The Homemaker by Miranda Rijks

Release: October 22, 2023
Format: Ebook
Publisher: ‎ Inkubator Books

Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon,

Maria always wanted a family. Now she’s found one.

Imogen has never been so busy – she’s juggling two jobs, has a young family and now she’s pregnant again.

Enter Maria, the perfect housekeeper. Hard working and capable, she seems like the ideal solution to Imogen’s chaotic life. But Maria isn’t at all what she seems – she has a sinister agenda of her own.

Little by little, she installs herself at the heart of Imogen’s family – doing the school run, cooking meals, caring for Imogen’s little girl.

But once she has won the family’s trust, Maria starts to do some digging. And discovers that Imogen has been keeping a terrible secret, a secret which Maria threatens to reveal unless Imogen starts to run this home the way Maria sees fit.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Imogen has no choice but to comply.

A terrible mistake. Because as the full scale of Maria’s horrifying plan becomes apparent, Imogen realises that everything she holds dear – her marriage, her family, her friends – all may fall victim to The Homemaker.

The Homemaker – the chilling psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and What She Knew.

About the Author:

Miranda Rijks is a writer of psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre.

She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time.

She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.

This is her twentieth psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.

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The Homemaker Review:

I really liked how the author portrayed Imogen. She’s going through a tough time mourning her mom’s loss and discovering some surprising secrets about her life. The drama between her, Josh, and Tom kept me intrigued. Imogen isn’t flawless, but you can’t help but sympathize with her as you follow her story.

On the flip side, Maria is quite the character. She’s the driving force behind the intrigue in the story, as you never really know what she’s thinking or what she might do next. One moment, she’s sweet, and the next, she’s manipulative. This character really added excitement and made the story stand out.

The supporting characters, like Tom and Danielle, fit nicely into the narrative. When Clare enters Maria’s life, it injects a sense of mystery, and I was eager to see where the story would go.

The author also emphasizes the importance of acceptance, forgiveness, and appreciating the present moment, even in the face of past secrets and tragedies.

However, the story does get a bit predictable. There aren’t many unexpected twists and turns because you can figure out who’s responsible for what. The climax didn’t pack the exciting punch I hoped for, and I wished the author had thrown in a few more surprises.

Overall, I enjoyed reading “The Homemaker” and consider it a solid addition to the author’s work.