The Nanny: A Novel

The Nanny is the fifth novel by British author, Gilly Macmillan. It's with great reluctance that recently widowed Jo Black returns to Lake House, her Pewsey Vale childhood home, with her ten-year-old daughter Ruby. The last thing she wants is to be beholden to Lady Virginia Holt, the mother she remembers without any fondness. But her husband Chris's death has left her homeless and temporarily without funds.

The person who featured most fondly in Jocelyn Holt's childhood was Hannah, the nanny who cared daily for her until she suddenly disappeared without trace from Lake House when Jo was seven. Jo's memory of the time is a little fuzzy. When skeletal remains are found in the lake, Jo can't help but wonder if her nanny met a violent end. Virginia's insistence that the bones are very old only increases Jo's suspicion.

Detective Constable Andy Wilton is fairly certain that Lady Holt, with her cut-glass accent, knows a lot more than she's saying about the remains. He's firmly of the opinion that these upper-class types think they're above the law, and he's determined to get to bottom of this case.

The present day narrative is from three perspectives: Virginia, whose apparently genuine anxiety over the welfare of her daughter and granddaughter is at odds with Jo's recollection of her; Jo, whose overriding concern is getting a job so she can get Ruby away from the influence of the (possibly demented) mother she still loathes; and DC Andy Wilton, who is intent on identifying the (probable) murder victim. The eponymous nanny's narrative covers events leading to, and during, her time as Jocelyn Holt's nanny.

Once again, Macmillan gives the reader a brilliant mystery with several red herrings, a couple of twists, a good dose of irony and a thrilling climax. There's art fraud and assumed identities, and even the most astute reader is unlikely to guess exactly what happened before all is revealed, and after that, Macmillan has one more surprise up her sleeve. This might just be Macmillan's best yet.