I was happy for the return of Molly the Maid. She is such a unique and likable character! I enjoyed getting to know more of her past in this sequel. I wish that a new detective would have been introduced. It didn’t make sense to me to have the same detective return and hint at the guilt of the maid, again, but then utilize her uncanny memory to side in the investigation. I also wish Lily, the new maid, had seemed less like Molly. I was happy to have confirmation of suspicions at the conclusion of the story. However, this made the end fall flat when compared to The Maid. Overall I’m glad I read The Mystery Guest

Molly the Maid is back and better than ever. I loved Prose's first book The Maid, and I love the character of Molly. All the characters from the first book are back (including the annoying Cheryl). When a famous author drops dead at Molly's hotel just before a big announcement, Molly finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation. There are multiple suspects and lots of twists and turns, and we get to learn much more about Molly's past. A great mystery, a great story, so fun!!

Loved this book as much as the last, and I hope Prose has more in mind. Molly is a great character and a great detective in the vein of Hercule Poirot or Jessica Fletcher or Columbo. She should keep it up!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose.
Molly Gray is back, and there is another murder at the Regency Grand Hotel. The reclusive mystery novelist J.D. Grimsthorpe has a special event planned at the Regency, and adoring fans anxiously await to see him. Unfortunately, a sudden death prevents the author from his important announcement.
In this latest whodunnit, we learn more about Molly, the maid’s, history, and we grow to love her even more as the story unfolds.
Find out what Molly is doing nearly four years after Nita Prose’s novel, the Maid, and join the Regency staff, local police and Grimsthorpe’s fan club, the LAMBS, as they try to work out exactly what happened and why.
#netgalley

Molly Gray, Head Maid at the glorious Regency Grand Hotel, is back for a repeat performance. This time another maid is under suspicion for, yes, another murder in the Regency Grand Hotel. But she’s not the only one who might have killed the famous author, J.D. Grimthorpe—suspects abound! It’s the cozy mystery with a distinct voice that we’ve come to expect from author Nita Prose, and it doesn’t disappoint.

This book plays with a dual timeline that pitches the present with past—Molly’s current independence and her revealing younger years. I loved reading about Molly’s childhood in the care of her wonderful grandmother, who was also a maid. Gran was my second favorite character in The Maid (Molly was the first, of course), and I wasn’t looking forward to a Molly sans Gran. Loved the way Prose fleshed this precious person out in this sophomore novel.

If you’re in the mood for a light, well-written, upbeat murder mystery (Prose has established that an upbeat murder mystery is not an oxymoron), then read The Mystery Guest and savor its deliciousness.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy to review.

*3.5*
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The mystery guest is a sequel to The Maid, which I recently read a couple of days ago. We once again follow Molly Gray, who is now Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel. After 4 years, she is living with Juan Manual, the cook from the last book and enjoying her peaceful life until a famous author drops dead during a VIP conference at the hotel. Once again the fingers are pointed at the staff, and its up to Molly and friends to solve the murder in the hotel and clear their names.
As I said in my review of the first book, the mystery element to both of these isn’t necessarily amazing. Its fine, but I never really cared for the mystery aspect of these. I felt like they were weak and underdeveloped, and especially the culprit of this book felt weaker than the last one.
However, I honestly enjoyed this book for Molly as a character. Shes heavily implied to be on the spectrum and struggles with social interactions and understanding people she communicates with. While shes grown since the last book and has a better understanding of people, it is always fascinating to read from the eyes of someone who doesnt think the same way as I do. I think these books have some very important messages that we shouldnt judge people based on what we see on the outside. I really liked the quote, “Everyone is the same in different ways”. By the end, when Detective Stark acknowledges Molly and says that she notices things that others do not, and that she would make a great detective, it was just another reminder that being on the spectrum doesnt make you any lesser than others. Molly was able to help solve the crime because she put emphasis on different things that others overlooked.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. Its hard to rate because as I said before, being in the mystery category its very average, but the actual enjoyment of the book was high. I enjoyed the found family aspects of book 1 and I also enjoyed it here and seeing Molly with her friends was very heartwarming. I wouldnt recommend this to someone looking for a mystery novel, but I would definitely recommend it for someone who wants a heartwarming story about someone on the spectrum who doesn’t change just because people criticize her. I appreciate that Molly stayed true to herself the entire book even when people didn’t understand her or thought she was odd. She continued to do what she thought was right and what followed her goals

For those who loved The Maid, The Mystery Guest will also delight. This time Molly the Maid is the Head Maid, given more responsibilities and more trust by the people who run the hotel. When a VIP guest, a well-known mystery author drops dead during a press conference, Molly is once more dragged into solving the mystery before she and the rest of her team can be suspected, while her memories of the past unlock some truths about her and her family as well.

