The Housemaid is a mystery novel by Freida McFadden, focusing on Millie Calloway, a young woman with a criminal past who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy woman named Nina Winchester. Nina has a mental health condition and is employed by Millie, who is a housekeeper with a strained relationship with her husband Andrew and daughter Cecelia. Millie is adamant about her job and her relationship with Nina, who is unpredictable and high-strung.
Millie is introduced to her husband Andrew and their nine-year-old daughter Cecelia, who are both spoiled and naïve. Millie learns about Nina's mental health and discovers an antipsychotic medication in her bathroom cabinet. She also learns that Nina spent time in a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill Cecelia when she was a baby. The Housemaid explores themes of discipline, power, victimhood, and abuse in the lives of women.
