Did not like this nearly as much as The Maid. Felt like a sequel to write a sequel. Was not nearly as fun or as clever.

Thank you to NetGalley + Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Molly the Maid is back and once again finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. When a critically acclaimed mystery author drops dead on the tea room floor at the Regency Grand Hotel, it's up to Molly to uncover the true nature of his death — and who is guilty of murder.

I liked this story, though I definitely enjoyed the first installment of this series more. I know it was necessary for the plot, but I'm not the biggest fan of going back and forth between tenses every chapter and it tends to leave me feeling like I'm reading two different stories.

I also thought the 'twist' at the end with the doorman was mediocre at best. It was pretty obvious if you've read the first book that he and Molly's grandmother were an item, so it only makes sense that his desire to protect her and be close to her comes from having a deeper connection than just coworkers.

Overall, I did enjoy getting to solve another murder with Molly and I appreciate the thought and care that goes into writing a character who is clearly, at least to me, neurodivergent. I think as a society, we're quick to judge those who don't appear 'normal' and I like the way that Molly's circle of people interact with her. They never make her feel less than, and even the detective softens and sees the value in who she is — exactly as she is. It's proof that while we may all be different, we are the same at our core and our differences should be celebrated, not mocked.

I enjoyed Nita Prose's The Maid, but I liked The Mystery Guest even more! Molly Gray is a quirky, vibrant and delightful character who reminds me both of Becky Bloomwood in Kinsella's Shopaholic series and Amelia Bedelia in her namesake book by Peggy Parish. In The Mystery Guest, the character of Molly's late grandmother, who plays a role in the story through Molly's memories, shines in her ability to see the "sparkle beneath the patina" in Molly and in her ability to raise a child who experiences the world in a different way; I saw my own experiences in raising my son Aidan, who has Down syndrome and autism, in Molly's grandmother. The Mystery Guest also resonated with me both as a teacher and as a bibliophile; fellow book lovers will enjoy sharing in Molly's joy in reveling in an unusually private library and teachers will delight with Molly's revelation that an education does not need to take place in a classroom. I would recommend The Mystery Guest to readers looking for an up-beat storyline, to fellow bibliophiles, to special needs advocates, and to readers who enjoy the Shopaholic series and Amelia Bedelia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a copy of The Mystery Guest for review purposes.

I love Molly the maid and this was an amazing sequel! It was so fun to read and I loved the mystery along with the reflections to her childhood

I love, love, love Molly the Maid! I was so thrilled to receive this advanced copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, the follow up to her exquisitely wonderful The Maid. I was delighted that the entire cast of characters at the Regency Grand Hotel returned for another fun mystery. These stories are mysteries and whodunits and filled with heart and friendship. Also... cleaning! As someone who loves to clean, the main character just clicks for me. I love her and I loved this book. I hope Molly returns for many more capers at the Regency Grand. Five stars!

I really enjoyed The Maid and was excited to see that Nita Prose published a sequel bringing Molly back! I loved this whodunit as much as the first! I wonder if there will be any more down the road!

When I read The Maid I thought I couldn't enjoy the main character more than I did, but I was wrong. I really enjoyed Molly's lovable and unique personality/traits and I feel like they showed even more in this book. It's not normal that the second book is as good as the first but I truly felt this was just as good. If you're looking for a good mystery that will also make you smile you have to check out this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Sadly, I was disappointed by the second book about Molly the maid. While I enjoyed getting more information about her childhood and upbringing with her grandmother, I found the story dragged and the mystery took too long to get solved. The novelty had worn off.

Miss Molly is back, baby, and she has been the HBIC at the 5 star "Regency Grand Hotel" for 3 1/2 years. To no one's surprise, (Molly has the worst luck!) one of the hotel's guest (a VIP!) drops dead on the tea-room floor! This is a problem, as you can see, but wait, there's more! This is made even worse because it just happens to be the same day when the award-winning author, J D Grimthorpe, is scheduled to make an announcement in the now "room-of-death.." But wait, there's STILL more! The person who ended up taking an unexpected dirt nap was Mr. Grimthorpe himself! Annnnnnnd........Detective Stark begins to investigates. Good Golly Miss Molly!

Like with Nita's first book, this one was extremely well-written, has lots of snarky dialogue that will keep you laughing (which helps when some parts of the book simply break your heart). There are lots of FANTASTIC twists in this book (just like in the first one) and this was just such an incredibly fun read. I actually liked this one better than book #1 which I didn't think would be the case because the bar was set very high with the first one. Nothing beats a good cozy mystery as we head towards Christmas, and Molly is my whole heart.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to let me spend more time with Molly. I can't get enough of this angel. This was a SUPER EASY 5 star rating. I need more Molly. And I need more of her now!

