In the second book about Molly the Maid,, Molly is now Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. The hotel is hosting an event for a famous author when he suspiciously dies. Suddenly Molly us under suspicion again. All the beloved characters are back including Mr. Preston and Juan Manuel. We also get a dual time line of past and present where we learn about Molly’s childhood.

I loved this as much as the first one. The past storyline answered all the questions we had about Molly’s backstory. It was a quick read and an all around great story. Excellent character and story development with good plot twists.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date Nov 28, 2023 4.5/5⭐️

"You must always watch out for the thorns."

Ain't that the truth in life? But especially more difficult when you are a bright young woman who takes the world at its literal presentation.

Molly the Maid (Head Maid now) is back. Even though The Mystery Guest reads as a standalone, I would encourage you to pick up The Maid by this author. It will give you a truer sense of Molly and her visions on daily human encounters. Molly takes things within their obvious impressions. And yet, Molly has a special gift of sliding these encounters into just the right pockets of revealment.

Molly was accused of murder back in the original novel. This time Molly is the Head Maid and arranging a gathering in the tearoom of the fabulous Regency Grand Hotel. J.D. Grimthorpe, renowned author, will be surrounded by his fans and the media. He dangles the promise of a very important announcement. But before he can refer to his note cards, he drops dead. Boom! Smack dab in front of everyone.

Detective Stark is back once again to investigate. She wrongly hounded Molly in the last novel. Juan Manuel, Molly's love interest, is away visiting his mother in Mexico. Molly is on her own now that Gran has passed away. But this is a stronger more worldly Molly than last time.

The Mystery Guest is a light read more on the cozy side. Yes, we have a dead body, but there's not pools of blood and gore. Nita Prose gives us a view through the window of Molly's life with Gran as a young girl. It was very revealing and we'll come across some previously unknown factors here. The mystery is hardly a thriller, but it is an entertaining one. I'd like to see Prose send Molly with Juan Manuel to Mexico to a foreign hotel. Let's add a little more intrigue. Nita Prose ushers in the premise of being "different" and that in itself is a glorious thing.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and to Nita Prose for the opportunity.

Another winner by Nita Prose! I already recommend The Maid to customers who might be interested in a strong female protagonist who is treated differently by society. This is not as smartly plotted as The Maid, and the constant flashbacks to Molly’s childhood is slightly irritating. Coming back into the world of Regency Grand Hotel and their staff, made me keep turning the pages.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book a lot. I think I liked the first one a bit more but this was still a very good book. Molly was still an awesome character and had me laughing. I enjoyed the mystery and the ending also. I’m Looking forward to this author's next books!

After an enchanting introduction in The Maid, now Head Maid Molly Gray is once again caught up in a mystery at her workplace. Working at the Regency Grand, 'a five-star boutique hotel' as Molly describes it is hosting the well-known mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe in their newly created tearoom. Grimthorpe has written many bestsellers and is followed around by a number of his (women) fans. Unfortunately, he is going to make a major announcement and as he has everyone's attention and goes to speak, he dies. Grimthorpe is an avid tea drinker (with lots of honey) and he had just gulped down a cup when he fell over dead. Naturally, foul play is suspected.
Molly and her Maid in Training Lily were heavily involved in preparing everything for Grimthorpe's appearance and once again Molly is suspected by Detective Stark who is investigating the death. It turns out that this is not the first time Molly had ever met J.D. Grimthorpe and that layer just adds to her worries that she will be unjustly accused of murder. Once again Molly is supported by many of her co-workers and friends and continues to grow and mature, in this case, perhaps into a new job altogether.

this was such a cute and fun sequel to the Maid! I love the whimsy in this book and how cute it is- the perfect murder mystery for me!

The next installment of Molly the Maid at The Regency Grand Hotel. 4 years on, Molly is now Head Maid, Cheryl has been demoted, Lily is a recently hired Maid-in-Training, and Molly lives on in bliss with her paramour Juan Manuel. Until acclaimed author J. D. Grimthorpe rents out the recently renovated tea room for an important announcement, before which he promptly drops dead.

Detective Stark is on the case and promptly jumps to a number of conclusions.

However, there is history here this time. When Molly was a little girl, her Gran was the maid at Grimthorpe Mansion, and Molly spent some time there with her Gran when she was young.

While Molly might miss some big things, it is the details that solve this mystery.

Another lovely installment from our friend, Molly the Maid.

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the first book and this one was just as good. I love the mystery aspect of the book and revisiting old characters. Can’t wait for the next book!

This is an absolutely delightful new book featuring the characters from The Maid, one of my favorite books. It's a sequel,of sorts, but you don't have to have read the previous novel to enjoy it. Once again, a murder has taken place in the posh hotel where Molly Gray, now Head Maid, works. Molly narrates two stories: that of the murder and her involvement in the investigation of it, and of her childhood, when she met the murder victim. Molly's unique perspective and skills help catch the killer, and it's a joy to ride along in her brain for the whole thing. In addition to this being an excellent whodunit, it's one of the few truly great representations of an autistic character in mainstream fiction, and as an autistic person, I am grateful to author Prose for it.

