I loved the first book in this series and I absolutely loved this second book as well!! I was so happy to read and to see this book! Could not get enough of Molly and her murder adventures. This was a 5 star read for me and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
I just reviewed The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. #TheMysteryGuest #NetGalley
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Thank you, @netgalley for the ARC of this book. I forgot how quirky the protagonist, Molly, is with her simple ways and her posh vocabulary. I think the original book was better, and this sequel seems almost like a Nancy Drew mystery with amateur sleuths working their way through the crime. I did like the sweet ending (no spoilers here).

The Mystery Guest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Nita Prose

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J.D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead— very dead —on the hotel’s tea room floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to who killed J.D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past—because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery post-haste. If there's one thing Molly knows for sure, it's that dirty secrets don't stay buried forever...

My Thoughts: I adored the first book in the series. This is the second book in the Molly the Maid series. I was so excited when I heard this book was releasing and knew it would be an auto-buy for me as I was so invested in the first book. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone, the author does a great job with filling in from the first book. However, you will get a deeper character enrichment and character connections by reading both in order. Molly was born to be a maid, and while that may seem as a put down, it really is not. She has always been a cleaning person. Her motto, “restoring the rooms to a state of perfection” is instilled in all of the maids. She has been promoted to head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel when author, J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead on the hotel’s tea room floor. Grimthorpe was there to make a special announcement. There are so many potential suspects this time around, the new maid-in-training, Lily, or the author’s secretary, Serena, or could it be the wonderful Mr. Preston, the hotel’s doorman?

The story is narrated by our friend, Molly, in a first person POV. We get flashbacks of her time with Gran that fills in the backstory for this novel’s plot. The flashbacks are sprinkled in throughout the novel and focus on when Gran was cleaning this huge mansion, which happens to belong to the Author Grimthorpe. Molly is such an eccentric person, fiercely independent, fulfilled in her new role as head maid, is kind, and compassionate. Her love, Juan, makes a few appearances but is visiting his family for the majority of the book. Mr. Preston has some appearances in the book. Our new character Lily, is a maid-in-training. We also have the murdered J.D. Grimthorpe and his secretary, Serena. Then we have a good amount of flashbacks with Gran. We also have the LAMBS (Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Books Society Members), who tend to mush the waters. Lastly, Detective Stark from the first book is also the detective for this murder. The characters were well developed with depth, were mysterious, intriguing, and blended well together. I really enjoyed seeing the flashbacks with Molly and Gran, and their special relationship really fleshed out, you can truly understand how the experience shape Molly into who she is today. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, suspenseful, twisty, and absolutely kept me invested from the first word to the last word. The characters are continued to be built up, new characters were added, the plot is delivered in twisty layers, and the ending blew me away with another twist right there are the end.

This is a compelling, gripping, captivating psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat figuring out the ultimate plot. Some will plot this book at a cozy mystery, and while I can see that, I still think it could qualify as a psychological thriller with a whodunit aspect. I adore Prose’s writing and will buy future books that she publishes. I highly recommend both this one and the first story.

I absolutely loved 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗗 so I was super excited for 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 and it didn’t disappoint! It was fun to catch up with Molly the Maid as she found herself caught up in a new mess when a famous mystery author turns up dead at an event at The Regency Grand. In addition to the present timeline, where Molly works to uncover the mystery of who is responsible for the death of J.D. Grimthorpe, we also learn more about Molly’s character and her relationship with her Gran in a past timeline that takes place during Molly’s childhood. Overall, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 was a fun, engaging continuation of the Molly the Maid series.

I'm so happy to reunite with one of my favorite characters, Molly, the maid!

Molly's hit the jackpot! She's now the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel—a real feather in her cap and a source of pride for her dear old grandma!

Things are bubbling at the hotel with an extravagant event lined up at their swanky new tea room. The staff's practically dancing with excitement! But wait for it... the party takes a nosedive when J.D. Grimthorpe, the famous author, keels over during his speech!

And guess who's back in action? Yep, it's Molly, teaming up with Detective Stark to crack another case. Maybe this time, our skeptical detective will finally warm up to Molly's unique talents!