I've already asked for this book for Christmas for my personal home library and will be recommending it to my friends and I will be buying it for my sister for Christmas as I already know she is going to eat this book up because she loved the first one just like me.

FANTASTIC book, Nita. You hit another one out of the park with this one, and have created one of my favorite characters of the last decade. Aaahhh!! <3

I enjoyed the Maid and enjoyed this book as well. I enjoyed the story and also appreciated the fact that you didn’t have to read the first book to understand this one. I thought it was a decent story, and enjoyed the twists as well. I look forward to reading more involving these characters

Oh, how I missed Molly the Maid.


Book two is an awesome whodunnit, in the same hotel, and with some of the same characters. We learn more about Molly’s past, and I loved all the chapters featuring her grandma. I looove her so much I just wanted to hug her!


It’s very similar to book one in the sense that we have a murder, we want to know who did it, and we suspect everyone.


It’s fun, it’s quick, and Molly is amazing!


3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I think if you liked the first in the series you would definitely enjoy this one as well, but it also isn't necessary to read the first book in order to enjoy it. I love Molly as a character and enjoy reading about the situations she finds herself in. There's nothing groundbreaking about the mysteries but Molly as a character is just so unique and interesting to read about, so would highly recommend this series overall!

"It's always the maid."

When a famous mystery author drops dead just before making a highly anticipated announcement in the middle of her hotel, Molly the maid knows that suspicion will fall on her and her workers, especially since she knows more about the famous author J.D. Grimthorpe than she would care to confess. As Molly works to figure out who killed this man in the middle of her hotel with the help of her true-crime loving best friend Angela, her new sidekick Lily, and the kindly Mr. Preston, Molly's past must come to light.

However, while it may or may not be the maid who committed the murder in this delightful little mystery, it is most certainly the maid who steals the show. Molly the maid is BACK in the second installment of the maid series, and she is even more endearing than ever. In this mystery, Molly must face a foe from her past in this famous mystery author whom she knows from her childhood. When he dies in the middle of her workplace and suspicion lands on her and her maids, she tries to figure out who really did it, but to do this, she has to look back at her childhood with her beloved gran. This book flashes back and forth between the present day and Molly as a little girl, unveiling how Molly came to be who she is today. The flashbacks are frequent and can be a little abrupt, but they do provide a clear picture of Molly's backstory that also help to frame and explain the mystery. They also tell more about Molly's family store, especially her close relationship with her gran.

What I loved most about this novel was Molly. She is an exceptional character. She has her flaws, particularly her struggles with social cues, but her tenacity, positivity, and moral courage shine even brighter. She is funny, sometimes without meaning to be, and accompanied by her friends, including Lily, Angela, Juan, Mr. Preston, Mr. Snow, and now Detective Stark, the mystery is both heart-felt and humorous. The character development in this book was great as well, showing a deeper side to Molly and developing some of the side characters as well.

The let-down of this book was the mystery itself. While I loved that Grimthorpe was a part of Molly's past, and thus this helped her solve the mystery, I found the mystery a little simplistic and easy to figure out. The twists were a little predictable, and I think the novel could have been strengthened by a better mystery. A strong mystery would have brought my rating up to 5 stars. However, I love Molly enough that it was still a fun read and I look forward to the next book!

4.25/5

I absolutely loved The Maid by Prose so I was super excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley. The novel opens up back at the Regency Grand Hotel where Molly is now head maid. She finds herself in charge of a tea being held in honor of the esteemed author J. D. Grimthorpe. However things do not go as planned when the author drops dead right before a huge announcement he was about to make. Detective Stark arrives back on the scene investigating the suspicious death. This time, however, she gladly accepts Molly’s help in solving the crime. This was a fun, light mystery novel. I love all the assorted characters in Molly’s world and look forward to more capers to come!

I loved the first one and I think I like this one even more! Nita Prose is back with a second Molly the Maid book and I was so excited to hear that announcement! I read through this so quickly. The scenes are the same- we revisit Molly at the Regency Grand, she lives at her same apartment. We are introduced to a couple of new characters among the cast of familiars.

I admit I found Molly a little bit irritating at parts when I read The Main, but her quirks grew on my and she felt more developed as a character in The Mystery Guest. I liked the discussion of how people handle her vs how she can handle herself. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will definitely pick up anything else Nita Prose writes

Nita Prose’s first novel, The Maid, was very enjoyable and I’ve been looking forward to The Mystery Guest. It’s the second book in The Maid series which features Molly Gray and her cohorts and colleagues at the Regency Grand Hotel.

