Looking for a dual timeline mystery romance you absolutely won’t be able to put down? Your search is over! The Chambermaid’s Key by Genevieve Graham is the book you need.

This book pulled me in right from page one and didn’t lose me at any point. After reflection, I believe Graham’s ability to keep me captivated was primarily a result of three different factors: pacing, character development, and suspense.

Let’s talk about pacing first.

Often, when I read a dual timeline novel, I find that at some point in the book, even if I’m really enjoying it, the pacing falters, making the story feel like it’s dragging on. That was not the case with The Chambermaid’s Key. Graham did an exceptional job at keeping the pace consistent throughout the entire book, while still allowing moments where readers can catch their breath.

The character development throughout this book also felt both natural (something I take very seriously) and compelling. When it came to the present-day timeline specifically, I really enjoyed how Graham made the evolution of Bridget and Matthew’s relationship so convincing and realistic (the parallels between their relationship and the relationship between Rosie and Damien was also *chef’s kiss*).

Traditionally, when I’ve read historical fiction mysteries, I’ve found that the suspense element dips about 3/4 of the way through the book. That was not the case with The Chambermaid’s Key, largely due to Graham’s ability to pull in multiple different suspense elements. In both timelines, characters weren’t just striving towards the one main end goal. There were other stakes that came into play, making the overall story even more satisfying.

From Simon & Schuster Canada

Welcome to the Dominion, where secrets lurk behind every locked door.

1929: Rosie Ryan wants nothing more than to escape the poverty of The Ward, Toronto’s roughest neighbourhood, and become a chambermaid at the brand-new Dominion Hotel. Until she meets Damien, that is—a charming and ambitious waiter who promises her a better life—and adds him to the top of her list. The Dominion offers her a chance to do well, but behind the gleaming chandeliers and polished marble lurk dangerous secrets involving its most notorious guest, a wealthy gangster who’s about to profit from The Crash that will decimate the economy. When a friend is murdered, Rosie finds herself tangled in a web of betrayal—one that just might cost her everything.

Present Day: City building Inspector Bridget Kelly is assigned to scrutinize the recent renovations at the elegant old Dominion Hotel, a task she relishes as a lover of history and architecture, and that gets even better once she starts working with a brilliant and fascinating archivist. But when a routine inspection uncovers mysterious boxes, locked doors, and secret corridors, bringing to light a long-buried clue to a decades-old murder, her inspection is thwarted, and threats rise round her on every side. Bridget soon realizes someone doesn’t want the truth to surface—and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.

Spanning nearly a century, The Chambermaid’s Key is a gripping dual-timeline novel about ambition, betrayal, and the secrets that bind us across generations.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a digital ARC of this novel.

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