There was somewhat of a mismatch between what I was expecting and what I ended up reading. I had interpreted the synopsis as a cosy crime, whodunit mystery with Molly the Maid as the lead sleuth. Although elements of this were incorporated into the plot, this was altogether a different story.
Molly was an endearing character and it made a change to read about a protagonist who was clearly neurodiverse; someone who saw the world in black and white rather in nuances and struggled to read social cues and people’s intentions.
The plot itself was focussed more so on Molly picking up the pieces after the murder. It was brilliant to be able to see the world solely from Molly’s perspective and how she navigated her life with the help from her grandmother. The mystery part of the story was often side lined. A small array of characters had been depicted, but there were not nearly enough suspects. It was relatively easy to guess who was squeaky clean and who was a little dirtier.
“People are a mystery that can never be solved.”
For me, there was a lack of layers in the book; it seemed a little too straight forward in some ways. Despite Molly being written fabulously as a protagonist, there was something missing from the book itself.
One thing I did appreciate were the small heartfelt moments scattered across the writing, especially towards the end as Molly started to develop close bonds with some of the other characters. I loved the description of the hotel and how Molly’s awe and love for it came across so beautifully in the writing.
The ending was nicely wrapped up and I for one did not see that particular twist coming. But it just wasn’t enough to placate my disappointment.
Overall, I was disappointed mainly due to he mismatch to what was expected and what was delivered. However, it was brilliant to have a well-written neuro diverse protagonist.
Saz
P.S. I dropped all the laundry off after washing it by mistake. I saw how it all unfolded 😉
Bookish ruminations 