Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Nanny

Resigned, sneaky, obsequious

We follow three adults - an elder adult living in the UK, their adult child returning to the family home after a tragedy in the US where they lived, and the return of the family's nanny to the region.
The POVs are told in first person and present day with the exception of the nanny - their perspective is of how they came to be a nanny and the different families they worked for in the 1970s and 80s.

Set mainly at the family estate in the UK

🎧 The narration was excellent at both normal and faster speeds, and the different voices helped to keep track of the POVs.

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

This is a detailed, slightly repetitive thought-narrative slow burn (think Ruth Ware) style of story. You will never be wondering what the characters are thinking!
The middle part was a slog for me to get through and I struggled to find motivation to keep listening. I didn't particularly like the characters and there was a lot of time spent with their musings, wonderings, and justifications without much happening. We know what is actually going on too, so it's hard not to mentally scream at the characters for being so obtuse.
😑 Infuriating characters. Virginia and Jo somehow manage to be suspicious of everyone but the most obvious persons, entitled, and bossy while also being submissive, overly trusting, and illogical.
🫠 If Virginia just TALKED to Jo as much as she talked to us, this plot would fall apart. It's like they tell each other everything while skirting around the truth and being dramatically indirect about everything.
👌I really liked the past POVs, especially of the nanny and the different families she worked for. It was suspenseful and horrifying and I didn't want to stop reading about what she was living. I would rather have it all be the nanny's story leading to present day where Jo meets up with her again. Basically this book but without all the Virginia-Jo drama and having Jo being a more likeable/relatable character.

Cred Rating 🤷‍♀️: Plausible with patches of suspended disbelief

Mood Reading Match Up:

Kids, nannies, parents (EVERYbody) behaving badly
Family and personal secrets, white collar crime, fraud mysteries
Unlikeable characters
Rich family drama
Touch of IRL caregiver horrors, mother-daughter drama

Content Heads-Up: Death of a spouse and grief. Violence and manipulation of children and older adults. Infidelity.

Format: Library Audio via Libby

Content Warnings

katymat18's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This book felt like it had a pacing issue - so much build up and then a rushed ending. Definitely could have wrapped up earlier and been a shorter book. I feel like there are few plot holes and a lot of unresolved details. The ending also just felt a bit too perfect for some of the main characters, and super sudden. Jocelyn/Jo was an absolutely infuriating character.

Content Warnings

lpdx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

melina_30's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

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