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The Cleaner

Mary Watson

$34.99

Paperback

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English
Bantam
18 February 2025
A beautifully sinister, propulsive page-turning adult debut that explores themes of obsession, identity and privilege, about a woman who takes a job as a cleaner - but what she's really after is revenge...

It's not dust she's looking for. It's dirt.

Esmie is supposed to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place. Her uniform of leggings and a duster allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy, unseen; an outsider creeping around the edges of privilege.

But as she sweeps through the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood, cleaning is the last thing on her mind. Treading silently over the polished wooden floorboards and cloud-soft carpets, Esmie gathers up the mess of broken marriages, quiet deceptions and careless failures. She tucks away their fragments, keeping them safe. For now.

Because one of the residents took from her the person she loves most. She's not here to clean; she's here for revenge - and she'll get it using the weapons her employers unwittingly handed her along with the keys to their homes- their own secrets...

This beautifully sinister, propulsive page-turner that explores themes of identity and privilege is perfect for fans of Harriet Tyce and Lisa Jewell.
By:  
Imprint:   Bantam
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 232mm,  Width: 153mm,  Spine: 30mm
Weight:   484g
ISBN:   9780857506047
ISBN 10:   0857506048
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Mary Watson is from South Africa and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town, where she taught for many years. She won the Caine Prize for African Writing for her adult publishing in South Africa, and in 2014 was named on the Africa39 list of writers under 40 with the potential to define trends in African literature. Her YA novels have been nominated for the Irish Book Awards and the Carnegie medal. The Cleaner is her worldwide adult debut.

Reviews for The Cleaner

A heart-thumping thriller packed with exciting twists. * Daily Mail * The Cleaner is a masterclass in tension. Plotted like an intricate spider's web, I was glued to the page for the entirety. * Jennie Godfrey, Sunday TImes bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things * Revenge is a dish best served up spotless...The relentless attention to detail is wonderfully claustrophobic. * Sunday Independent * You'll race through this compelling, sinister mystery. * Fabulous * A sinister page-turner...that takes readers on a psychological journey. * Irish Sunday Times * Domestic noir at its finest. * i Paper * A modern fairy tale – beautiful, dark, visceral, truly spellbinding. * Sunday Times and Irish Times No. 1 bestselling author Andrea Mara * Tense from the first page, the pressure builds inexorably. A multifaceted tale of secrets, obsessions and betrayals. * Sam Lloyd, bestselling author of The Memory Wood * The Cleaner is a richly textured thriller that veritably hums with menace. Taut, twisty and beautifully atmospheric, it pairs a gripping plot with dark, intricate themes. Class, privilege, wealth and entitlement are all put on trial in this immersive tale of betrayal and revenge. * Kia Abdullah, author of Waterstones Thriller of the Month Those People Next Door * The Cleaner is utterly gripping, dark and gothic – a brilliant tale of jealousy, envy and betrayal with one hell of a twist. I devoured it. A tour de force and the arrival of a brilliant new voice in adult fiction. * Edel Coffey, author of An Post Crime Fiction Book of the Year Breaking Point *


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