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About The Book

"An addictively dark tale full of psychological drama, long-hidden secrets, and the dangers of fabricating a pristine public façade, The Housekeeper will satisfy any reader’s cravings for family drama." —Redbook

"[The Housekeeper] will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page." —Buzzfeed

“A tantalizing glimpse into the everyday lives of the rich and famous—and the people who work for them.”—Shelf Awareness

When Anne Morgan’s successful boyfriend—who also happens to be her boss—leaves her for another woman, Anne finds herself in desperate need of a new job and a quiet place to recover. Meanwhile, her celebrity idol, Emma Helmsley (England’s answer to Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey), is in need of a housekeeper, an opportunity which seems too good to be true.

Through her books, website, and blog, Emma Helmsley advises her devoted followers on how to live a balanced life in a hectic world. Her husband, Rob, is a high profile academic, and her children, Jake and Lily, are well-adjusted teenagers. On the surface, they are the perfect family. But Anne soon finds herself intimately ensconced in the Helmsley’s dirty laundry, both literally and figuratively. Underneath the dust, grime, and whimsical clutter, everyone has a secret to hide. And Anne’s own disturbing past soon threatens to unhinge everything...

For fans of Notes on a Scandal and The Woman Upstairs, The Housekeeper is a nuanced psychological drama about the dark recesses of the human mind and the dangerous consequences of long-buried secrets.

About The Author

Photograph by Mat Smith

Suellen Dainty is the author of the novel After Everything. An Australian, she is a former writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian and worked for the ABC before moving to London more than 25 years ago to work for Sky News, where she was a producer and director of the original series of The Book Show. She has studied Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and Bath Spa University. She lives in London. Find out more at SuellenDainty.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (February 28, 2017)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781476771427

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Raves and Reviews

"[The Housekeeper] will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page."

– Buzzfeed

"An addictively dark tale full of psychological drama, long-hidden secrets, and the dangers of fabricating a pristine public façade, The Housekeeper will satisfy any reader’s cravings for family drama."

– Redbook

"From the first page to last, this adrenaline-teasing psychological thriller will keep you distracted (hopefully from your obligatory lover) until the last page is fervently consumed."

– PopSugar

“Suellen Dainty has created such a sense of place and lifestyle here that I genuinely wouldn't have minded if nothing happened. I was as entranced as Anne by the languorous half-lived lives of her employers and their offspring, the ramshackle house with its stained curtains and rickety chairs, the grumpy dog, the slapdash parties and peculiar friends. I wanted Anne’s job, I wanted to fold up their laundry and hear their secrets, let them unburden themselves to me. The fact that there was also a rip-roaring story of shocking betrayal and childhood trauma underpinning the whole thing was just the cherry on top. I loved, loved, loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough"

– Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls in the Garden

"In The Housekeeper, Dainty writes with such nuance that I felt completely submerged in the Helmsley's world. I actually loved the characters of Emma and Rob, until of course, I hated them. And even after all is revealed, they act with such infuriating obliviousness, I couldn't help but fly through the pages, anxious for them to receive their just desserts. Gorgeous writing, wonderful characterization, immersive atmosphere and a final twist that I did not see coming! "

– Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year

"Mesmerizing suspense...readers will relate to the very human Anne as she struggles to gain her emotional balance."

– Publishers Weekly

“Completely addicting...Somewhere between chick lit and tense psychological thriller, The Housekeeper is a tantalizing glimpse into the everyday lives of the rich and famous--and the people who work for them.”

– Shelf Awareness

"Highly anticipated...nuanced and nail-biting."

– Good Housekeeping

"A nightmarish domestic drama with a cryptically rattling ending that proves the messiest of secrets never disappear, The Housekeeper is this season's most addictive plot."

– SheKnows

"Suellen Dainty challenges her readers by questioning the canard that a neat house leads to a productive life...As secrets emerge, The Housekeeper imperceptibly shifts into psychological thriller mode. Dainty’s precise details of everyday life enrich a psychological canvas for a story that’s impossible to put down."

– Criminal Element

"Give this to your family-drama aficionados."

– Booklist

“A compelling set up, intriguing characters, expertly handled plot, full of sharp details and insight. I couldn't stop reading it!”

– Lottie Moggach, author of Kiss Me First

"The Housekeeper is a tense, compelling story of memory, madness and family secrets. Dainty’s lush prose drew me into an orderly, domestic world where eerie images of the past lurk beneath charming, polished surfaces. You will fall under this novel’s urgent spell—page by page to its shattering betrayal—and will not be able to pull yourself away."

– Karen Brown, author of The Longings of Wayward Girls

"Suspenseful and intriguing, wise, funny, and shocking. Beautifully written, this is a thriller for an age obsessed with celebrity--and all too ready to give its heart away to glamourous gurus."

– Elisabeth Gifford, author of The Sea House

"Smart, compelling and a little bit different."

– Red Magazine (UK)

"An ominous sense of foreboding chasing you to turn pages throughout, there’s plenty here to enjoy."

– Heat (UK)

"Full of recognisable well-drawn characters and there's a feeling of Gothic doom."

– Grazia (UK)

"This tale of betrayal is a poignant take on the millennial obsession with celebrity. Beautifully written with intriguing characters."

– The Lady (UK)

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