"And what is hope if not the decision to shine light into the dark?"

Another delightful outing with Molly the Maid, #TheMysteryGuest is the second of Milly's adventures, by @nitaprose. Loved loved loved this book. Molly and her co-workers and friends are such terrific characters, I relished every moment in their company.

Molly's (now proudly wearing the "Head Maid" name pin) not trying to save herself this time, but her Maid-in-Training, Lily. Molly also learns a thing or two about her sweet Gran.

Well-written and plotted, I can't wait for #3!

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Yay! Finally here is the second installment (thank you publishers for the proof) of 'Molly the Maid' crime series. I just thoroughly enjoyed the first book and I could not wait for this second book to come out. The wait was so worth it! Molly, she is back in the thick of things in the Regency hotel when a mystery author drops dead before a revealing speech. An enjoyable complex path of present day and flash back chapters reveal piece by piece the true character and motive of all concerned. Very well written, keeps you interested, perhaps a smidgen less strong on the main murder, but a much stronger last quarter to read, and rightly Molly finally is given a considerable promotion on the detective trope.

The Maid was one of my favourite books of 2022. I described that book at the time as "the best kind of read. Clever. Funny. Profound. Page turning. Highly recommend." I was glad to see the return of Molly the Maid in this second installment and my recommendation holds. While this installment's mystery is cozier and the narrative takes a bit longer to get going, Prose is confident in the direction she is heading and takes us all along for the fun and interesting ride. Prose uses this second installment to fill in a lot of Molly's backstory too. Looking forward to installment #3. Thanks to Random House- Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced read.

Witty, wreckage, and wisdom.

Page one, and I couldn’t help but smile. Molly is back, and she made me laugh as soon as I started. Molly’s perspective on life, is in full swing and so much more fun the 2nd time around (now that we know and love her)! Nita Prose qualifies as a good egg, with her story telling abilities.

7/10 - I definitely did not expect Molly the Maid to make a return. I was indifferent on Nina Prose’s first book “The Maid”, and if I remember correctly, I even leaned more towards the do not recommend category. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the sequel.

I was intrigued from the beginning, catching myself wanting to pick the book back up. I grew more of a liking towards Molly and even enjoyed learning more about her childhood. I will say there were quite a few turns/twists in the story line that I had predicted correctly, but I still enjoyed reading them. Overall, I would recommend giving this sequel a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Great sequel to The Maid which I loved. I really enjoyed getting to know more about Mollys childhood in the novel. I will say that this book veered more towards cozy mystery and didn’t have as much dark humor and twists as the first book in the series but I loved it. It’s just fun to read and Molly is such a likable character. Excited to see where the future of this series goes.

I just love Molly. She is an amazing main character. I love her loyal, truthful nature and this second book in hopefully a long series, is a treasure.

One of my favorite lines describes Molly's vivid internal world, which she calls her mind palace. There are additional characters added, both sinister and not. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ms. Prose for the ARC.

Those who have read ’The Maid’ will be familiar with Molly the Maid from that story. Molly still has her quirky ways, the same as then, but she has learned some things in the time that has followed. She has a boyfriend who has temporarily gone to visit his parents and siblings, and she has gained some confidence in herself, as well. But underneath it all, she is still delightfully herself, if perhaps not quite as naive as she was.

This shares parts of her life when she was a child, as well. A child that didn’t fit in at her school, and so her mother, a maid, has her come with her to her work for the wife of a well-known author who, she has been told, must never be disturbed. Molly is also given chores to do, as well, but she is also given time to spend reading. One day, as she is searching for books, she somewhat accidentally meets the husband/author and he introduces himself to her, and they form a bond when he realizes how well she reads, and how much he enjoys her company.

In her job as a Maid, she knows that soon this author will be appearing at the Regency Grand, to speak about his newest book, and she must get everything in tip-top shape for this occasion as they are expecting a rather large crowd that will attend.

What happens next is unexpected, but soon becomes a newsworthy event, leaving all of this author’s fans in shock, as well as Molly, who is determined to discover the truth.


