The Maid by Nita Prose was such an unexpectedly enjoyable mystery. I usually find mysteries a bit predictable and easy to figure out, but this one kept me engaged right to the end. I also love how Molly, the maid, is a truly unique individual. Watching her navigate the ugliness around her was frustrating, delightful, and very surprising.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley

This book had me guessing all the way through. You’ll fall in love with the narrator and she’ll keep you turning the pages as you will be keen to find out what really happened in this thrilling mystery story.

So first of all, thanks to #netgalley for giving me an ARC for an honest review.
. This novel was good but it overwhelmingly good, I found it a bit long in the tooth but if you persevere you will find the conclusion surprising. It is well written for a debut publication.

i don’t usually read murder mysteries but i’m so glad i read this one. i absolutely loved mollys character and i loved the way the past and present were so flawlessly intertwined at times. i think mollys character was so special and i loved her interaction with the other characters. i also loved the found family trope in this book.

This book is about a young woman named Molly. She is a high end hotel maid who is exceedingly good at her job. With the recent loss of her grandmother, she is lonely and finds comfort in her friendships with hotel employees and some guests.
Things get crazy when she finds a dead body in a room she is about to clean, and the mystery unfolds from there.
Though I thought this was a good premise, my problem with this book was the way that Molly was portrayed. She is a neurodivergent character but is written so stereo-typically. I didn't like the way she was taken advantage of by hotel staff, and it just didn't sit well with me.
I know I'm in the minority here, as so many people love this book. It just wasn't for me.

This novel is a cozy mystery with a difference; a unique and interesting central character who views the world differently to most people around her, and lives her life according to a set of lessons learned from her dear old Gran. While various reviewers have speculated that the main character, Molly, is likely 'on the spectrum', I prefer to comment on the way the author develops her within the story. In the early stages, Molly is presented in meticulous detail. Her pride in every tiny aspect of her cleaning job at the Regency Hotel, her rigid daily routine that includes interactions with other employees that almost ritualistic in nature, her meticulous cleaning routines are beautifully described.. All of these are punctuated by comforting and whimsical memories of Gran's kind advice that has enabled Molly to function. For the most part, the characterization works, until Molly discovers the dead body of the hotel's most important guest in his bed. There's a hint that she also sees something the reader isn't privy to, and that's when the clever characterization becomes a little shaky and unbelievable. While the story is absorbing and compels the reader to keep going and to root for Molly, who's deeper in trouble than she realizes, the solution to her problems and the rallying around of friends she didn't know she had, is a little too nicely convenient for my reading tastes.Also, I had trouble getting a sense of where this hotel is, since there were very few clues to the world of this novel. At times it felt like the UK, at other times the US. This factor also gave the book an air of unreality. Despite that, I'm sure this book will please readers of cozy mysteries who like a heartwarming story with a quirky and likeable character. And no doubt, it will make a very entertaining movie.

This debut novel is simply amazing... this was my first 5 star read of the year. thank you to St Martin's Press for this amazing book.

“One thing I’ve learned in my business is that you can hide dirt for a while, but at some point, it all comes to the surface.”
― Nita Prose, The Maid

The Maid is an engrossing novel about the death of an infamous hotel guest and the maid who finds his body.

Molly, the maid is an unconventional main character. She struggles with social skills and has trouble reading facial expressions. These characteristics lead her to be bullied and preyed upon by the not so nice people in her life. Life is made easier by her gran, who raised her and guided her socially, but unfortunately she has passed and Molly is left alone for the first time in her life.
Molly's main joy in life is her job as a maid. She loves to clean rooms and leave them in a "state of perfection". One day, while proudly doing her job, she comes across the dead body of Mr. Black and all hell breaks loose!
I really enjoyed this heart warming and cozy novel. I just wish that there was an Olive Garden in my area! lol
Thank you to NetGalley for supplying an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Molly loves her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She loves cleaning and ensuring everything is in its rightful place and she is very good at it. But she is also neurodivergent and has less success with people who are often confusing and even cruel. Her grandmother, whom she had lived with all her life had always helped her identify social cues but she died several months ago and now Molly’’s on her own, trying to navigate through a workplace that isn’t necessarily what it seems and her inability to spot dangers others would easily identify makes her an easy if unknowing target for those up to no good.or, as Molly describes them, ‘bad eggs’.

