“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 … 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.
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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.
I got all my favorites in one book – mother-daughter relationships, English aristocracy, a thriller. A page turner! But I must point out that if I ever had to move home because I was broke and then started hiring staff my mother didn’t want and against her wishes, there would be hell to pay, lol.
Gilly Macmillan is an outstanding writer, but THE NANNY is a step above. Complex, intriguing, scary, devastating, and so lyrically written I got out my “I’m not worthy” kneepads. You are going to go ape for this one.
Exploding with secrets, The Nanny by master storyteller Gilly Macmillan has everything you dream for in a thriller…You won’t be able to rest until the final, spine-tingling conclusion.
Holy moley!! My mind is still reeling after reading this one!! I knew very little about this book when I decided to read it and it’s my first book by this author. I really need to check out her other books now. It was chilling, thrilling and super suspenseful. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. This was one of those books that once you start it’s near impossible to walk away. It was addictive and gripping from beginning to end.
Gilly Macmillan is a master of creating tension so exquisitely unbearable I had to force myself not to skip ahead. Brilliant, gripping, and terrifying.
A riveting tale of a truly dysfunctional family, The Nanny captivates and surprises with twists and turns around every corner. A perfect summer read you’ll certainly want to sink your teeth into.
I received this book as an ARC. This book is the story of a nanny, a mother and her daughter. Hannah Burgess, the nanny, wants a better life for herself. Lady Virginia Holt has it all and Jocelyn, or Jo, her daughter, has a strained relationship with her mother, but Hannah is her world. The story goes between present day, when Jo and her daughter Ruby return to Lake Hall to live her Jo’s mother, Lady Holt, and Hannah’s story in the 70’s. I felt sorry for Virginia because she was trying so hard to have a relationship with Jo, but Jo keeps pushing her away. Tidbits and snippets of what happened 30 years ago are slowly revealed until it all culminates to one night. We understand why Jo pushes her mother and we understand why Virginia did what she did. I did not really predict the end. I enjoyed this book.
This was an excellent book. I loved the way it was easy to read….suspenseful and kept you guessing all the way to the end. Highly recommend this one. Wonderful author!
Fun story that kept me on edge about what really happened.
WOW! What an awesome read!
While the story seemed predictable and started off slow, my gosh it turned into a fast paced white knuckle psychological thriller fast. Great twists and turns along the way.
I could definitely see this as a lifetime thriller movie for sure.
My first read from this Author and certainly won’t be my last.
Riveting. Lots of plot twists and surprises.
Great book!
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Gilly Macmillan is our contemporary Daphne DuMaurier–with all of her gripping suspense, haunting undercurrents and mysterious twists and turns. SO atmospheric, and so gorgeous, this drew me right in and did not let go. (caution: do not read this in the dark!)
Five big fat shiny stars for THE NANNY. Creepy, atmospheric, and genuinely surprising. I inhaled it!
The Nanny has all of the best elements of a psychological thriller: it is super creepy, makes your skin crawl at times, and keeps the reader highly entertained. The audio was phenomenal! I highly recommend this one as one of the best of 2019!
I loved every moment of this book. A for sure page-turner and you get sucked into the characters SO much.
Had me guessing, turning the pages, staying up past my bedtime, wondering what happens next–all the elements of a good mystery are in this book. And just when you think you might have figured it out, you haven’t! This will make a great movie if they just follow the book 🙂
Jocelyne Holt of the elite Holt family will never forget the day she woke up to find her beloved nanny had disappeared. Jocelyn was only seven years old at the time. Now, thirty years later, widowed and with a child of her own, Jocelyne has nowhere to go but to return to England and to her parent’s estate, Lake Hall. During her stay, her daughter discovers a human skull in the lake as they are out in the kayak. This discovery leads to many more discoveries, filling in puzzling lapses in her childhood memories.
This tale has so many twists and turns. Near the beginning of this book, I thought I had this story figured out. But as I read, the plot took many more turns, making me second guess time and again. Realistic characters fill this story that is told in four parts: parts narrated by Jocelyne, parts narrated by her mother, Virginia Holt, parts narrated by Detective Andy Wilton, as well as flashbacks to earlier times. This one keeps you guessing.
This novel has a very complicated plot with a lot of somewhat unlikeable characters. Nevertheless, the book was fascinating, making me feel empathy for Jocelyn and her young daughter Ruby who have been forced to return to the Holt estate after the death of Jocelyn’s husband. Jocelyn left Britain as quickly as she could and married someone stateside, hoping to escape the life that she had previously. Everything had seemed fine to her until one night her nanny disappeared; Lady Holt, her distant mother, told her that Hannah had to leave suddenly and blamed Jocelyn for it. Since Jocelyn and her mother never established a trusting relationship as she was growing up, now Jocelyn is faced with trying to form that with her mom while she also uncovers the secrets of the aristocratic Holts. The mystery begins when a skull is found in the lake on the Holt’s property. Unraveling this mystery slowly, almost using sleight of hand to do so, the author does an engaging job of drawing the reader in and keeping you there. The plot is super intriguing, especially for people like me who are always interested in finding out how the rich live and maintain their wealth with such little effort. The character of Hannah, the nanny, is manipulative and secretive, just the sort to “play the bad guy” and do it well. I highly recommend this book for those who like the slow burn of psychological suspense!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book from Barnes and Noble and have it on my Nook tablet. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.