4.75/5 rounded up

There’s a special cozy mystery and a ambitious pace to the Maid and Molly’s story continues that process in book two. When a second murder occurs in the Regency Grand and Molly and her maids are implicated can she sort her way out of it?

Devoured this sequel and can’t wait for everyone to get to enjoy it.

I read The Maid a week after I was diagnosed with autism. When I say I felt seen and represented in Molly, I mean it in the best way. I loved her quirky view of the world, her quiet anxiousness about not understanding, her attention to detail. I was thrilled when I learned a follow up was happening. The Mystery Guest is a perfect sequel. It gives us more rounded view of Molly by showing her as a child. The utilization of the same cast of characters was brilliant. I fell more in love this time. The writing was quick paced; I didn’t put it down until I finished the whole thing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This comes out in November 2023.

Another fun mystery romp with Molly the Maid. I just love Molly and her way of seeing the world.

Summary: This time a mystery author kicks the bucket right in the middle of making an announcement in Molly's hotel. And Molly has ties to the author from her past.

In The Mystery Guest, we find ourselves back at the Regency Grand with Molly the maid, who finds herself entangled in yet another murder investigation. This time, renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead just as he's about to make a big announcement to his readers, and of course, miss Molly Gray is at the scene of the crime. The story goes back and forth between present day and "before," a.k.a. when Molly was a child. The flashbacks were interesting as we got to see Gran come to life and learn more about Molly's upbringing. We find out that Molly knew the murder victim when she was a child and her grandmother worked as a maid in his mansion. This is definitely a "cozy mystery" that I think many readers will enjoy. The whodunnit aspect of the book was a little disappointing to me, but to me the main fun in these books is being inside of Molly's head and seeing how she navigates these kerfuffles she gets herself involved in. Readers who loved "The Maid" should definitely check out this sequel!

3.75 ⭐️'s

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the ARC!!

If you enjoyed Nita Prose first book, The Maid, The Mystery Guest will be a nice sequel for you.

Personally, I don’t like the bouncing back and forth between time lines, but I guess it was useful in this particular story. And for me, the jury is still out on the great reveal at the end. But all in all, it was a fun read.

I appreciate the early reader’s copy from NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books , in exchange for an honest review.

Nita Prose delivers another novel with a juicy mystery for the reader. Only she has the key to unlock this murder mystery. A wonderfully written novel that will be a page turner mystery.

Thanks to Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Nita Prose for gifting me this eARC in exchange for my review.

I loved Nita Prose’s first book The Maid, so I was highly anticipating this book and its release. I was not disappointed. I loved Mollys commentary and being inside her head. I loved the use of the past and present timelines, and learning more about Molly's backstory, especially Gran. This was definitely a quick read, and even though I did see the twists coming I still overall enjoyed the story.

"The Mystery Guest" by Nita Prose is Molly the Maid PERFECTION!! Molly has a new mystery to solve, about a famous author that ends up dead at Molly's hotel. Molly soon discovers that she knew the author as a child. Will Molly's expert clues solving skills help solve this mystery. This book is full of unexpected events and mystery guests that will keep you guessing!! Loved every second of this Molly the Maid Mystery!!

THANK YOU to the Author, Publisher, and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an Honest Review!!

#NetGalley
#TheMysteryGuest
#MollytheMaid

Is it always the Maid? While Pip is one of the most endearing and entertaining characters I have ever read, I couldn’t contain my excitement for her to return to Hotel and solve yet another murder….or finally be the murderer!
The way the author tells a story is so enjoyable and fun to figure out. While always leaving the options for you to try and figure out the story within the story.
I always feel like there are small breadcrumbs left within the story to open the door to the next…. Please a follow up with Maggie’s Story?

Come for the tea, and stay for Molly the Maid’s delightful commentary on life, love, and best practices for polishing the silver. It’s too bad a murder is required to set the plot in motion, but at least we know our intrepid heroine will deliver justice - wrapped up in an immaculate bow.

To say that I love Molly the Maid is an understatement so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read The Mystery Guest early. A new murder mystery to solve, a new slew of possible suspects set in the familiar backdrop of the Regency Grand Hotel. Based in the present with relevant flashbacks, we get to see Molly tackle another impossible situation as someone who interacts with the world differently than most, and we learn a lot more details of Molly’s backstory. Past and present weave together to create a multifaceted mystery that kept me guessing without being overly complicated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read the book early. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

4.5 out of 5 stars rounded up!

This summer, Stephen King allowed me to say words I’d wanted to say for a couple of years: “Holly is back!”

Now Nita Prose has me cheering that MOLLY is back! Somehow I didn’t even realize that this was the sequel to “The Maid”. I saw the author had a new book on NetGalley, and I requested it based off loving her debut. When I started this and Molly was there, I went total fan girl. As Molly would say, “What a delightful treat; would anyone care for tea?”

Molly is back and still working at the Regency Grand Hotel. She is now the head maid, and has a new maid-in-training, Lily. Lily is like Molly on steroids. It was obvious in the first book that Molly is neurodivergent, and Lily definitely seems to be as well. Molly takes the young girl under her wing and all is going well until - you guessed it - there is another murder in the hotel.

