multifarious.

The characters are a real motley crew and each have their own reasons for taking part in the plan. Will they succeed, or will their own circumstances prevent them from pulling off the greatest heist of the century?

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay will be published on the 6th July. Fingers crossed someone buys up the rights to the film because I would love to watch the story brought to life.

I had read some reviews about The Housekeepers and thought it looked interesting. I wasn’t wrong. I really enjoyed this book. It is set during the early 1900s. The main characters take up “downstairs jobs” in order to make plans for revenge on the “upstairs” characters . Who would think of planning a daring heist in the middle of a grand ball in one of the huge mansions in Park Lane? How did the deceased owner of the house make his money? Who really was the victim? Finally I loved the unexpected ending. Fun and easy to read. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc of this enjoyable story.

This was a fun read, I liked the “caper” of it all, the feel of Victorian times, women about to pull off the impossible and it always felt that at any point they were going to betray each other. Highly recommend, only knocked off a point as Alice got on my nerves a tad but I loved the two Janes!!

A really interestingly unique book, a historical heist with strong women leading adding another layer of uniqueness as the are also "lower class servants". I thought the premise was really interesting, however I couldn't fully connect with the characters and writing style and I was confused in parts due to how everyone was connected and related. Saying that, I did enjoy the story I just don't think it was the best book I've ever read.

A great little book. Thank you gforbletting me read it. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters b

The Housekeepers is at first a heist novel, detailing what happens when the servants have had enough of being the underclass, and decide to take what they feel is owed them. But it develops into something so much more than the sun of its parts. There are plot twists that I never saw coming, moments of tension that had me gripped, and a cast of awful and loveable would-be rogues.

Peeling back the veneer or respectability, Hay uncovers the glistening underbelly of wealth, and revels in the mischief his characters cause. His historical knowledge comes to the fore as we welcome a cast of wealthy and workers, each as alike as they are different.

Mrs King leaves no stone unturned in her quest to bring her version of revenge to the De Vries household, and the crew that she assembles seem to be as focused as she is in their plot to take on their enemies. The characters are wildly different in their reasons for wanting to be part of the heist, and the plot pulls you along at breakneck pace to find out what those reasons are.

While historical fiction is not usually my cup of tea, this is a superb debut novel and one that I am recommending to readers of all genres.

I loved this. Historical crime, with women very much in the driving seat for carrying out a large-scale robbery. Based on the premise that the household staff know everything, and are completely over looked, Mrs King and her team are out for revenge and a great deal of money. They all have different motivations and different skills, and it's how Alex Hay brings these together and creates the tension over how it's going to work out that makes it such an enjoyable book. There are plenty of twists and discoveries along the way to keep you engaged, so I hope it does well!

This book was slightly slow starting but needed to set the scene. It sometimes became a little confusing with who was related to who and how they all fitted into the story.

I wanted to see who it ended but didn't feel complete.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are well rounded and the storyline is excellent. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good read.

The book is set in a large home in Park Lane and as all grand houses is run by the staff. It is set in the early 1900’s where staff where quite poorly treated on the whole and is a strict place to work run really by the butler, housekeeper and cook. Wilhelm de Vries is the owner of the property but the staff do not know he came from humble beginnings and with the help of his sister, Mrs Bone of the East End, he went to Africa when young and made his fortune in diamonds etc. He wanted to be respected when he returned so dropped his real name, Danny O’Flynn, so as to be part of the Society he wanted to be in. He also dropped his sister. He had two daughters, one legitimate and one born out of wedlock. De Vries passed away and on his deathbed imparted two secrets. One to Miss de Vries and one to his illegimate daughter Mrs Kind. This became an issue for Mrs King, the former housekeeper who was sacked for something trivial and decided that she was entitled to some of the spoils. Miss de Vries decided to have a Ball at the house too soon it was felt after her father’s death but she carried on with this having led a life of solitude and wanted to make a good marriage. She saw this as an opportunity. This gave Mrs King the idea of wrecking havoc on the family and started to plan a heist of the contents of the property. She enlisted the help of Mrs Bone (Mr de Vries’ sister) and a former housekeeper, Winnie and together with Mrs Bone’s “staff” planned the job for the evening of the Ball. Things had to be put in place and before you realise it you are almost at the end of the book. It was a bit of a slow starter but the pace revved up and I really liked the characters. Each character had their own place in the book and their stories explored. It is definitely a good read and would, I think, make a good movie

It is summer 1905, the world is changing, “new” money is replacing old and Miss de Vries, the owner of a very large house on Park Lane, is determined to make her mark on society, following the death of her father, Wilhelm de Vries.
However certain of the downstairs staff have other ideas and their own agenda.
Mrs King, the recently dismissed housekeeper, is putting together a band of women, who will carry out an audacious robbery with a difference – during the course of a costume ball the house will be stripped of everything.
Needless to say, Mrs King and her band all have their own motives and secrets, many revolving around the lifestyle of their employers.
The contrast between upstairs and downstairs life was very clearly drawn, and the abject poverty that was the life of many working class people was well evoked.
The tension was ramped-up in the build-up to the ball, and was full-on during the robbery and its aftermath.
A very enjoyable read, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the opportunity to read this book.

This is set in a time where women do not have a say, and not considered equal so to read about a group of women determined to make it on their own, even illegally, is quite enlightening. Living in the backstreets is not easy and most people are involved in crime in one way or another. One lady is planning the biggest heist of her life. But does she have an ulterior motive? Entertaining read.

I definitely enjoyed this one more than k thought I would! As I am not normal a person whom likes historical mysteries! Loved it!

An absolutely brilliant story of an unlikely but cleverly planned and executed heist by the staff downstairs straight under the noses of the lady of the house and her staff!

'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' springs to mind!

I would love to see this one made into a film!

Miss de Vries has planned a costume ball on Monday 26 June 1905 but unbeknown to her a robbery has been planned for that night. Masterminded by her former housekeeper, Dinah King, Miss de Vries house will be emptied of all it's paintings, ornaments, curtains and furniture whilst the ball is going on.
But what has led up to this and will it succeed?
A great heist masterminded by a woman, will keep you enthralled from beginning to end.

I was attracted by the era this novel was set and the storyline proved to be an interesting concept. The relationships between the women went to show the bond between them for a universal aim for the heist. I found the references to the ladies’ title and surnames somewhat amiss as they were from the working class. It was certainly an amusing story and the execution of the plan to remove all the valuables from their previous employer’s London opulent home was well formed. The back story was slightly confusing at times, but at the end all became clear. Overall an enjoyable caper, set in one of the wealthiest parts of London on the early 1900.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Headline for this advance copy.