
BPL · Book · 2024
The housemaid is watching
Freida McFadden
"You must be our new neighbors!" Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter's hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I'll do anything to keep it that way... I used to clean other people's houses - now, I can't believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve. Even though I'm wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it's our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it's like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills... The Lowells' maid isn't the only strange thing on our street. I'm sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors. Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here? I thought I'd left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?"--
- Demand pressureDemand pressure: composite score across the 12 tracked branches — rewards low availability, branches all out, recent drops, and (when exposed) public hold counts. Higher = harder to get borough-wide.
- 558
- Available
- 4/18
- Branches all out
- 6/9
- Public holdsPublic holds: BPL exposes 'people waiting' at the bib (record) level — one number per work for the entire 60+ branch BPL system, NOT just the 12 tracked branches. We capture the number when it's there. 'Not exposed' means BPL didn't expose it on this scrape — we never substitute zero for missing data.
- not exposed
ISBN 9781464221132
NYT Bestseller
Trade Paperback Fiction
- Weeks on list
- 13 weeks
- Peak rank
- #6
- reached Dec 20, 2025
- Last rank
- #12
- Feb 21, 2026
Also appeared on
Source: NYT Best Sellers. List membership is national, not Brooklyn-specific.
Current availability across the 12 tracked branches
| Branch | Available | Total | Holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bushwick | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Coney Island | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Flatbush | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kings Highway | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Sunset Park | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Williamsburgh | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Brooklyn Heights | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Greenpoint | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bay Ridge | 2 | 3 | 0 |
7-day movement
Recent movement

Greenpoint · 0 → 1 available

Brooklyn Heights · 0 → 1 available