“The maid is always to blame.”

4.5 stars, rounded upward.

Author Nita Prose introduced Molly the Maid to us in 2022. Now Molly is back. She’s the head maid now, and considerably more confident than when we first met her. Her boyfriend Juan Manuel has moved in with her, but he is conveniently out of town for most of this novel, and it’s just as well, because there’s another murder about to occur at The Regency Grand Hotel, and once more, Molly will be instrumental in identifying the killer.
My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for the review copy. This book will be available to the public November 28, 2023, so you can plan your gift lists accordingly.

The hotel is in high gear, planning for the big gathering that will introduce the large, new, lovely tearoom. Business has been down at TRG since the murder last year, and this special occasion should bring new life into the hotel. In fact, Molly has given up her vacation with Juan so that she can see to the set-up; everything must be cleaned, shined, and buffed to perfection. You see, famous author J.D. Grimthorpe has an important announcement to make, and he’s chosen the tearoom as the venue from which to do so.

The stage is set, and the fans arrive. Molly’s protégé, Lily, has arranged the tea cart perfectly. Grimthorpe takes the podium, and is presented with his tea. After doctoring it to his own tastes, he takes a sip and ascends the stage once more, but before he can get to the surprise announcement, he keels over dead, right on top of Lily!
Lily is terrified. She’s always been a quiet one, but now she is virtually mute. When the police come in to question her, Lily is nearly undone.


“Molly, I’m afraid.” Her eyes are round pools of trepidation.
“I know,” I say. “But why?”
“Because a famous man is dead. Because they always blame the maid. You of all people should know that.”
“You’re not in any trouble, Lily.”
“Bit soon to tell,” the detective replies.

With that, we’re off and running. The book is one hell of a page turner, and it’s over before I know it. There’s lots of spunky dialog that jumps off the page. I seldom regret putting away my book because I spend so much time reading each day, but for this one, I stayed up late.

My only quibble—a small one—is that a key part of the solution is a bit of a reach. But this is a fun story, and so I make a quick note and move on.

For those that enjoy a sparkling mystery interspersed with wry humor, this book is for you. Prose’s profound respect for the working class is icing on the teacake.

Highly recommended.

4.5 🌟stars!
Oh my! Oh my! Molly Gray the maid is back, with another dead body in the hotel! Another story to devour, a mystery to solve and more sleuthing with a heart to enjoy from Molly.
I expressed my appreciation for how Molly was package over all. Yet again, here’s another story that was just as equally interesting and captivating by no other than Molly the maid. This time around, Molly has the voice, the position, the allies that truly makes this book a very pleasant read!

Thank you Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing via Netgalley and PRH audio for all the advance copies to review. This book was fast, pleasant and a must read!

The Mystery Guest is a delightful return to the Regency Grand Hotel with Molly the Maid.

We get to see how Molly has matured since her first mystery, four years prior, and we lean more about her background and family history.

There are several new mysteries for Molly to unravel in this installment, and they were engaging and entertaining. I'm looking forward to more in the series!

The Mystery Guest is the follow up to The Maid and takes us back to the Hotel Grand to catch up with Molly and her quirky colleagues! I absolutely loved The Maid and was excited to see that it would be getting a sequel!

Molly is such an endearing character and I loved getting to know her better! The Mystery Guest features a dual timeline, alternating between the present and Molly’s childhood during a pivotal time in her life. Not only do we get to know Molly but Gran is featured heavily in this book. I love their relationship and all of Gran’s little sayings. Prose has a way of describing Gran’s struggle to raise Molly on her own that really tugs at your strings. Along with Molly and Gran, I enjoyed the returning cast of supporting characters as well as a few new faces!

The mystery in this novel was really interesting and tough to figure out. Looking back I see that there were some breadcrumbs but it was not at all obvious. The novel has a satisfying conclusion and will leave the reader dying to know what comes next for Molly!

