“Ocean’s Eleven” meets “Downton Abbey” meets “Good Girls”, all at the pen of debut novelist Alex Hay. Meet Mrs. King. She’s been unceremoniously ousted from her covetable position as head of household at the estate of Miss de Vries in the early twentieth century, made an example of when she’s caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lemonade is made from lemons, however, when Mrs. King’s resentment inspires the heist of the century.
This woman on a mission assembles a ragtag group of thieves both petty and accomplished, whose scores leverage such skills as acting, muscle, and legacy. As they quickly design their plan and pull in their backup, the efficiency with which they organize is stunning. As quickly, their truths and backstories come to the surface and compel readers’ investment in their happy and earned ending.
Alex Hay doesn’t stop there, though, as he delves also into Miss de Vries’ motivation and agenda. As she mourns the death of her father, she jockeys for a better position for herself — a new start, on an elevated tract in life. As she works to assemble her own team — this one also created with the goal of finding a better lot in life — she is equal parts admirable and detestable (and, still, pitiable).
The Housekeepers is a blast and will quickly find its place among the great historical fiction thrillers of our time. Do yourself and your book club a favor now and make off with your very own copy.
The Housekeepers
by Alex Hay
Read an excerpt.
The pace of The Housekeepers hardly leaves enough space or time to keep up with this wild group of danger-loving dames, let alone ponder all the questions and perspectives that the novel calls to the front of our minds. Need a little help digging in a little deeper? Once you’ve sped through the novel — and only then, as you’ll find spoilers ahead — peep our questions to inspire a few moments of reflection and contemplation about Alex Hay’s delightful debut.
Get the questions.
Throughout The Housekeepers, there are two beverages that run through the pages constantly: sherry and champagne. We don’t give enough attention — both in our own lives and here on Page & Pairing — to the former, so today we’re diving in. Kicking off, let’s talk about the Hijos de Rainera Perez Marin La Guita Manzanilla Sherry. It’s lovely — a little bit nutty, a little bit fruity, and with plenty of salinity. Mrs. King and her not-so-merry band of partners would approve.
As for what to eat, meat pudding was the thing in England in the early 1900s. We’re leaning a little to the left with Shepherd’s Pie. Check out this version from Brit fave Alton Brown. We suspect any hostess with the mostest would gladly serve it at an evening shindig designed to impress.
Get the recipe.
"I think all writers have core stories they come back to time and again: settings, conflicts, and dreams luring them to the keyboard, even when writing (and finishing!) a novel seems almost insurmountable. I love books full of big houses, broken families, loyal friendships, and wild ambitions — textured with all the glorious sights, scents, and sounds of the past.
"When I started The Housekeepers, I was itching to write a novel set in the early 1900s, to revel in the era’s extraordinary opulence, scrappy characters, remarkable flashes of modernity, and layers of corruption that exist just underneath all that glamour. I’d also always adored the slick engineering of a juicy heist plot, and was longing to try to write one of my own. I was washing the dishes — apt, in hindsight! — when it occurred to me that the marbled drawing rooms and glittering saloons of Edwardian London had all the gumption and gloss of a Las Vegas casino, and could make the perfect backdrop for a high-stakes heist. My mind’s eye turned slowly to a green baize door, and a cast of servants began sidling out of the shadows each with their own desire for revenge.
"The Housekeepers is a work of fiction, but the Park Lane mansion at the heart of this story is inspired by a string of extraordinary houses that once stood all around the wealthiest parts of West London. These were homes built for powerful men, containing the most decadent and costly treasures, attended by a seemingly endless supply of obedient servants. The thrill and joy of writing this novel was to imagine what might have happened if some of the women working below stairs had decided to claim some of that privilege for themselves." —Alex Hay
After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs.
"A deliciously clever novel... You'll never have so much fun cheering on grand larceny."
--Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair, a Reese's Book Club Pick