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.

Yay! Done again! I loved the first and am blown away again. Such a cheeky book., slightly different but I really enjoyed reading it

If you enjoyed book 1, you will love this sequel! Our favorite maid is back and Molly has stepped into her own. I think having read the first one helped give me much more of a sense of who she is, and a deeper understanding of the tension between Molly and the detective. It was great to see her own more of the detective work with a lot more self awareness than book 1, and get more background on her grandmother.

I think I've actually read a sequel that might be better than the original. Without giving away too much, Molly the maid finally gets some vindication! Another who done it, with Molly's unique personality makes this a fun read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

What can I say about our “Dear Girl” Molly the Maid?!
In order to really enjoy this series you have to be a patient reader. I’ve come to enjoy our Girl Molly, her “slow” to catch on to the obvious drives me insane but in the best of ways! This book in particular was like being enthralled into a real life game of CLUE! I love how Molly took the other young quiet “maid” under her wing to guide and mentor her. I also appreciated the slight growth in Molly’s character, as she is in a leadership role now at the hotel and is leading a relatively normal life. The huge twist for me, was Serena’s backstory and existence! I knew that Mr.Preston was her Grandfather, I could smell that a mile away!
I also enjoyed the witty banter between the various characters as the story continued to play out. Molly’s mom broke my heart tho! Gosh, that little scene when she came over and Molly quizzed her ever so strategically before letting her in. The irony that most of Molly’s proudest little moments always ended up being detrimental to those around her.
Lastly, cheers to Grand! For doing her very best with our dear girl Molly! #netgally #themysteryguest

i still love molly! she makes me laugh and smile. she’s head maid now! i love her personality and how much she allowed herself to be true to who she is. i enjoyed the dual timeline. learning more about molly’s past was nice! everything came together pretty well. it did kinda semi feel like the same plot to me at some points which is why i rated it a 4!

Compared to the first one in the series, this book jumped right into the plot and hooked me in. The Maid walked, so The Mystery Guest could run. Not only did I read the ecopy version, but was fortunate enough to receive the eaudio as well. Paired together, it was a match made in heaven. I absolutely love the character development of Molly and her supporting characters too. I am not too found of strict detective mysteries but I loved how Nita created the storyline that allowed more thrills and turns rather than the same mold. This is a series I will continue to keep an eye out for with every new release.

Another fun Molly the Maid mystery!! I just adore her character so much! Sequels are always hard to live up to and this was just as wonderful as the first. I was not expecting who the murderer was, it kept me guessing often. I really enjoyed the past and present timelines, it was nice to have her Gran part of the story after her passing in the first.
I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy - I was thrilled to get my hands on this!

I wasn't sure if Molly could be as entertaining as she was in The Maid. Guess what? She is and maybe even more entertaining. I love the way her mind works and I really didn't know who the murderer was until it was revealed.
Looking forward to more books about Molly!

This is everything I hoped it would be. Sequels to beloved books can be so hit or miss, but this book really hit for me. The actual mystery was compelling and interesting and didn't just feel like the first book all over again. This book and mystery storyline can really stand on its own, which is something I always want in a mystery sequel. The flashback scenes really brought a lot to the story too. Not only did we get to see more of Gran, but we really got to understand Molly so much. Nita Prose really makes me care about each of these characters. I will certainly read more of this series of she continues!

Another sweet read about Molly the maid. Molly find another opportunity to use her skills to solve a mystery at the Regency Glen hotel using her same inadvertent observations skills. If you liked the first one, you will like the second.

Molly the maid is endearing and sweet. If you liked the first book, this second one stays true to Molly’s voice and the scenery of the Regency Grand hotel.
I love the classic who done it vibes of these books, and the clue-like way the mystery is revealed and solved.
Nita Prose has such a beautiful way of describing everything from location to characters, and she creates such a charming space for her readers to enjoy.
I have a feeling this won’t be the end for Molly the Maid and I’m curious to see what she does next.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

From my blog: Always With a Book

I was thrilled to find out Molly the Maid was back! I loved The Maid and this second book easily became a much anticipated read…and I’m so happy to say it totally lived up to all my expectations and then some.

Being back in Molly’s world is just such a treat. She is still working at the Regency Grand Hotel, so there are familiar faces if you have read the previous book, which I highly recommend as it was a favorite of mine! And if you haven’t, definitely pick it up after reading this one. Once again, a murder has happened, this time a high-profile one that threatens the hotel’s reputation and Molly just happens to know how the victim is and might have the key to figuring it all out.

I loved how this time around, not only do we have another locked-room mystery, but we have a dual timeline that allows us to get a glimpse into Molly’s past. We learn so much about her as a child, seeing her with her beloved Gram. This relationship is just so special and I love that even though Gran is no longer here, we see she is still such a large part of Molly’s life.

The mystery really kept me guessing all the way through, with red herrings a plenty and I couldn’t have loved it more. And Molly’s inner voice as she worked things out was just pure joy.

This is such a quick, fun read and I cannot recommend it enough. I do hope we haven’t seen the last of Molly…especially with that last twist at the end!

I absolutely loved the first book in this series that I did not know was a series lol and this book was another winner for me! It was really just your run of the mill mystery, but the writing and the character development makes it a very enjoyable read. It was really nice to see Molly grow into herself and to see her relationship with her boyfriend. I hope there will be many more books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Another simple but enjoyable mystery from Nita Prose. I really do love the character of Molly Gray and it was intriguing to find out more about her childhood. I love the idea of a secret office hidden behind a bookcase and will be petitioning my husband! As always it’s great to see more diversity in lead characters and it be a strength rather than weakness. Lighthearted and easy to read.

MILLE IS BACK.
YOU CAN LOVE HER, HATE HER BUT YOU CANNOT IGNORE HER.
This sequel was equally enjoyable and we see a more refined version of Millie though she continues to be a bit eccentric.
Thank you publishers and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.