A review by kellysrambles
The Cleaner by Mary Watson

challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.0

I was attracted to this story by the concept of a cleaner (to the wealthy) collecting secrets. The idea that a cleaner is unassuming, nobody pays attention to them yet their knowledge of their clients goes deeper than they would dare to imagine. 

Esmie is a brilliant character. Deceitful, jealous, driven by revenge yet unassuming and sweet to those who see her. Wanting to get revenge for her brother Nico’s downfall, Esmie sets about collecting as much information as possible about the inhabitants of The Woodlands. Here unfolds a captivating mystery full of complex, layered relationships between a series of both likeable and unlikeable characters. There were so many reveals that I stopped anticipating what would happen and just enjoyed the ride. 

This one definitely kept me guessing and I enjoyed how dark and complex things got as the story developed. A great adult debut from Mary Watson! 

Thank you to Random House UK, Mary Watson and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.