I enjoyed The Mystery Guest even more than The Maid! Molly is a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed the development of her character in this book. I hope to see more of Molly and the staff of the Regency Grand Hotel!

I liked this sequel even better than the first! Molly is now the head maid at the Grand Regency hotel. Another mystery ensues, but as the story unfolds, so do secrets of Molly’s past and childhood. I loved the writing and it truly can be defined as a “cozy mystery”. It also mentions neurodivergent individuals and the stigma and struggles that Molly faced.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy (ARC). Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was fun! I loved getting back to Molly and her friends as she encounters another murder at the hotel! Of course, Molly is a prime suspect, but she is innocent and uses her perceptiveness and eye for details to figure out whodunnit. I enjoy seeing Molly surpass people's expectations of her and continually impress Detective Stark with her observations. I've been reading a lot of thriller/suspense lately, and it was so great to read a classic mystery. This one publishes on 11/28!

I was pleasantly surprised to see that The Maid had garnered a sequel, and was curious to find out what Molly was up to this time around. It turns out a lot of the same, and much of what was so fresh and exciting about the first book feels a little stale in this second installment. Molly is still a compelling central character, and it's wonderful to see her growth since the events of the preceding tale as well as more of her backstory, much of which is directly tied to this book's victim. I continue to enjoy the cast of supporting characters, and liked Molly taking new hire Lily under her wing to show her the ropes. However, the mystery felt all too familiar taking place at the hotel again with another maid as the prime suspect at first, and Gran's words of wisdom became very repetitive after a while. I also didn't care for how Juan Manuel was away visiting his relatives for the majority of the book; I would like to have seen what he contributed to the unfolding mystery and what he and Molly are like as a couple interacting in person instead of primarily through the phone. If the series spawns a third book, I hope that Prose shakes up her familiar formula to liven up the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC!

I really enjoyed The Maid and was so excited to see a second book in the series. Molly is such an endearing character and it was fun to hang out with her for another 300 pages. These are the perfect cozy mystery - a great whodunit, lots of laughs, and a lovely cast of characters. The dual-timeline kept things moving and added a lot to the story. I just want to give childhood Molly a big hug. She didn't deserve the hell of a time her school put her through!

Overall, a great read and perfect for fall, or really any time of year. I'm excited to read more in the series if it continues!

Molly the maid is one of my most beloved characters. For the people that grew up playing clue and reading mysteries like Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, and the Hardy Boys, this series is is amazing. It provokes the same who done it curiosity that has you turning the pages as quickly as you can. I adored the cast of diverse characters that brought this story to life. I found the ending to be so sweet and charming. Highly recommend this series.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is a delightful and suspenseful mystery that unfolds within the luxurious backdrop of the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly Gray, the Head Maid with an exceptional eye for detail, finds herself entangled in a murder investigation when renowned mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe meets an unexpected demise. As Detective Stark, Molly's old adversary, delves into the murder, the hotel's reputation hangs in the balance. The author expertly introduces a cast of intriguing characters, each with their motives and secrets. The narrative weaves through Molly's memories, adding layers to the plot and building suspense. Prose skillfully keeps readers guessing until the final reveal.

This book was everything I love in a mystery and more. If you liked The Maid, you’ll love this one.

This book follows Molly the Maid who finds herself in the middle of another murder at the Regency Grand Hotel. This time a famous author drops dead in the tea room!

There’s really nothing to say except this was such a fun read! It was short and sweet just like The Maid but still packed a punch.

I really like Molly as a main character and her growth from the last book is so evident in this one. I also loved seeing more of her gran and Molly as a child.

This was a quick read that you can probably devour in a few hours. I highly recommend and hope you get your hands on it on publishing day!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC! This book comes out November 28th.

I loved this second book. It was just as good as the first. Same lovable characters with a fun mystery to solve! Thank you for letting me review this book. I highly recommend it.

