The Nanny: A Novel by Gilly Macmillan

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

“The Nanny kept me in white-knuckled suspense until the very last page. Gilly Macmillan’s breakout thriller is a dark and twisted version of Downton Abbey gone very, very wrong.” — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author

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.

my thoughts:

Suspense-filled thrillers with a bit mystery are my jam. Especially, ones that have a Gothic bent to them. I love anything with a touch of the Gothic atmosphere - it makes for a fun and thrilling read! Luckily for me, I just read Gilly Macmillan's latest novel, The Nanny - an awesome story chock full of mystery, suspense, and Gothic touches. I just LOVED it to bits!!

So, what's the story about? A little girl growing up on a estate has a nanny she loves. The nanny disappears and the little girl is devastated. Fast forward thirty years, the little girl is all grown up and she returns to the estate she left behind and the mother she's grown distant from.  Human remains are discovered on the grounds and questions begin to build.  Who was the nanny? Why did she leave? What really happened? What did her mother do?You can't help but get caught up in all the drama, which I just loved.

Macmillan has written a superb story that will captivate from the start. The details, the history, the family dysfunction, and all the secrets and lies make for such a gripping read. Plus, the multiple POV really help to create the tension between the characters and their relationships. Characters that are so unlikeable that you can't help but be fascinated by them.  And, we also get alternating timelines from the past and present, which slowly reveals what happened. Its a slow burn and it is so good. I really enjoyed reading The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan.

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Nanny

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!