The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Prose, Nita. The Maid. Ballantine Books, 2022.

Nita Prose’s novel, The Maid, follows the days preceding Mr. Black’s death through Molly’s first person point of view. Molly is a young woman employed as a maid at The Regency Grand hotel. She defines her identity through her occupation and navigates social dynamics by following the advice of her deceased grandmother.

The main character describes her days as replicas of one another at the outset of the novel. Her monotonous routine is upended when she discovers the dead body of a prominent hotel guest in Suite 401. Molly is unsure of herself and struggles to decipher the proper etiquette for police interrogation. Her socially awkward behavior is misinterpreted by the lead detective, Detective Stark, and Molly is pinpointed as the prime suspect in Mr. Black’s murder investigation.

As Molly struggles to face the discomfort of police interrogation, she recalls her life with Gran. The fond memories of her grandmother serve as a coping tool to ease Molly’s anxieties and guide her through the trying investigation. As she reminisces, Molly thinks of the night Gran died. After a long battle with cancer, Gran asked Molly to alleviate her pain by assisting her suicide. She instructed Molly to crush pills in her tea and use a pillow to suffocate her. Molly’s preoccupation with guilt and morality are informed by her reluctant involvement in her grandmother’s death.

Molly maintains that she is innocent in Mr. Black’s death throughout the police questioning and asks for Mr. Preston’s help. When Charlotte, Mr. Preston’s daughter, volunteers as Molly’s defense lawyer, the main character is able to return home on bail and build a defense case. She confides to Mr. Preston and Charlotte that she had been helping her colleague, Juan Manuel, stay in unoccupied hotel rooms by slipping him keycards. Molly began helping him months earlier when she accidentally discovered Juan Manuel, Rodney, and their associates in a hotel room that was meant to be vacant. When Rodney explained that Juan Manuel could be deported for his expired visa, Molly volunteered to help, unaware that the men were involved in a drug trafficking scheme.

Molly, Charlotte, Mr. Preston, and Juan Manuel concoct a scheme to implicate Rodney as the true murderer. Molly convinces Rodney to return to the crime scene under the pretense that she want to ensure the room is clear of evidence that would implicate him. She waits for his arrest in a cafe adjacent to the hotel. After Rodney’s arrest Molly’s name is cleared and she is able to return to work. She resumes her role at The Regency Grand with a new confidence that she built over the course of the novel by challenging herself to exist as a person outside of her vocation. Molly establishes a community through the friendships she made solving Mr. Black’s murder.

At the close of the novel, the first person narrator confides in the reader that she knew who murdered Mr. Black the day she found his body. She helped his ex-wife destroy evidence and exit the hotel unfettered because she believed his murder was justified. Mrs. Black explained her motives to Molly, assuring her that she killed her ex-husband to stop him from inflicting pain on other women. Molly saw a commonality in herself and Mrs. Black, two women unafraid to depart from socially norms in order to protect innocent lives.