Title: The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.
When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.
Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…
In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.
Review:
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan is a compelling domestic mystery.
In the present, Jocelyn “Jo” Holt and her ten year old daughter Ruby return to her estranged mother Virginia’s estate in Britain. Jo’s husband has recently passed away and she can no longer remain in the United States. Hoping her time at Lake Hall will be brief, she plans to stay as far away from Virginia as possible. Jo resents her mother’s loving relationship with Ruby and she is grateful when a family friend offers her a position in London which gives her much-needed time away from Virginia. Further complicating the situation is the shocking discovery of skeletal remains in the lake. Detective Constables Andy Wilton and Maxine Flint are determined to uncover the victim’s identity but Virginia has a very good reason to keep the truth from ever seeing the light of day.
In the past, Hannah Burgess is Jocelyn’s beloved nanny and she is absolutely heartbroken when Hannah abruptly leaves without warning. Hannah spends more time with the young girl than Virginia so it is not completely unexpected that Jocelyn shows a decided preference for her nanny. The fractured and troubled relationship between mother and daughter continues to worsen after Hannah’s disappearance. Jo eventually cuts all ties with her parents after marrying and relocating to California.
Coinciding with Jo’s return to Lake Hall and the discovery of the skeleton is the mysterious visitor who turns both Jo’s and Virginia’s worlds upside down. Jo’s resentment toward her mother deepens just as Virginia tries to prevent her closely guarded secrets from being revealed. At the same time, Wilton and Flint are growing closer to unearthing the identity of the remains from the lake.
With plenty of suspense, The Nanny is a fast-paced, multi-layered mystery. Jo is initially a sympathetic character but as the story progresses, it becomes harder and harder to like her. Virginia is aloof and a bit arrogant at first but her scenes with Ruby are quite touching. The story moves back and forth in time and unfolds from various characters’ perspectives. Gilly Macmillan brilliantly builds the tension as the novel hurtles to a very twist-filled and shocking conclusion. Fans of the genre are sure to enjoy this fiendishly crafted psychological mystery.