But Molly’s blissful unawareness of the dangers around her is shaken when she discovers the body of a wealthy hotel guest and, worse, finds herself in the position of suspect. Fortunately, she and her gran were devoted fans of Columbo and Molly has learned a thing or two about criminals and to never reveal everything she knows until she needs to. She also discovers she has friends, ones willing to come to her aid when she needs them the most.

The Maid is the debut mystery novel of Nita Prose and, wow, what a debut it is.The story is told in the first voice by Molly who is an absolutely enjoyable character from her old fashioned speech and manners to her naive belief in people - until they do her wrong that is. It’s the kind of book that grabs you from the first page and never let’s up until the big reveal at the end, one that I had completely not seen coming, the kind you need to set time aside for because, once started, it’s damn near impossible to put down. Definitely lives up to all the hype.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Thank you to NetGalley, Nita Prose and Penguin Random House Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This is worth all the hype I’ve been hearing about it! It takes a few chapters to get into the swing of the writing and Molly; but when you do, you’ll fall in love with Molly and how unique of a character she is! This reminded me a bit of an Agatha Christie novel, but with modern characters. The ending made me laugh a few times and the twist was amazing! ⠀

Oh darling Molly The Maid! This thriller was oddly... heartwarming? Molly is a quirky, hardworking hotel maid working in a luxury hotel. She has troubles reading social cues and gets easily taken advantage of by people around her. This leaves her in a MESSY situation when Molly finds one of the hotel guests dead in their hotel room... soon enough, model citizen Molly is being accused of murder.

Her trust in others and love for her dear Gran was adorable..but Molly can be a bit of an unreliable narrator herself sometimes. Sometimes she was completely naive, and sometimes very cunning.

This was a cozy light thriller - I enjoyed trying to unravel the plot through Molly's perspective, as her lack of attention to social cues made the story suspenseful. I liked how I had no idea when or where this story was occurring. I was a bit surprised about the end twist - without spoiling it - I found it a bit unnecessary and random?

Not sure if I LOVE the trope of socially awkward/potentially neurodivergent female getting deceived and taken advantage of by the people around her, however this was engaging story that kept me turning the pages. This book reminded me a lot of The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata with some mystery and thrill.

Thank you Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and the author for sending me this copy for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It felt like it had the traditional components of a cozy mystery yet mixed with the character, Molly the Maid, it felt fresh and unlike anything I’ve read before. Great debut by Nita Prose!

Molly is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, and she’s great at her job. When she discovers a dead body at the hotel, the way she perceives her coworkers and the world around her, is challenged. This story has mystery, heartwarming moments, quirky situations and may even cause you to laugh out loud.

I highly recommend adding this to your TBR list.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for allowing me to read this in advance!

Quirky and unique

I was putting off reading this book for some reason. But, once I started it, I was just amazed at the beautiful writing, the unique voice of our heroine, Molly, and her situation. I highly recommend this book. It seems a bit different, but you will love it as I did.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I was thoroughly enraptured by this book. The writing, the characters (the good and the bad), the magnificent hotel, it was all woven into perfection. The principal character, Molly, is pleasant and delightful; keeping things cleaned and organized is her happy place. She has the ability to evoked many emotions - emotionally moved when she was lonely and full of sorrow; elated when she found love. The description of the Regency Grand Hotel with all the Art Deco details fulfilled my love of architecture and design. I felt the plushness of the thick red hotel carpeting, and I swear I felt the warmth of the worn parquet flooring at Molly’s apartment. Honestly, with all the designs descriptions combined with Molly’s classic mannerisms and polite conversations I thought this book was placed in the 20’s – it wasn’t until she mentions Netflix that I was shocked to find it takes place in the present!

