A good psychological thriller set in The Woodlands in Ireland which tells the story of Esmie the new cleaner who has lots of secrets in her past. Lost a star for a slight drag in the middle but made up with a fiery, twisty ending!

3.5/5

Thank you Bantam for a copy of this!

“It’s not dust she’s looking for. It’s dirt.”

Esmie is trying to be invisible as a cleaner working for three wealthy families in the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood. However, she has another agenda. One of these residents hurt someone she loved and she’s after evidence and revenge.

I thought this was a light easy thriller to read however, I didn’t think it was anything particularly special (sorry)!

I love rich people behaving badly and I loved reading about all their juicy secrets. All the characters are unlikeable but in a fun way and I enjoyed reading about them.

I wasn’t blown away by the twist at the end. It wasn’t original and I’ve seen it done much better in other books.

I would definitely consider reading this author again considering this is only her debut. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing. Esmie travels to Ireland to find out what happened to her brother Nico. She intentionally inserts herself as a cleaner into the households of several families in a gated community. Esmie is secretly seeking answers, and revenge. Sounds promising? I thought so.

However, there are slow burn plots that hold you, then there are slow burn plots that just fizzle out. For me this book was the latter. I felt no connection to the many characters, even Esmie. Yes, there’s a twist here and a turn there but not enough to hold my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK and Transworld Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by this. The synopsis sounded like something I'd enjoy.
But sadly I found this just didn't work for me. The story felt busy with the side plots going on. That I just didn't really care what was going on.
By the end I was disappointed. The reveal just felt a little weak. The build had me thinking there was something bigger going on.

This book started strongly; it was well paced with an interesting premise and mysterious backstory of the main character. However I felt it was let down by some odd, rambling subplots which became repetitive and just made the book longer than it needed to be. It picked up again at the end with a satisfying twist and loose ends neatly tied.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an eARC.

The Cleaner by Mary Watson is a novel about family and how complex relationships can be. Esmie is in Ireland looking for the woman who destroyed her brothers life. She takes a job cleaning the houses of 3 families who live in a gated community. She uses the invisibility that comes with being a cleaner to try to find clues as to who was responsible for her brothers circumstances.

There are so many different elements and characters that keep this novel interesting the whole way through.

A masterful tale that weaves suspense and intrigue through a tapestry of well-kept secrets and revenge. Esmie's journey is both compelling and thought-provoking, revealing the unseen layers of society. A truly remarkable read that keeps you hooked till the last page!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 16th Jan 2025. This book was phenomenal lots of tension, twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat!
The character Esmie was an interesting one to say the least! I’d recommend this book! LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOVVVEEE, LOVED IT!!!… Absolutely stunning!!!…

This was a read that I liked but it didn’t capture me as I expected it to sadly. I think the problem I had was the book was very slow with lots of characters all with their own set of problems and I found it a bit confusing at times. To be honest I have a lot going on at the moment so my lack of concentration is a bit of a problem and so to be fair to the author it’s possible that s why I struggled with the story at times. The writing was good and lots of secrets and suspiciousness throughout made for a cleverly thought out plot with a good twist at the end and that part I did enjoy.
So a good 3 star read that I’m sure others will enjoy reading and I will look out for more from the author in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK , Transworld Publishers, Bantam for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

An interesting story which I read in one sitting, I enjoyed the writing and the premise of the story.. there are a few little stories going on at once which I know some people don’t enjoy, but I quite like books like that, would be a good holiday read!

Esmie is in Ireland, working as a cleaner for three rich families who are all connected. Only she isn't here just to clean. She's here to find the truth behind what happened to her beloved Nico when he was there just months earlier. Someone there had ruined him, and she was determined to find out who it was, so she could return the favour.

I felt this one took forever to actually get to any kind of point. There were a several little stories all going at once, some that just felt really pointless. By the time it got to the main events of the story, I was bored and honestly didn't care anymore. I felt like it could have been a lot better if it was a much shorter book with less stories running throughout. Not one of the characters was likable, all childish and immature, most clearly spoilt. It made it really difficult to find any enjoyment whilst reading. The twist at the end, I'd figured out fairly early on, just because it didn't make any sense for the person sending threatening messages to Esmie to be Simone. I was also annoyed by the way Mama Bear protected Simone after everything she had done, especially what happened between her and Nico. And also, the ending just bugged the hell out of me.

Firstly this was such a well-written book, I read it in one go! Secondly the book has fantastic twists and is built very well, a must-read for those who love domestic thrillers. This a story steeped in passion, revenge and the balances between actions and consequences. Thanks to netgalley for an ARC!

Esmie takes a job as a cleaner for people who have ties to her missing brother. When you’re silent and unseen and blend into the background there’s no telling to what you might discover. I enjoyed this it was a nice breezy book to get through which was a great change from the book I’d finished previously this stopped me from ending up in a reading slump!

Esmie travels to Ireland to try an find out what happened to her brother Nico who had been studying in Dublin when his funding was stopped and he had to return home. She manages to get a job as a cleaner for three sisters who are neighbours and seem to have had some involvement with Nico. While she's cleaning she takes it upon herself to search every cupboard and drawer looking for evidence to connect the occupant to Nico I found this quite strange as the family were usually in the house at the time and would have surely been aware she was snooping.. This was quite a slow book to start with and somewhat repetitive. However there was quite a twist at the end which I didn't expect.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity of reading this ARC.

This book is full of twists that you think you’ve sussed but then has you second guessing once again.

I really did enjoy this book. It had me hooked and guessing (completely wrong I hasten to add). Mary Watson really knows how to captivate her readers.

The only thing stopping this from being a 5 star review in my eyes is that it didn’t feel like it was set in Ireland to me! However, I am not Irish and it is only my personal feeling so not everyone will agree with this. I am sure.

Overall definitely one to read!

Esmie is a cleaner who works in the homes of wealthy people. She's not really seen or noticed, and people don't pay much attention to her. She wears simple clothes that help her blend in, and she uses this to explore the homes of the rich and famous.

Esmie doesn't just clean; she also notices the secrets and problems of the people she works for. She sees the things they try to hide, like broken relationships, lies, and mistakes. She keeps these secrets safe, at least for now.

It's a great book!

Esmie is out for revenge but she is not sure who is the focus for her hatred. She fakes an accident to worm her way into the lives of the three families she thinks may be responsible for her brother's downfall so that she can find the culprit. What she thought would be simple, turns out to be more complicated than she thought. This was a compulsive read about the dangers of obsession which had me hooked from start to finish. Hoping to read more from Mary Watson!

Esmie is supposed to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place. Her uniform of leggings and a duster allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy, unseen; an outsider creeping around the edges of privilege.

But as she sweeps through the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood, cleaning is the last thing on her mind. Treading silently over the polished wooden floorboards and cloud-soft carpets, Esmie gathers up the mess of broken marriages, quiet deceptions and careless failures. She tucks away their fragments, keeping them safe. For now.

Great book

A twisting tale of heartbreak, deception, anger, manipulation and ultimately death. A carefully told tale gradually filling the reader in on the circumstances that lead to the final outcome. Quite the page turner and a clever twist at the end, don’t want to give too much away! I didn’t know what to expect but in the end enjoyed the read and the way it was told, though a very sad ending.

A very different story - unusual & intriguing. A tale of secrets, revenge & passion with a great twist at the end. The characters, although unlikeable, are well written.