Pub Date: Nov 28 2023


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Molly the Maid is back and I couldn't be more excited! In the second Maid Series book we revisit the Regency Grand and all of the characters we have come to know and love, plus a few new ones. Molly is now the head maid and it's a job she has worked very hard for and takes very seriously. When a VIP guest drops dead during a highly publicized event, the hotel is once again thrown into the limelight and Molly is front and center. She has a past that is related to the VIP guest and we are taken back to the past where we get to know Molly as a child and her beloved Gran. Molly is able to help the police track down clues to help figure out exactly how their guest died and who is responsible.

I loved this book as much as I loved The Maid. Molly is such a loveable character and it's hard not to be drawn into the story and root for her the whole time. I also fell in love with Gran who we got to know well through Molly revisiting her past and how she became to be such a wonderful maid (and person).

I'm excited for more Maid books and love how the author has left Molly's future open for more sleuthing and "maiding". If you loved Molly the Maid #1 you'll definitely want to pick this one up!

I loved Nina Prose’s The Maid and was super excited to have another book with Molly to read! I found this stand alone to be just as quirky and as fun to read as the first book. I love that Prose chose to have a neurodivergent leading character! In this book we also get to spend more time with Gran and Molly, as a child, which was very sweet. Once again, it is Molly’s differences that make it possible for her to draw conclusions that even the detective cannot. The only plot point that was odd, was that Prose chose to have Molly’s love interest Juan Manuel is gone for the whole book—like in a sitcom—he oddly reappears in the last scene after traveling?? It was a very odd choice and I would have liked for him to have been in this one! This book will be an easy hand-sell in our store.

The Mystery Guest picks up four years after The Maid left off, with Molly having received a promotion to Head Maid. The Regency Grand Hotel is hosting an event for famous author J.D. Grimthorpe, who surprisingly dies as he’s about to give a big speech. Molly had been acquainted with Mr. Grimthorpe as a child, so the book goes back and forth between Present Day and “Before” as she helps solve the mystery of the author’s death.

Overall, I did not find this book to be as engaging as The Maid; however, I had a few philosophical/moral problems with the end of that book, and those themes are thankfully not present in this book. It is still an easy, cozy mystery that kept me entertained!

I was confused by the absence of Juan Manuel. I found it odd that he was out of town for the entirety of this book and therefore could not play a significant role.

I remember one s-word (there may have been a couple others, but the cursing was very light). There was also an attempted assault, but it was not described in detail and did not go very far.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

I LOVED this. So much fun and so well wrought. I love a cozy mystery with a pinch of grit. This is a new instant series read for me. Molly is the besttttt

My only complaint: This book wasn't long enough!
Things I loved:
Looks like we will be getting another book so very excited for that!
Molly got more confident between book 1 and 2
Molly and Detective Stark built a sweet relationship by the END of this book
We get a lot more of Gran and Molly! I would love to meet Gran in real life! Sounds like Molly had a great one!
The LAMBs - such a fun cast of characters and I loved that there were some more characters trying to solve the murder other than Molly and the detectives. I hope Angela makes appearances in future books and sticks in her nose in more mysteries!


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I actually liked this sequel better than the original. Molly's quirky personality still takes center stage, but there was a lot more backstory on her family, including her Gran who was referenced ad nauseam in the first book.

Some parts of the plot felt highly improbable (for one, how is the horrendous maid Cheryl still employed at the hotel?). And because of the parallel timelines, the story's pacing is slower and doesn't cover as much ground.

But it was still a fun book filled with interesting characters!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This lovely little gem of a novel was so charming. It was humorous and yet it managed to be so poignant at times as well. The main character, as many are, is flawed. She might even be on what we call today, the spectrum. But charming she is! I loved the humor in the story too. And all of this was wrapped in a delicious murder mystery. I just couldn't put this book down.

This is the 2nd in Ms. Prose's, Maid novels. And you just know there has to be a 3rd down the pike. And I, for one, just can't wait to read it.

I was not expecting Molly to make a return in a second book, but I’m oh so glad that she did! I love a good cozy mystery and this one did not disappoint. It was the PERFECT vacation read. Molly still gives me Eleanor Oliphant vibes, which I love. Her candid personality really makes the entire book.

