The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

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.

As soon as I heard about The Housekeepers, I knew that it was a novel that I wanted to read. I think that the premise is absolutely fascinating (who doesn’t love a heist?!) and I was intrigued to see if and how this audacious plan could be pulled off.

The plot of the novel is ostensibly quite straightforward. It begins with Mrs King as she is dismissed from service, not even give the time to collect her things or finish her rounds. We can understand her ire – after years of service, she is unceremoniously ousted from her position without so much as a word of thanks after being caught in the men’s quarters after hours. It’s clear that Mrs King is already plotting her revenge, however, as we discover that she has a plan to redress the situation by robbing the house on the night of a ball. Of course, there’s more to it than that, and I loved discovering more about Mrs King’s background which explains her real motives for the plan that she’s put together. It’s an excellent premise, and one that becomes more complex and involved upon reading.

Mrs King knows that she can’t do this job alone, and she recruits a formidable cast of characters of support her with the intention to split the profits equally between all. I absolutely adore the strong female crew that Mrs King brings together. They come from a range of backgrounds, and each has their own nuances and foibles and each one brings something different to the team. It’s thrilling to see their plan put into action, knowing that any one misstep might cause the whole plan to fail. I’m sure it goes without saying that they have some dubious morals – while they feel justified in their course of action, it is a robbery when all is said and done. They are good people overall, however, and each has their own motivation for taking part in the scheme which goes beyond greed.

Through its very nature, The Housekeepers has a strong upstairs / downstairs divide, and the reader’s sympathies remain strongly with Mrs King and her crew throughout the novel. This is particularly true as it becomes clear how the house of de Vries obtained its money and the underhand schemes that the recently deceased Wilhelm de Vries was involved in. While it didn’t make me any more sympathetic towards her, I did enjoy seeing Miss de Vries perspective throughout the novel, particularly as the day of the heist gets closer and as the level of danger increases for those involved. By always referring to her as Miss de Vries and never by a first name that I can remember, the reader is almost put into a position of servitude themselves. We can’t fool ourselves that we’re on her level, and this helps to draw the reader into the narrative, creating a bond with Mrs King and her crew.

The Housekeepers is a fantastically fun read – fast-paced and intriguing and more complicated than the blurb would have you believe. I was completely swept up in the narrative, particularly as their plan is put into action. It’s a brilliantly plotted novel, and I love the level of detail that went into the heist. Any concerns I might have had about how well it would work were completely unfounded. Highly recommended for those wanting something fun to read that puts a different spin on the upstairs / downstairs relationship.