“UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON.

DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY.

When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.

A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King’s predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane far too long.

Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball – and play out right under the noses of her former employers…

THEY COME FROM NOTHING. BUT THEY’LL LEAVE WITH EVERYTHING.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Housekeepers by Alex Hay. The Housekeepers was published by Headline Books on 6th July 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free ARC of The Housekeepers but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Caitlin at Headline Books for sending me a proof copy.

It’s 1905 in London’s Mayfair and Miss de Vries is planning the most lavish costume ball the city has ever seen. Her mission is to find a wealthy husband; someone fitting of her status, someone who will help her climb the social ladder, someone who will bestow the finest treasures upon her. But whilst Miss de Vries is distracted making her night the most memorable occasion her guests have ever experienced, elsewhere an intricate plan is being formed. Recently dismissed Housekeeper, Mrs King, has gathered a group of highly capable and devious women to carry out the biggest, most audacious heist London has ever seen. And the target is her ex-employer, Miss de Vries…

The Housekeepers is a thoroughly entertaining, highly original historical heist novel. It’s beautifully plotted with believable characters, all set in lavish, well-to-do Edwardian Mayfair. The imagery is exquisite and the multiple characters all bring this bold novel to life with their idiosyncrasies, each having their own part to play on the night of the heist. To anyone else, a plan such as the one in this novel would be too complicated to carry out. Too much of a risk. Because the heist is planned for the same night as Miss de Vries’ costume ball, whilst the house is full of guests. And everyone who is anyone has been invited. Can Mrs King’s plan really work and can they steal the contents of the house out from underneath the guests’ noses?

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Housekeepers is a well-plotted, assured debut that fans of historical fiction will devour. The characters are very well-written, the setting was vivid and immersive and the plot moved along at a nice pace, keeping me within the pages of the book. The upper and lower class divide is strong in this novel as you would expect, with the upper class characters being dismissive and downright rude to those they don’t deem worthy. This only makes the reader warm even more to the lower class characters and our intrepid band of thieves. There are moments of both light and dark with some lovely humorous interactions between characters (Mrs Bone is brilliant!) and some darker themes running through the storyline. All in all, The Housekeepers is a beautifully balanced, intricate tale with wonderful characterisation and an intriguing, considered plot. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Housekeepers. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay was published in the UK by Headline Books on 6th July 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Alex grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff in the United Kingdom. He studied History at the University of York and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. THE HOUSEKEEPERS is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022.