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.
A note from the author… 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 the polished exterior. I’d also always adored the slick engineering of a juicy heist plot, and was longing to try and 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… I’ve been asked why I turned to an alliance of women to lead the cast of The Housekeepers, and it’s a good question, and one I’ve considered myself too. The truthful answer is that I never really saw this tale any other way; the decision was instinctive. I love Mrs King and her gang – they feel a bonedeep desire to imprint themselves on the world and the systems that marginalise them, as I think many of us do. The Housekeepers is, of course, a work of fiction, but the glittering Park Lane mansion at the heart of this story is inspired by extraordinary houses that once stood all around the wealthiest parts of West London. Stand outside the present-day Dorchester Hotel and you can still glimpse Stanhope House, turreted and gargoyled, commissioned for soap manufacturer Robert William Hudson in 1899. It faced 25 Park Lane, a luxury townhouse built for Barney Barnato, a music-hall actor who made an eyewatering fortune in diamond-mining before dying mysteriously at sea. These were homes built for rich and powerful men, containing the most decadent and costly treasures, attended to by a seemingly endless supply of obedient servants. But just imagine what might have happened if some of those working below stairs had decided to claim a little of that power for themselves.
Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied History at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector, and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel course. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. Alex lives with his husband in South East London. T: @AlexHayBooks I: @AlexHayBooks Website: alexhaybooks.com #TheHousekeepers
My thoughts: this was very good, really enjoyable and clever. I loved Mrs King and her gang of actors, thieves and reprobates. They decide to turn the tables on the people they’ve worked for, the ones who could barely be bothered to acknowledge them most of the time, one servant’s the same as any other. But they know all of your secrets and that knowledge means everything.
The plan is incredibly complex and so well done, pulled off with great flair and leaving the “Upstairs” crowd completely unaware of what’s gone on right under their noses. Never underestimate a housekeeper who’s had enough.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
ramblingmads 
“The Housekeepers” sounds like an exciting and intriguing read, with a captivating mix of historical opulence and a thrilling heist plot. How do you think the choice of an alliance of women as the main characters adds depth and uniqueness to the story? Have you read other books with a similar setting or theme that you could recommend to fans of historical fiction and crime fiction?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, thanks for your comment. There’s lots of great historical crime fiction out there, I’ve reviewed a fair few if you have a look through the archives. The Housekeepers was really interesting and I think the choice of a group of women, who maybe didn’t always have much agency over their lives, was important. No one would suspect them, and servants were often overlooked and underestimated by their employers. So it’s a bit of an underdog tale. Hope you enjoy it if you get the chance to read it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t agree more! The idea of an alliance of women in historical crime fiction adds a fresh perspective and layers of complexity to the story. I love underdog tales like this. Thanks for the recommendation—I’ll definitely check out your archives. Have you come across any other historical crime fiction with unique character dynamics like ‘The Housekeepers’?
LikeLiked by 1 person