“The Maid” made me fall in love with Molly, Gran and the entire crew at the Regency Grand. “The Mystery Guest” is a worthy successor, combining the heart of the original, with surprising character revelations. I definitely recommend reading “The Maid” before this book, as you’ll have a better understanding of recurring characters and Molly and her “peculiarities”. In “The Mystery Guest”, Molly matures into a competent, responsible, and respectable woman. I really enjoyed watching her growth and newfound leadership. Once again, Molly proves that the she is the smartest person in the room. The best part of the book is that Nita Prose is taking us back to learn about Molly’s childhood, which I found fascinating. The author did such a great job by switching between present day and the past. I feel like we really learned so much more about Molly and Gran and the kind of life they had while she was growing up. The plot keeps you guessing and unsure about the murderer until the end. This book is beautifully written. If you like a good murder mystery/ thriller this book would be great for you. “The Mystery Guest” is heartwarming, entertaining, smart and absolutely endearing. The characters in The Maid series are fun to get to know, and I hope Molly will continue to return for more new adventures! Many thanks to Nita Prose, Netgalley, Random House Publishing and Ballantine Books for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I hope that this is not the last we see of Molly the Maid!

Molly the Maid is back!! Same loveable quirkiness with a new mystery to solve!!

Molly Gray has been promoted to Head Maid of The Regency Grand! A title she does not take lightly! But, just when she thinks that she and The Regency are moving on from the tragedy of Mr. Black, another tragedy strikes leaving famous author, J.D. Grimthorpe, dead by poisoning!!

When Detective Stark enters the picture to investigate, Molly begins to wonder if she will once again be accused of murder? But, who could have murdered Mr. Grimthorpe? The new maid? Cheryl, the former head maid/bad egg? His personal secretary or one of the many other people who had reason for Mr. Grimthorpe's demise?

Molly Gray is probably one of my favorite characters of all time! Her mannerisms and token synonyms make her the most likeable character! And, Nina Prose does a great job of building an interesting mystery around Molly's character! I also really enjoyed learning more about Molly's and her Gran's history! The Mystery Guest can be a stand alone read but I recommend reading The Maid to more understand Molly's character and personality! I felt she was toned down a bit in The Mystery Guest but I still loved it!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest opinion,

Unfortunately, I DNF at 33% - I just couldn't do it anymore. I felt myself skimming more and more.

I like Ms. Prose first book but wasn't enjoying this one. Maybe right book, wrong time?

Loved it! I'm a huge fan of Molly...and Nita Prose! Keep them coming! I adore the interplay between Molly and the detective. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for this advance copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. This one is out in a few months, 11/28/23!

Molly the maid is back for a sequel and another mysterious death at the Regency Hotel - did Molly really need a sequel? Well, no. I will say that while this is an independent mystery, a lot of things from the first book are referenced, so I do recommend reading The Maid first. I’ve always liked Molly as a protagonist, because she’s a good representation of a neurodivergent character - it’s very nice to see in fiction. This was a fun, fast read, and I would continue to read works with Molly at the helm, but I don’t think this would win any Goodreads choice awards - a pretty standard mystery work.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Pub date 11/28/23.

As the second in the series, a lot of sayings from Gran are very repetitive. I liked the first book much better. It’s obvious the author is trying to make this a long series by making Molly a detective in the future. I feel like this is forced. The read was fine.

Featuring Molly Gray- the MC of The Maid- this book is centered around a suspicious death of an acclaimed author in the very same hotel Molly works at.

Being Head Maid at the motel, Molly is in charge of overseeing the ins and outs of housekeeping. When the author suddenly dies due to poison, Molly is sure to be questioned. Could she have done it? Maybe her maid-in training? Or a guest?
Molly helps to uncover the truth of the death, all while keeping a few secrets of her own.

Being a sequel to the first book, (also can be read as a standalone) it was nice to already know the backstory of Molly- you even get to learn more about her childhood in this book!
I was surprised to find that her love interest was MIA throughout the whole book on the premise of visiting family out of country. The mention of his character was a bit confusing since he had no involvement and added nothing to the story- I just kept waiting for him to show up!

I did enjoy the first book a bit more than this one but if you enjoy Molly’s character, I think this would be an entertaining read for you!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for the e-book, this one comes out 10/28!

I really appreciate the ARC for this book since I loved “The Maid” so much! This book was such a fun follow up- I loved all the character development Molly went through in the story. The mystery was great- I liked the inclusion of Molly’s past and stories of her grandmother- it was really sweet. I loved this book and hope to see even more in the series!

This was a fun read. Before I started I had read that this is a sequel to The Maid but also could be a stand alone book. I had not read The Maid but decided to give it a go. It was definitely do-able but I wish I would have read The Maid first. I think it would have helped me with understanding some characters better. I enjoyed the “fancy British” accent throughout and some entertaining mystery.

PUB Date 11/28/2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Molly the Maid is back with a new hotel guest, a new murder, and a new whodunit.

Several years have passed since the curious death of Mr. Black and now a renowned mystery author has a big announcement and is making it at the hotel.

Before he can get the words out, he drops dead. Detective Stark is also back to investigate, and Molly is once again pegged as a suspect.

The novel also has alternating chapters of present time and a specific time in the past when Molly is just a little girl going to work with her precious Gran.

I loved the dual timeline in this book! I feel like we really learned so much more about Molly and Gran and the kind of life they had while she was growing up. The list of suspects continues to grow as the plot progresses and really builds until the final reveal. Stark makes Molly an offer that I hope happens to some extent in the (hopefully) next book! We also learn more about Molly's family.

This is book two in the Molly the Maid series but can be read as a standalone. The author does a great job of giving enough background information from book one and a recap.

This author is an instant read for me, and I know this book has not been published yet, but I am all ready for a book three (fingers crossed)!

I absolutely love Molly. I have shared The Maid with everyone I know. The Mystery Guest is not quite as good, but it is still entertaining and I am hoping to see more of Molly and the staff in other stories. Having Cheryl still employed at the hotel is a bit of a stretch for me. I understand second chances, but she is a terrible rule breaker. I did enjoy the back and forth, learning more about Molly growing up.