But first and foremost, this novel is a murder mystery. And boy, it kept me going. I finished this book at 2am, and was up by 630am for work…but it was so worth it!
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Molly, although very sweet, lacks social skill and cannot read social cues. Orphaned as a child, she moved in with her Gran who lovingly helped her to communicate in a polite and courteous manner. But Gran recently passed away, and now Molly lives alone in the old, but well-kept apartment. Heavy with sadness and loneliness she kept going with her obsessive and orderly life. The Regency Grand Hotel was her dream job, and she learned to make hospitable small-talk with the hotel guests, even getting to know the friendly wife of one of the hotel’s biggest guests, Mrs. Black (even if her husband, Mr. Black, was an angry, impatient jerk).
But on one unfortunate day Molly shows up to clean the Blacks’ room, and finds the awful Mr. Black dead! Not only that, sweet Molly is now being questioned for his murder. Now it's up to Molly to figure who her real friends are, and who the real murderer is.

A great book and a perfect cozy mystery. Molly will be one of those well-rounded amazing characters that stay with me for years to come.

The Maid by Nita Prose is a wonderful read! And her debut novel too!
25 yr old Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette make her a perfect fit for the job. Her job is her world and more so now that her beloved Gran died a few months ago.
Upon discovering a dead body in one of her assigned rooms Molly quickly becomes involved in a murder investigation.
Molly Gray is one of my all-time favourite characters and this debut novel is witty, charming, unique and heart-warming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked Molly as a character and how easy it was to understand her point of view and how she experienced the world. What I didn't like or agree with was how quickly or smoothly things happened after she was released on bail. I would have liked it to be fleshed out more.

This was a fun little mystery ride. Easy to read and quite kick. I liked the language here, and I sympathized with the character the whole way. I found Prose was able to deliver on the dramatic irony of the story. I was a bit disappointed with the ending because I couldn't follow why Molly made the choices she did, but this might have just been my lack of understanding. Still, I thought the book was a good read.

Wow, wow, wow! Molly the maid is the most amazing character! She takes absolutely everything literally, She doesn’t react to situations in a way that is considered “normal” (I relate her personality to that of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory). She lives a life of routine and anything outside of this is unacceptable. But is she capable of murder??? This book is fast paced….I flew through the pages, eager to find out the truth. I was sure I had it all figured out and then, boom! What an ending! Humourous, quirky, emotional….this story has it all. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a story and a lead character that will stick with me for a long time!

For fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and whodunnit murder mysteries, The Maid is the perfect thrilling, humorous and entertaining novel.
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​Molly is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly is sometimes has trouble reading social cues and knowing who to trust, especially after her Gran died. One day when cleaning the suite, she finds the dead body of Mr. Black, one of the wealthiest and famous guests at the hotel. To her surprise, Molly’s unique personality is misread, making her a prime suspect in his murder. With the help of some friends, can Molly clear her name and find the real culprit?
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​I read this book in one day! I could not put it down and I can already see why this is being made into a movie. Molly is a lovable character and you find yourself rooting for her in the novel and wanting to protect her from the people taking advantage of her kindness. No doubt this is one of the most anticipated reads of 2022 and a great read to start off the year with.

Molly is different, weird, struggles with social cues and misinterprets meanings. She is also very sad and lonely. Molly loves her job as a maid and does all that she can to clean “to perfection” and to follow the instructions laid out by not only her boss, Mr Snow, but also the many homey bits of guidance given by her beloved but now deceased”Gran”. Her kind and dutiful heart responds to those she perceives are in need which leads to her unwittingly becoming the centre of a criminal investigation. I found the first part of the book very uncomfortable and upsetting because of the way other characters treated Molly and the resulting circumstances she found herself in, however, the second half brought redemption! Those who saw her for who she truly was, stepped forward to help her and I was hooked. An interesting look at how cruel we can be to those who don’t fit in and how important and compelling a “different” perspective can be.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this ARC