Molly Gray is back! Several years after the events of the first book in this cozy mystery series, "The Maid," the Regency Grand Hotel finds itself back in the spotlight when world-renowned mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead on the hotel's tea room floor, moments before he can make a mysterious announcement. Hotel staff immediately fall under suspicion and Molly must once again face Detective Stark, who is investigating the case, while attempting to conceal her connection to the author.

Molly is a really delightful character. Her unique perspective, quippy sayings, and attention to detail make her a fun narrator to follow. The story jumps back and forth in time between the present day investigation and Molly's past connection to the author. The dual storylines work well, with scenes from the past providing more insight into Molly's and Gran's personalities. The present day investigation features some clever twists and red herrings while demonstrating Molly's growth as a character. The book is fast-paced and leaves the ending open for the series to continue.

Anyone who enjoyed the first book won't want to miss this one. Although it can be read without having read "The Maid," the context and character development provided in the first book will likely make it more rewarding for those continuing the series rather than those starting out here.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this sequel to "The Maid." Molly, the MC, is as enjoyable as ever, and this book fleshes out even more of her backstory. I appreciate that this book did not make Molly the main suspect for the police as she was in the first novel. And I found the murder mystery in this book very enjoyable. Overall, a quality cozy mystery novel.

Nita Prose continues to develop Molly the Maid into a fascinating and likable character. It's satisfying to see Molly has advanced to a position of authority at the hotel, and such fun to see her flex her crime-solving muscles while maintaining the decorum of the hotel. This was a quick read, perfect for a cold and rainy November afternoon. Recommended.

We are back in Molly the Maid's world a few years after "The Maid" where she becomes entangled in a mystery case where a guest of the hotel (quite literally) drops dead.
This is such a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. I love that we got to see more of Molly's life as a child in this dual timeline novel and also the new characters that intertwine with the old.
If you're looking for something bingeable, this is it!

BOOK: The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)
AUTHOR: Nina Prose
PUB DATE: 11/28/23 by Ballantine Books
PAGES: 304
RATING: 4 stars
GENRE: Romance

A BIG thank you to @netgalley & Ballentine Books for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

REVIEW: I adored this book even more than the first one! It was refreshing to revisit Molly the Maid’s no-nonsense humor & quick wit! I found this tale to be even more interesting and I flew right through the pages, completely absorbed. Thoroughly enjoyed buddy reading this with @booksandcarryones! The writer leaves a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m hopeful for another book in this series!

Happy Reading!

She’s back! Quirky, lovable Molly returns as head maid at the hotel with returning and new characters. This one follows a dual timeline reflecting back to Molly and her Gran. This one is a good one for a rainy day — easy and light. It was, as the first, Scooby-Doo-ish but I went with it. Throughout, it felt a bit uninspired, Not much here but if you liked the first you’ll enjoy being with Molly again.

Molly Gray is back at it in The mystery Guest a standalone/sequel to The Maid. It is now several years later where she is head maid at the Regency Grand hotel and mentor to maid in training Lily. Molly seems to be settling into her new role where she’s been asked to oversee a special event in the tea room floor of the hotel for renowned mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe. He is expected to make an announcement but before he does he drops dead - quite literally on the floor. It becomes clear that there’s foul play there’s a murderer amongst those in the Regency Grand. When detective Stark pursues the case along with Molly to find the killer it’s a who’s who of suspects with a connection to the author. We learn about Molly’s past and her history with the acclaimed author. What ensues is a spider web of lies, misunderstanding and secrets just dying to come out.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Ballantine Book and Netgalley for this arc for my honest review.

This book will be published on 11/28/23.

I enjoyed learning more about her history and childhood and that the other employees at the hotel have learned to accept her differences more. I'm very interested to see if she makes the career change to police force and I'm hoping there is a third book. I do wish that her boyfriend, Juan, hadn't been out of town the whole time. I would have liked to read more with the two of them together however with how he dropped the hint at the end of Molly becoming a daughter in law..I assume we will see him in the next book.