Molly's story loops back to her childhood with her grandma, revealing how she unearthed her true calling—being a top-notch maid!

This mystery is a real treat, promising grins and giggles all the way through! Even though it's book two, it's totally cool to dive right in. Although, starting from the beginning means soaking up all the wonderfulness of Miss Molly's world!

So, grab a cup of tea and cozy in with this 5-star read. You won't regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I felt that Molly the Maid hit her stride with the second book and was true to her character. I liked that her backstory was tied in and actually helped with explaining the present. I really liked that there was more imagination and actual demonstration of Molly's mannerisms as opposed to just descriptions as in the first one. I would really like to see what this author does with this character next. I like that she is developing a voice. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

4.5 stars rounded up
I was one of those people who loved The Maid. I know some people didn't understand the hype, but I did. When I daw there was going to be a follow up book, The Mystery Guest, I was excited.

Molly is back, with all her spunk, as the head Maid at the Grand Regency Hotel. A prominent mystery author, J.D Grimpthorhe dies on the tea room floor just as he about to give some news. Who else gets assigned to the case than none other then Detective Stark. Third book reads like a good game of clue as Molly learns about herself and her friendships along the way, as well.
I loved this quote from the book that I'll leave you with, "it doesn't matter if you understand another person's pain because their injury is real nonetheless."

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is a "Maid" novel, and I feel about it like I felt about "The Maid". Good not great thriller-type.

I LOVED this book! I loved how Molly was portrayed and accepted in this book more so than book one. I love that this mystery is tied to Molly’s past and helps us learn and love Molly even more. This is the second book but you don’t need to read the first one to love this one. But, I highly recommend both!

The Mystery Guest was a perfect read. Molly, the maid is one of my favorite characters that I will always coming back to as long as Nita Prose writes her. I hope she never stops!

The perfect blend of entertaining, mysterious and witty!

Ooh how I LOVE these books! The storytelling is the best and I loved getting to know more about Molly and Gran prior to her job at the hotel!

This was a cute, light read!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of the second in a delightful series! In book two we find Molly back to cleaning the Regency but as the head maid. That is until a famous author is found dead in the hotel and Molly is one of the suspects as she knew JD as a child. Her grandmother cleaned for him. So she must take on the case and solve the murder before Detective Stark tries to pin her for it.

Molly Gray is back and what a pleasant surprise to get another story about our favorite maid at the five-star Grand Regency Hotel. You all remember Molly, the meticulous cleaning aficionado, who has reached a new highpoint in her career as maid .. she is now known as Molly, Head Maid. Today is special, you see the acclaimed but reclusive mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe is about to make a big public announcement in the tearoom at the Grand Hotel. Fifty-five VIP guests, including the LAMBS (Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Book Society members) have gathered in the hotel for this “big” announcement. But just as J.D. Grimthorpe is about to make his announcement ….. he topples over and drops dead …. in the tearoom … in front of the VIP guest.

To make matters worse Molly’s old adversary Detective Stark is back and she is ready to pin this murder on Molly. As more and more questions arise so does the list of suspicious characters. Could the murder be Molly’s new Maid-in-Training, Lilly, or maybe one of the LAMBS? What about Mr. Preston, the Grand Regency Hotel much loved doorman? And let’s not rule out Angela, head barmaid at the Social or even Grimthorpe’s secretary, Serena! Even with all this chaos happening at the Hotel, Molly realizes that although she is not the murder, she does hold the key as to who the murder is. You see as young child she accompanied her Gran to the Grimthorpe mansion – she starts remembering some strange things at the mansion.

I questioned whether Nita Prose could provide a charming follow-up to her debut novel The Maid and that she did with the The Mystery Guest. I loved Molly’s character in the first book and she was just as delightful and enchanting in this sequel. It was a fun read with lots of quirky characters with some crafty twist and turns, giving you that “cozy mystery” feel with a lovely surprise at the end.

Another great book that follows our friend Molly as she tries to solve yet another murder that happens at The Regency Grand Hotel.

Molly and her co-workers are stunned when a very famous author, J.D. Grimthorpe, quite literally drops dead right before making a very big announcement!

