Review and Giveaway: "The Murderer's Maid" by Erika Mailman

Synopsis: The Murderer’s Maid interweaves the stories of two women: one, the servant of infamous Lizzie Borden, and the other a modern-day barista fleeing from an attempt on her life.

Trapped by servitude and afraid for her own safety, Irish maid Bridget finds herself an unwilling witness to the tensions in the volatile Borden household. As Lizzie seethes with resentment, Bridget tries to perform her duties and keep her mouth shut.

Unknowingly connected to the legendary crime of a century ago, Brooke, the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant maid, struggles to conceal her identity and stay a jump ahead of the men who want to kill her. When she unexpectedly falls in love with Anthony, a local attorney, she has to decide whether to stop running and begin her life anew.

With historical detail and taut, modern storytelling, Erika Mailman writes a captivating novel about identity, choices, freedom, and murder. She offers readers a fresh perspective on the notorious crime and explores the trials of immigrants seeking a better life while facing down fear and oppression, today and throughout history. Intelligent and detailed, The Murderer’s Maid is a gripping read from beginning to bloody conclusion.

My Thoughts: Lizzie Borden is such a fascinating figure that I couldn't resist reading this book. I found this story to be completely riveting.  The story also was kind of creepy.  I don't think anyone can not be weirded out by the Borden story but the descriptions of Lizzie were especially creepy.  This made it the perfect read for this time of year.

The story was told from several different perspectives which made for a really interesting look at what was happening in both the past and present.  The events occurring in the Borden house were seen mostly through the eyes of the family maid, Bridget.  I really loved Bridget.  I admired her strength and willingness to stay working with the family despite their oddities.  She had an interesting background and her perspective on the events kept me flipping pages as fast as I could.  I also really liked Brooke's story in the present.  Brooke was an amazing character and she really made the story.  I think the author did an excellent job of mixing the past and present stories together and creating a really cohesive tale.

I always love a good author's note at the end of a book and I really appreciated the extra details as well as the author's opinion on the murders. I've been in a reading funk for a while and it was nice to read something so engrossing.  This was a really great read and I hope to see more from Ms. Mailman in the future. 4 stars.

About the Author:

 

 Erika Mailman is the author of The Witch’s Trinity, a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book and Bram Stoker Award finalist, and Woman of Ill Fame, a Pushcart Press Editor’s Book Award nominee. She’s a Yaddo fellow and lives in Northern California with her family.

For more information, please visit Erika Mailman’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

I received this book from HFVBT in exchange for an honest review.