(Image from Barnes & Noble)

As a child, Jocelyn "Jo" Holt's world revolved around one person—her beloved nanny, Hannah Burgess.  When Hannah disappeared from luxurious Lake Hall without a trace, it shattered young Jo.  Her parents appeared unfazed by the woman's sudden departure, insisting Hannah had simply moved on.  Jo couldn't believe she would go without saying goodbye.  Something awful had to have happened to remove Hannah so suddenly, so callously, from Jo's life.  Did someone hurt Hannah?  Or did she really just take another position without informing the charge she claimed to love?

Thirty years later, Jo is back at Lake Hall, her 10-year-old daughter, Ruby, in tow.  A recent widow, she has been left temporarily without a home or funds.  Although she detests her cold, aristocratic mother, Jo has no choice but to move in with Virginia Holt.  At least for the time being.  

When human remains are discovered on the Holts' property, old questions surface.  Do the bones belong to Hannah?  Or are they much older, as Virginia claims?  As the police begin a probing investigation, Jo is forced to ask some disturbing questions:  Who was Hannah Burgess, really?  Why did she disappear?  And what, if anything, did Jo's parents have to do with her vanishment?  

I'm a fan of Gilly Macmillan's twisty psychological thrillers.  The Nanny might not be my favorite of hers, but it's still a taut, compelling page-turner.  Jo and her cohorts aren't a super likable bunch and yet, I cared what happened to them.  Plotwise, The Nanny is exciting and surprising, which definitely kept me racing through the pages.  Like all the psychological thrillers I've been reading lately, this one is sad and depressing.  And yet, I enjoyed it, all in all.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books by Gilly Macmillan)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Nanny from the generous folks at William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins) in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!