This book goes back and forth between the present and the past when Molly was a child. I really enjoyed the chapter from her past as they helped us see how Molly's gran raised her and dealt with the issues Molly faced.

The little twist at the end put a big smile on my face!

I really enjoyed this book, but the first book is still my favorite! I hope we get to hear more from Molly in the future!

Molly the maid strikes again! I just love Nita Prose’s writing style. I love how quickly Molly is and I hope there are many Molly the maid stories to come! These are the perfect light mystery books. Nothing too heavy and definitely nothing to be scared of with these. Highly recommend!

3.5/5

I was thrilled to receive an e-ARC of The Mystery Guest, the follow up to NIta Prose's popular mystery novel, The Maid. I greatly enjoyed The Maid, and I was excited to see where Molly's story would go next. There were a lot of aspects of this sequel that were truly enjoyable, but overall the story fell a little flat for me.

What I enjoyed:
- Even though I expected this book to be a sequel to The Mystery Guest, it was more like 50% sequel and 50% prequel. The alternating chapters showed present day Molly (after the events of the first story) and young Molly growing up with her grandmother. I really loved the flashback chapters. They helped provide some extra character development for Molly, and I was so happy to read more interactions between Molly and her grandmother.
- The book was an easy read. It moves at a quick pace that I appreciated, and I never felt bored reading it.

What didn't quite work for me:
- The "present day" plot was a little thin. It felt more silly/absurd than the plot of the first book, which had more of a classic mystery arc.
- There were too many red herrings for me and not enough genuine detective work. (Also Detective Stark is a ridiculous character.) When the final reveal came, it felt anticlimactic because the foundations weren't really there.

I still enjoy Nita Prose's writing style, and I would happily read more books by her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my advanced copy!

Synopsis
In "The Mystery Guest" by Nita Prose, Molly Gray, Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel and all around “good egg,” finds herself entangled in a murder mystery when renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe is found dead on the hotel's tea room floor. As Detective Stark investigates the case, Molly realizes that she holds the key to unraveling the truth. With suspects aplenty and her own innocence in question, Molly must dig deep into her past to uncover the killer's identity.

My Overall Thoughts
Is in the first book in this series, “The Maid,” I was again captivated by the protagonist, Molly. Even as contemporary literature gets more inclusive, this is still a very under-represented minority that I would love to see more of. Molly's kindness and determination make her a truly endearing character. Who would want more characters like Molly? I also love the recurring theme of good always triumphing over evil in the “Molly the Maid” series.

What I Didn't Love
I wanted more Juan Manual. He spends most of this novel visiting his family in Mexico so the novel is missing a lot of his genuine goodness. His absence left a void in the story. Additionally, the mystery itself took a back seat to the character development, resulting in a somewhat thin plot. Don’t get me wrong. As a reader, I need great characters much more than an intricate plot, but this novel didn’t seem to keep any sort of balance between the two.

What I Loved
Molly's delightful personality shines throughout the novel. I find it refreshing to read about a protagonist with special needs, especially one as kind-hearted as Molly. She is just as wonderful as she was in the first novel in this series, “The Maid.” Molly is the head maid now at the Regency Grand Hotel after a much-deserved promotion. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the quirky fan club of J.D. Grimthorpe, the LAMBS, who provided moments of humor and entertainment with their antics and internal power struggles.

I Would Recommend This Book To
mystery fans and anyone who would enjoy seeing special needs characters in prominent roles

The repetition got a bit maddening very quickly! Once or twice is fine for Gran's rhymes but it was so many more times than that. Ugh. There's just not enough for me to love about these books but I did come back for the sequel. I missed Juan Manuel. The mystery was fine, maybe a little better than in the first one actually. I did call at the end of the first book that [Mr. Preston was her grandfather. I win! lol

I loved this book so much. It might even be better than the first! I want a whole series of Molly the Maid.

I didn’t expect this to be as good as the first. The first book is still better but this one is close behind. This is still following the maid named Molly. This has a lot more background into her life. I was entertained and shocked at some of the reveals. Good mystery because some of it I didn’t see coming.