This time around, all of the maids are under suspicion, but none more than Lily. Her reluctance to speak, huge eyes and timid demeanor automatically make people think she’s different in a negative way, just as was assumed of Molly in the first book. The same detective is also on this case, and Molly has a hard time keeping her disdain in check. Detective Stark thought Molly was a murderer then. What does she think now that two men were killed on Molly’s watch?

The murder mystery was great, but the best part of this story was seeing Molly again, and a huge bonus: we get to “meet” her Gran through a past/present format. We find out how Molly became a maid in the first place, and how everything surrounding that is connected to this most recent murder.

I gave “The Maid” only four stars, partly because of how formally Molly speaks/narrates, and because it was also my first ARC, and I felt that giving my first ARC review five stars would be too much. Now that I’m endeared to the way Molly speaks, and I’ve read hundreds of ARCs, things have changed. Five stars, and I can’t wait for the third one!

(Thank you to Ballantine Books, Nita Prose and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released November 28, 2023.)

I read The Maid last year and there was admittedly a lot I didn’t like about it. However, there was enough that I did like that I was interested in reading this next installment. I’m so glad I did!

Molly Gray finds herself entangled in another murder of a Regency Grand Hotel guest. Though not under immediate suspicion this time around, her trainee, Lily, is. Moreover, Molly had been acquainted with this guest, a renowned author, in her youth. Going back and forth from then and now, Molly aids in catching the killer.

I was super into the ‘before’ part of the story. I loved getting to see more scenes between Molly and Gran and particularly seeing Molly as a child. Everything tied in nicely as well. The present part of the story didn’t captivate me quite as much until near the end. I enjoyed the reading experience much more this time, which tends to be the case in series for me anyway. I’m officially hooked and look forward to any future installments!

A huge thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of the book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Molly the now Head Maid is in charge of the housekeeping services at the Regency Grand Hotel. One of the most world renowned authors of mystery has scheduled a press announcement at the hotel. When he suddenly drops dead before the announcement could be made, most likely from poisoning all hands points to Molly or her team. A cozy mystery with characters with charm, a solid follow up to The Maid. At just under 300 pages, you can finish it in one sitting and will appreciate all the nuisances that make Molly, well Molly. A book that should be read with a blanket and a cup of tea (with sugar and honey). Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Molly is BACK!

I just absolutely love Molly the maid, her awkwardness and attention to detail makes everybody love her from the first spelling of vocabulary words. In the Mystery Guest we dive a little more into Molly’s history to solve a murder and once again we get to look at the world through Molly’s eyes. If you love cozy mysteries definitely pick up this series!

so, i had no idea that Nina Prose was writing a sequel to The Maid (or that it is a series). i read The Maid last year and was lucky enough to be able to receive an ARC of The Mystery Guest, which will be released in a couple months.

our favorite socially inept maid Molly returns in this book as one of the main characters. while Molly still reminds me of Eugene from the Walking Dead with how she speaks and her odd choice of words and lengthy responses, she has definitely made a lot of progress. she is now Head Maid and even more dedicated to her job at the fancy and prestigious hotel. she is friends with most of the staff, and she is also in a relationship with Juan Manuel (who was in the other book more, but away during this one - probably to show she can still be independent).

when a famous author suddenly passes away during an event that was being held at the hotel, there is a little bit of deja vu from the last book to solve the mystery as to whodunnit, but this story is completely different, so it isn't like re-reading the same book. there is a lot more backstory with Molly and her gran (who is deceased in the books but alive during the flashbacks as Molly is growing up), partially because there is a connection to this author.

this was a quick read and i definitely saw some of the things coming before they were revealed, but it didnt take away from my enjoyment. i would recommend it to anyone who liked The Maid and likes mysteries.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for providing me with the opportunity to read this book before it was released for my honest review.

I liked this book better than the first one although it still had issues and infuriating moments. I did not predict what was going to happen either which is always nice in a mystery novel! Overall, this was enjoyable to read.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this before it comes out in November!
I give this book 3.5 stars rounded up.

cozy-mystery, suspense, local-law-enforcement, contemporary, poisons, family, friendship, hospitality-industry, sly-humor, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, friction, bullies, famous-author*****

Murder in plain sight.
Molly is back and is the Head Maid now but is as literal minded as ever. A pompous famed author is at the hotel with a preponderance of fans to make a momentous announcement. But he drops dead on the dais instead. And so the madness begins with old nemeses and new friends. Inventive twists and perplexing red herrings kept me reading and snuffling at the sly humor. Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Molly, Molly, Molly I just love you. A woman who is not afraid to call you out and always sticks up for what she believes in. I loved getting more back story on Molly even though some parts gutted me she always persevered and kept moving forward. This was such a well done sequel to The Maid and I'm crossing my fingers we see another addition to this series in the future! Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

Pub Date: November 28, 2023

Molly the Maid is hard not to love! I loved her all over again! She’s witty, smart and corky. This book was good, another “who did it” type of mystery. I didn’t see the end coming. Although, the first book was better, this was still good and loved the surprise happy ending with family.