The Housekeepers

'Hay sets a cracking pace... with plenty of twists and a great deal of fun, this is the perfect holiday read' Guardian

'Delightfully mischievous' The Times

'Punch-the-air good, the Edwardian heist novel you never knew you needed. Flawless, lawless fun' Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON.

DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY.

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.

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Dazzling, stylish and wildly entertaining, The Housekeepers lets loose an outlandish alliance of women you'll never forget...

'A great deal of fun, this is the perfect holiday read' Guardian

'Imagine Ocean's 8 had an illegitimate baby with Fingersmith - a big fat diamond of a book' Erin Kelly

'Kept me hooked 'til the last page. The strong, determined and memorable female characters pull you into their web of intrigue' Jennifer Saint

'This Edwardian heist story is such a fun read!' Good Housekeeping

'Prepare to grow hungrier for justice with every page you turn' Nina de Gramont, bestselling author of The Christie Affair

'A page-turning delight from beginning to end' Red

'Fun, fast-paced and totally immersive, The Housekeepers is a rare jewel worth coveting' Emma Stonex

'Hell hath no fury like a housekeeper scorned . . . this novel is unputdownable' House Beautiful

This is the perfect holiday read Guardian
This twisty heist caper is a delightfully mischievous debut The Times
Downton meets Ocean's 8 Grazia
A page-turning delight from beginning to end Red
Tremendously fun i Paper
A brilliantly entertaining tale of revenge, with fabulous characters - this is a riotous underworld adventure Best
This Edwardian heist story is such a fun read! Good Housekeeping
Hay brings a lively tempo and an elegant wit to this zippy thriller that is also a social commentary on the plight of the powerless Washington Post
Wildly entertaining . . . an irresistible, deliciously audacious premise Platinum
Punch-the-air good, this is the Edwardian heist novel you never knew you needed. Flawless, lawless fun -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
A glamorous historical heist novel that kept me hooked 'til the last page. The strong, determined and memorable female characters pull you into their web of intrigue -- Jennifer Saint
Vivid characterisation, irresistible historical detail and a rip-roaring plot... delivers on every page. Sensational! -- Emma Stonex
Imagine Ocean's 8 had an illegitimate baby with Fingersmith - a big fat diamond of a book, sharp and shiny, joyful and generous -- Erin Kelly
A deliciously clever novel that will place you in the finest homes and meanest streets of 1905 London. Prepare to grow hungrier for justice with every page you turn -- Nina de Gramont
A rollicking romp of a book, tinged with fury, sadness and mischievous delight -- Claire North

Entirely original: an upstairs-downstairs premise set in Edwardian London, but with an Ocean's Eleven-like heist at its core... anyone who relishes a good party gone wrong will devour this

-- Sarah Penner
I cannot tell you how much fun you'll have with this book -- Bobby Palmer
I'll miss these resourceful, cunning ladies, the strength of their sisterhood (both literal and figurative) and their collective pursuit of freedom. I badly needed them to win and cheered myself hoarse by the end -- Chikodili Emelumadu
I love everything about Alex Hay's novel... not only is The Housekeepers a rollicking good read, it's also a reminder to the powerful to ignore the downtrodden at their peril. Bravo -- Stephanie Butland

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

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