The book starts off with a new crime set at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly is now Head Maid and extremely proud of her promotion/role. Detective Stark also makes a return as the lead detective on the case.

While trying to solve the mystery we are transported back in time to Molly’s childhood with her gran. I really love that we are able to learn more about Molly’s childhood and how she grew up. It really helps shape who she is as a person and comes together full circle.

Solving the mystery didn’t come as a complete shock, but that’s to be expected since this is a cozy mystery. It wasn’t extremely easy to figure out either though, so there is still a guessing game involved. The mystery isn’t the only plot twist. There’s one more at the end, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

The book ends with the possibility of a third book happening. At least I hope there will be another one in the series. My fingers are crossed because this one could take a completely different turn.

Overall, if you love a good cozy mystery, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. You do need to read The Maid first, but this one definitely lived up to its expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my candid thoughts.

This was a nice unexpected sequel. I really enjoy molly and this was another good whodonit mystery. It’s a nice break from my usual psychological thrillers. Well done!!

I absolutely adored the first installment of Molly the Maid's story and I was not disappointed with the second! I find the tone and first-person narrative of these novels so endearing, and although I feel the need to protect our heroine at all costs, the truth is, she needs no protecting this time around (a fact I love). I appreciated the insight into Nan's experiences prior to her death and the backstory completely aligned with what we know of our MC today. I sincerely hope this is not the last installment for our gal, Molly.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for my first ever ARC!

I flew through "The Maid," the prequel to "The Mystery Guest," so when I heard a sequel was coming, I was thrilled to get my hands on an advanced copy. This book did not disappoint. I find sequels are always challenging, especially if you fall in love with characters from the first book, but "The Mystery Guest" brings back the staff you loved (and the ones you loved to hate) from the Regency Grand, as well as new additions to fill out the story.

I loved how "The Mystery Guest" filled out Molly's life before and after "The Maid" and made her feel like a more well-rounded character. I felt like some of the plot twists in "The Mystery Guest" were easier to catch than in "The Maid," but they were fun plot additions nonetheless. While I'm not sure "The Mystery Guest" is as iconic as its predecessor, it is still an enjoyable and worthwhile read and I look forward to Nita Prose's future work.

If you haven't met Molly the Maid yet, please do so <b>"post haste!"</b> You will immediately fall in love with Molly, a maid who is neuro-divergent, socially awkward, obsessed with order, and finds herself deeply involved in not one but TWO murder investigations. She must use her unique view of the world to see what others miss, to both prove her innocence, and also to catch the killer.

When I read [a:Nita Prose|20650250|Nita Prose|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1619360173p2/20650250.jpg]'s [b:The Maid|57690123|The Maid|Nita Prose|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641568288l/57690123._SY75_.jpg|86048177] last year, I thought it would be a standalone book, which made me so sad because I loved these characters deeply. My excitement bolted through the roof when I saw that the ARC for book two was available, and that my beloved friend Molly the Maid was back with a new mystery! A HUGE thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC. I cannot wait for the physical copy to display on my shelf.

[b:The Mystery Guest|157062582|The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)|Nita Prose|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686577262l/157062582._SY75_.jpg|144579941] was fantastic. While being a sequel, the story is entirely its own. We still have the same band of characters from the first book, with a few new additions. The Regency Hotel is faced with another Murder, and this time, Molly is directly connected. This story jumps timelines between past and present, which gives us a deeper look at Molly though the ages. The relationship between Gran and Molly is my favorite, so I am really glad we got so much more of Gran's story.

I find it so refreshing reading from the POV of a neuro-divergent character, and I felt that Nita Prose's writing is <b> "Polished to perfection".</b> This book is so wholesome, with moments of grace, forgiveness, patience, and kind discipline. The glimpses of romance are clean and sweet. The characters lift each other up. Molly's proverbs of cleaning are chefs kiss, and Gran's advice applies to everyone.

Both The Maid and The Mystery Guest are 5+ Stars for me! I really hope that this turns into a Mrs. Marple type of mystery collection with more books to come. I could never have enough of this cast of characters. This is a series that you can confidently place in anyone's hands and confidently know they will love it.