I must say, this second book didn’t disappoint. Once again Molly finds herself unwillingly involved in a murder that occurs in her hotel. And, once again, Molly finds herself at odds with Detective Stark who is suspicious of Molly and her motives. Ms Prose’s writing is crisp, the dialogue very well presented, and the characters are all interesting and varied. The book is a fast read but I found myself lingering on some of the pages so that I could make it last longer. Once again, I was drawn into Molly’s world and I enjoyed every minute of it! NetGalley provided an advance copy

Molly the maid made a really great impression on me in the first book and in this follow up, she made an even bigger impression. Quite simply, she is one of those iconic characters that you cannot forget. I love her and I love her stories.

In this installment, the hotel is swarming with author J.D. Grimthorpe fans. He is about to make a huge announcement, that is until he falls over and dies before making said announcement. The hotel is running amass, why would someone murderer this man and how? Once again, Molly is at the threshold for helping the investigation get along.

This book was SO good and lived up to its hype. Yesterday alone, working at the library, I checked out two new copies and it was awesome talking to fellow fans. It had its funny parts but, it also had a really great story. Molly seems to be realizing she IS smart and she does have more skills than people give her credit for. I LOVED it and for that reason, I’m giving it 5 stars. It was genius and was an enjoyable read.

I love a neurodivergent protagonist and Molly the Maid is one of my all time favorites! She’s the pure hearted sleuth that we’re all rooting for. This cozy mystery takes us back to the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel where Molly Gray finds herself in the middle of another untoward incident. Her unique history with the victim combined with her keen eye for nearly imperceptible details makes her an invaluable key to unlocking the case. The Mystery Guest is a character driven mystery full of suspense and depth. I couldn’t put it down! Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Molly, the maid. And I am a fan of Nita Prose.

First Sentence: My gran once told me a story about a maid, a rat, and a spoon.

Synopsis: Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection. But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

A new mess, a new mystery and Molly Gray is ready to uncover if it was murder or illness that killed the mystery guest. I love how Molly's mind works and how she values family, and friends. I also love how she takes pride in her job as a maid and how she wants others to strive for excellence in cleaning. She may be on the spectrum, but she shows all of us that does not mean she’s incapable of excellence.

This book opens the door into Molly’s past, devulging details about her mother and why she grew up with her nan. There were some good twists and a whopper of a surprise that made me hope for a book three. I don’t often read the cozy mystery genre, but Prose has sucked me in with the wonderful Molly Gray.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for sharing another brilliant story from Nita Prose.

Molly Gray is now the head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. It’s been years since she was accused of murder of a guest, and she has kept her head down and worked hard, and now she is the head maid. She’s very proud of that, as all she’d ever wanted was to be a maid. Her Gran was a maid, and she had taught Molly everything she knew. Molly was an excellent cleaner and a compassionate boss, because of her Gran.

It’s a big day at the Regency Grand. Reclusive mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe has planned a rare appearance, to make an announcement. Molly has been tasked with preparing the room, making sure that every single thing in the room is in place for the big event. She has done this with the help of her new maid-in-training Lily. Lily is quiet but hard working, so Molly has her help prepare the tea for Mr. Grimthorpe before his big announcement. And just as he was about to tell the fans and the press his announcement, he took a drink of tea and then keeled over.

After spending years polishing the tarnished reputation of the hotel, the Regency Grand is once again the place of a murder.

Since Lily was the one who gave Mr. Grimthorpe the poisoned tea, all eyes immediately look to her as a suspect. Molly disagrees, and she puts her superior observational skills to use to clear her name. But it’s not just her investigative skills she has to offer on this case. She also has her memory. Because when she was a kid, her Gran worked for the Grimthorpes as a maid. And briefly, Molly did too. As a child, she lacked the understanding of social cues. But as an adult, looking back over what had happened, Molly can see things much more clearly.

Maybe even clearly enough to figure out who killed J.D. Grimthorpe. And maybe even come up with a way to lay a trap for them.

The Mystery Guest is the second book in Nita Prose’s Molly the Maid series. Molly is clearly neurodivergent, from the way she thinks so literally to her traumatic childhood, being bullied by the other kids for her lack of social awareness. But it’s that same mind that can put the clues together and see what others miss, even the detective who once accused her of murder.

I love Molly and not only the way she thinks but the way she can explain the way she thinks. Those who are looking for a glimpse into the mental processes of someone who is neurodivergent will find Molly fascinating. And those looking for a twisty mystery can find happiness in this story as well. The Mystery Guest is smart, kind, and insightful, letting Molly and her superior reasoning skills take us from the mystery to the solution in record time. While some of the scenes from her childhood were heart-breaking, Molly emerges from this story even stronger and more special than I imagined. As a fellow oddball in this world, it made me feel at home to spend time with Molly and her Gran, and I can’t wait to see what she’s going to teach me in her next book.

Egalleys for The Mystery Guest were provided by Ballantine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.