"The Cleaner", written in a revenge thriller genre, wasn't particularly engaging, nor thrilling, for me. The plot relies too much on the clueless, gullible rich versus canny poor, deprived of their fair chances, and vulnerable to the whims of their counterparts. The first-person narrative is not constructed in a way than justifies the big plot twist nearing the end, to put it quite vaguely.

I enjoyed reading this book. Every time I put it down I counted down the minutes until I could pick it up again to continue the story. I liked how the story ended. I would rate it as a good thriller and I’d love to read more of Mary Watson

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was an easy read, but nothing particularly sparkling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy.

The Cleaner is a tense, slow-build thriller set in a wealthy gated community. Esmie, a cleaner takes on the job to seek revenge for her brother. As she blends into her employers’ lives, we see her plan unfold.

The story explores revenge, secrets, and the hidden lives of the rich. Though it has a slow start, the surprising twist at the end pulls everything together.
This one is perfect for lovers of psychological thrillers

I found this story captivating and I was really intrigued about what had happened to cause the current events of the book and what was going to happen. I felt the descriptions were well written without being too pretentious but were still in depth and created a good atmosphere.
Towards the end of the story I was beginning to question why certain characters were acting the way that they were, I thought some behaviours seemed odd considering the relationships between the characters. And then the plot twist happened and it all made sense. I suppose looking back some people may think the plot twist was predictable however at the time of reading the book I hadn't guessed what was going to happen.

This is Mary Watson‘s debut attempt at adult literature. Faking a road accident, Esmie worms her way as cleaner into the posh households of the families of three sisters in order to find out how they caused her brother to lose his Irish university scholarship. The plot is based on a good idea but the execution lacks in all respects: longwinded musings of Esme, the drab endless story jumping chaotically from childhood to three years ago to today, superfluous detailed descriptions of clothes, nature, interiors etc., plus all the characters being utterly unlikeable make this disappointing book unrewarding toil.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance ecopy in exchange for a review. This is the first book by Mary Watson I have read and I really enjoyed this thriller. The book follows Esme as she goes to Ireland to be a cleaner for a specific house. Her brother Nico is in a coma and she has come for revenge, however all is not as it seems as she tricks her way into the cleaning job. The Woodlands is a trio of homes shared by sisters and all have secrets and lies that become uncovered. The books focuses on the lies, family and greed with a shocking twist. I read this book in a couple of sittings and was hooked. Loved the writing and the flow as each deceit is gradually unfolded. I will be recommending to others and looking out for more from this author.

The plot and setting for this book had such potential when I read the description, however it left me dissatisfied and tired.
Esmie becoming a cleaner for a street of rich and morally questionable characters as a revenge plot felt intriguing and exciting. The execution of this concept, however, left much to be desired. I found the book quite difficult to get into and at no point throughout did I feel hooked. This may be a result of the long chapters and rather convoluted subplots.
Considering the multitude of key characters in the book, I didn’t connect with any of them which made it difficult to care about the outcome of their stories. I think in a book like this it’s essential to root for at least one character yet throughout this I couldn’t find one outcome I’d have appreciated.
I did appreciate the twist at the end as this was done well and explained questions I’d had throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I have loved Mary Watson's three YA books, The Wren Hunt is one of my all time favourites. So I was very excited to read this new novel. I'm not a huge mystery fan but I thought the author did a decent job. I couldn't connect to the characters and ended up just wanting to find out what happens in the end instead of taking my time with the story. It didn't wow me. But it was fine. I'll still read whatever she publishes.

I found this book a little underwhelming unfortunately and I found that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters making it a difficult read. However I liked the writing style, I’ll be sure to check out other books from this author

A good read.

A book to keep you guessing. Thought I'd worked it out. How wrong could I be?

A revenge story in a great setting. You will feel for our main character.
Esmie visits her brother's university lodgings hoping to uncover the details she desperately needs to exact her revenge.
Choosing a job where it is easy to been seen but not really seen, she can gather facts and avenge her brother.

Esme flies to Ireland to try to find out why her brother lost his scholorship and exact revenge on the woman who causedit. Unfortunately she doesn't know her identity so gets a job cleaning the houses of the possible suspects.
A twisted plot where not all is at is seems. Infidelity mixed with obsession and controlling behaviour.

For fans of thrillers and housemaid style books this story is perfect.
The themes run throughout this book and lead you to really feel for Diya and her situation. The pacing was uneven in places but there is strong character development and an all round fun read!

Joining The Maid and The Housemaid is The Cleaner. These authors - Nina Prose, Freida McFadden and now Mary Watson - have hit upon a fundamental truth: that those who can afford luxury hotel stays or in-home help prefer to ignore the people working to clean and sustain our most personal spaces. That provides potential for an 'enemy within' kind of plot, which The Cleaner loosely fits in with.

I would recommend this to fans of The Housemaid series. While personally I found it a little overblown, I am sure it will find lots of fans.

3.5 stars rounded up

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my early accesss in exchange for a review.
I’ve seen this book across social media so it’s definitely on its way already for a top book of 2025 .
I read this in one evening so it was utterly captivating and a page turner .
It’s a slow burner but the cleaner herself will have you fascinated as we get to know more about her and her reasons for being there .
Written in dual timelines there’s a sense of foreboding and intrigue into what happened to nico.
Cleverly plotted and does tie together with the characters .
The reader gets an insight into how the rich live !
The only negative for me Personally was there was a lot of characters and houses which at times were difficult to seperate .
This is a well written thought provoking and interesting read which is also a debut !

Wow, well that was a ride and I was totally taken back when the truth came out.

Lots of twists and everyone is a suspect.

This was a book that followed Esmie as she cleaned for several different houses looking for the woman who had seduced her brother. I found the amount of characters hard to follow to start with and felt that whilst gritty, trying to keep up made it a less enjoyable read. That being said there were some clever ideas.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this through NetGalley. I kept thinking I had worked it out but I was always wrong. It kept me guessing right until the end. I was quite gripped and finished in the early hours of the morning. Very enjoyably.

Wow, what a gripping read! The Cleaner by Mary Watson delivers a slow-burning, atmospheric thriller that sneaks up on you just like its protagonist, Esmie. By day, she’s the invisible cleaner in an ultra-exclusive gated community, but behind the dusting and vacuuming lies a simmering plot for revenge. The exploration of privilege, isolation, and the dangerous consequences of underestimating those you think beneath you adds an intriguing layer to the story.

Watson masterfully weaves Esmie's personal grief with a quiet, creeping suspense that builds until you find yourself tensely turning pages, desperate to uncover how she’ll exact her revenge. The tension between what’s seen and what’s hidden is central, and it’s reflected brilliantly in Esmie’s character—both underestimated and devastatingly perceptive. I found the ending both unexpected and utterly satisfying.

A must-read if you love thrillers where secrets, power, and revenge collide, and where the quietest character might just be the most dangerous.

In the Woodlands gated community, the well heeled never notice the hired help. Put on an overall and leggings, and brandish a duster, and it renders you invisible.

Esmie is there to clean up. Not just the detritus of the lives which are less than perfect the closer you look. She's there for revenge.

And her weapons of choice are the secrets that the Woodlands residents try to keep hidden from everyone else