Nita Prose does it again!! 👏🏻

I loved the first book so I was super excited for The Mystery Guest!! Molly is such an endearing character and I love how literal she is. She just makes me so happy!

Molly, now Head Maid, and her maid in training Lily are getting prepared for an exclusive gathering for the mystery writer JD Grimthorpe. They are responsible for serving him his tea. He promised a major announcement, but before he could get the words out, he dropped dead right in front of hotel staff, his secretary, and a group of ladies called the LAMBS (Ladies Auxillary Mystery Book Society).

With yet another suspicious death within the hotel, Detective Stark is back and I remembered why I didn’t like her in the first book (but y’all, she totally redeems herself in The Mystery Guest!!) Stark immediately suspects many different people— Lily, Serena, and even Mr. Preston was under scrutiny! When she learns that Molly spent time in the Grimthorpe Mansion as a child with her Gran, Molly was also suspected. This time, she isn’t nervous and she takes the investigating into her own hands! No stone will be left unturned while Molly gets to the bottom of this mystery, just as she keeps every room in a state of perfection!

Oh— and Cheryl is still terrible. That is all I have to say about her 🙄

I loved the past and present timelines. It was so fun getting a peek into Molly’s childhood and how it all connected with the events of her adult life! Molly had so much growth from the first book to now and it was so nice getting to see that change in her as she investigated and gained more and more confidence.

Also, that heartwarming conclusion was not what I was expecting and it made the entire book for me! Get your tissues ready!

Overall, this was everything I needed in a book! The mystery, the coziness, and the heartwarming ending. It was just pure perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Nita Prose!!

I loved The Maid so I was so excited to see it became a series! I absolutely love cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint. I really connected with the characters and I found it to be a super fast read. If we get a third in the series, I'll definitely pick it up!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Another great story featuring Molly the Maid and her quirky sayings! I loved the first book and this one is just as good! I can't wait to read more from this author and hopefully read a third book featuring Molly! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the same vein as its predecessor book, The Maid, The Mystery Guest delivers on charming atmosphere, sweet characters, and a satisfying resolution. Lovers of Molly will appreciate that this book digs further into her backstory. The intrigue in this book is of a different type than the first book, but it was a fun read nonetheless!

This fun sequel to last year's The Maid finds our favorite hotel maid Molly once again investigating a suspicious death at the hotel where she works. This book is set 4 years after The Maid, and Molly is in a much better place in her life - but then a famous author drops dead at a book event at the hotel. And since it turns out Molly knew him as a child when her Gran worked at his house, the present day story is also interspersed with flashbacks to Molly's childhood.

I have to say, I enjoyed this one even more than The Maid. I enjoyed the story in The Maid, I just had a few issues with how Molly was portrayed and how horribly she was treated by the other characters in that one. This time, I didn't feel those same issues, and was just able to enjoy both the mystery and Molly's extremely quirky way of looking at the world and her rhyming phrases. I definitely would not read this without reading The Maid first, but if you enjoyed that one I'm sure you'll enjoy this one too.

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