This is a refreshing and topical take on the British amateur sleuth: a Hungarian cleaner, who has access to the houses of the great and the good in London, is desperately trying to find out what happened to her missing friend and colleague by cleaning the houses she last serviced.  By being entrusted with people’s properties for a few hours, Lena Szarka is able to draw conclusions, profile clients and follow a twisty trail that reveals sad and unpleasant truths .

This was an entertaining and enlightening read.  I enjoyed learning about Hungarian culture and the immigrant cleaner’s challenges in modern-day Britain and found Lena a likeable, intelligent and engaging protagonist.  London and the other characters are very well drawn and the story runs along nicely, sprinkled with humour and mounting tension, as shocking lies and truths are revealed when Lena’s investigation reaches a climax.

I heartily recommend this book…