Mary Watson

A heart-thumping thriller packed with exciting twists.

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.

You'll race through this compelling, sinister mystery.

A sinister page-turner...that takes readers on a psychological journey.

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

In The Cleaner, Mary Watson creates an immersive, twisty, character-driven web of family secrets and lies that builds to an ending you won't see coming.

Fiona McPhillips, author of When We Were Silent

A rollercoaster ride of manipulation and obsession - I couldn’t put it down.

Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me

Dark, tense and intriguing, these characters linger in your mind long after you've put the book down - and what a twist!

Sam Blake, No. 1 bestselling author of Little Bones

I loved this tightly plotted exploration of privilege and damaged people, and the twists just kept coming.

Laura Pearson, Kindle No.1 bestselling author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont

The Cleaner is a layered tale that takes a sharp look at themes of privilege, identity and class...it's a book that you’ll whip through, thanks to its twists, turns, hate-readable characters and dramatic climax.

Oh my goodness - the twists in this! Dripping in atmosphere, this tale of revenge is edgy and immersive, laying bare the fractures within a picture perfect household with a scalpel-like precision.

What a wonderful book - I hope it becomes the bestseller it deserves to be. I was hooked from the opening page - a totally compulsive read. Beautifully crafted.

Marsali Taylor, author of The Shetland Mysteries Series

If you’re a fan of crime thrillers, this is your next must-read. You won’t want to put it down…

If you’re after an edge-of-your-seat thriller, look out for this one.

Mary Watson is a writer of great skill... hard to put down and harder to forget.

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.

Mary Watson

Praise for The Cleaner

A heart-thumping thriller packed with exciting twists.

The Cleaner is a masterclass in tension. Plotted like an intricate spider's web, I was glued to the page for the entirety.

Revenge is a dish best served up spotless...The relentless attention to detail is wonderfully claustrophobic.

A heart-thumping thriller packed with exciting twists.

The Cleaner is a masterclass in tension. Plotted like an intricate spider's web, I was glued to the page for the entirety.

Revenge is a dish best served up spotless...The relentless attention to detail is wonderfully claustrophobic.

A heart-thumping thriller packed with exciting twists.

The Cleaner is a masterclass in tension. Plotted like an intricate spider's web, I was glued to the page for the entirety.

Revenge is a dish best served up spotless...The relentless attention to detail is wonderfully claustrophobic.

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter