I read this entire book while I was on a plane and sitting in multiple airports during spring break, waiting for my delayed flights. I went to see my best friend in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have never been on a plane before, and I will never be on a plane again without a book in my hand. That is an experience I do not desire to ever have.

The time jump from “The Housemaid’s Secret” to this third installment was a little jarring — around 13 years. Millie and Enzo are married, they have two children and are now homeowners. The novel begins with them moving into their cul-de-sac that has two other houses on the street. At first, I had no idea what direction this book was going to take. These characters that I knew are suddenly parents and live in a new location. I grew to like that and found it quite adorable the way Millie is so protective of her children. 

Nico is 9 years old, and he’s an outgoing little boy. Ada, 11 years old, is more reserved and introverted. Nico is forced to help the Lowell’s with chores around their house as punishment after breaking a window. At first, I liked Nico, but then as the book progressed, he became more aggressive and troublesome — so much that he was punching kids at school. However, it is understandable because he is young, and it is not uncommon for children to act up when they move. 

Millie tries to fit in with the neighbors and be friendly, but they make it difficult. Suzette Lowell is always flirting with Enzo, despite them both being married. Janice Archer lives in the other house with her son and is always watching the neighbors from her window as if she has nothing better to do. I thought this aspect of the book was going to turn into some deeper or darker revelation, but it did not.

Out of all three of the books, this one probably had the slowest progression. Millie’s day-to-day life did not interest me until the plot took a turn. Their housekeeper, Martha, was also not a compelling character. I felt like her character did not serve a purpose. Her storyline was the same as what we had heard in the previous books.

The premise of the book was that Suzette’s husband, Jonathan, was murdered. Instead of Millie being the target suspect, it is Enzo. He was always over at their house doing the landscaping and had blood on his shirt right before the police arrived on the scene. All signs were pointing to him, and since he was hiding things from Millie, I was even inclined to believe so. Then, I thought that was too far-fetched. Why would he randomly kill his neighbor. If he did so, he did it for a reason. My mind is trying to come up with other suspects and the only two I can think of are Nico and Suzette. She never seemed to like Johnathan and there was a life insurance policy money she would have gotten. 

It seemed crazy that Nico would just kill this guy just based on the fact that he punched some kids at school, but then the perspective changed to Ada. If you know anything about these books, Freida McFadden switches the viewpoint to give you the answer and explanation. 

When Nico was going over to the Lowell’s house, he started acting different, and that was based on what Johnathan was doing to Nico. The signs were more directly pointing to that Johnathan was abusive in a violent way, but I think it can also be interpreted that he was abused sexually as well. Especially with them using the word “creep” to describe him. It was confirmed that he had killed one child before, and that is probably what would have happened if Nico did not admit everything to Ada. She took matters into her own hands and was planning to just tell Johnathan that Nico cannot come over anymore, but when he threatened her, she stabbed him.

In fear of being tried as an accomplice, Suzette confesses to killing Johnathan, even though she did not, and Enzo was sent back home after being arrested. I had an audible reaction when I read that in the airport. I had no idea how they were going to get themselves out of this situation, and it worked out. 

The whole Johnathan story freaked me out. Some people say that you should only read the third book if you like the characters and want to see what happens with them, but I personally liked this one a lot. It is hard to say if it is better than the first two or where they all rank. In my eyes, they rank in which they are in the series. 

I do not see myself reading the novella, “The Housemaid’s Wedding.” It takes place in between the second and third book, and from my understanding, it is about Millie and Enzo’s wedding. 

Since reading this series, I have been compelled to buy other McFadden books to see if they are just as good or better. My next read is “Never Lie.”

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