Molly is back at the Regency Grand Hotel, where another death has shaken the maid and her fellow workers. Now Head Maid, with a Maid=in-Training in tow, she supervises the opening of the hotel's new tearoom / events space for it's inaugural event: a press conference by an esteemed mystery writer. As soon as he begins to speak, he collapses and dies, a victim of poisoning - was it staff? Molly works in her quirky way to uncover the truth, all while also flashing bak to her childhood encounters with the author.

well paced and quick, it will delight fans of the original, The Maid, but I don't see this series lasting for long.

While I enjoyed "The Maid," this one fell flat for me. I was not invested in the mystery or the flashback scenes. The only thing I did enjoy was Molly and her quips. Overall this was a no for me.

Molly is back! How wonderful. Her character is one of my favorites and this story showcases more of her childhood, the circumstances behind it. The same cast of folks are back, but there's a new one, Lily who Molly is training (and continuing to recite lines from her handbook). It's a good cozy murder mystery, and it's lovely to see how much Molly has grown in four years. I finished it in a few hours bc it flew by. And Gran is always a highlight and I'm happy we see more of her strength, love and resilience in this story.

When I tell you I screamed I screamed when I got this book ! I’m in the middle of the maid and can not wait to sink my teeth into this book ! I love this authors writing

<b> 3.5 stars </b>
I was nervous going into this because I wanted the same mystery/scandal feeling that the first book had. The Maid was a spin on a classic hotel murder mystery with an interesting main character. The next book brought back familiar characters and also Molly navigating her life as a maid and the challenges she faces in the world.
The Mystery Guest was able to fully grab my attention when I was about 25% into the book. After that it became such a solid page turner. I ended up loving the flashback chapters and I was worried it would take away from the main story and the plot itself. The way the past connected to the present and how Molly was able to play her part was a great plot point.
I don't feel the ending was as satisfying as it could be but I did feel that the book wrapped up nicely. It does seem like the Molly the Maid world was left open so I wouldn't be surprised to see another book with her in the future.
For a sequel following a book that could have been okay as a standalone, I was impressed. I think it's hard to follow a standalone with a sequel while also connecting two very different mysteries from each book. Nita Prose did a great job connecting the two and I will definitely be reading the next book with Molly, if there is one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE MYSTERY GUEST 💙🗝️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Molly the maid returns with another murder mystery falling in her lap at the Regency Grand Hotel. As Molly relishes her Head Maid duties, her world is turned up side down when the world-renown best selling author, J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead on the tearoom floor. We are once again united with detective Stark to uncover secrets of the Regency Grand staff as well as Molly’s past.

These books have such a special place in my heart! Molly will forever be one of my favorite characters, and it was a joy to live in her brain again. Be sure to purchase this on November 28th, posthaste! 🗝️💙

I was so excited to receive this ARC!!! Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.
The Maid was the book that got me into reading and the sequel gave me that butterfly feeling that only a good book can give. I hope Nita Prose keeps writing more! 🫶🏻

The coziest of murder mysteries set in a posh New York City hotel wrapped in an 'Amelia Bedelia-like' guile and charm. This book is so good I ignored people for three days!! I finished The Mystery Guest a few days ago, and I've been trying ever since to write this review.. I felt stagnated in the BEST way. How could anything else be this satisfying ya know??

I'm taken aback by how WONDERFUL this book is. Somewhere between reminding me of my favorite books from childhood (the Amelia Bedlia books) and the murder mysteries I love now is Nita Prose's latest, The Mystery Guest.

THOUGHTS:
- Alternating points of view and in-depth character studies had me completely immersed in this read. Small things you might miss, characters who seem innocuous at first, motivations too complex for one timeline.. All of it was fantastic. I don't say very often that I want to hug a book to my chest - but hug my iPad I did when I was done reading this.

- Pacing and reveal of crucial plot details was immaculate. Just when I was trying to understand what was happening at a particular turn, some kernel would drop into place and flick on that mental light switch. If you have a long commute - this would be the book I'd recommend, and already have to many of my fellow workmates.

NOTES:
- Would be an epic audiobook because the characters are easily identifiable
- Non-Romance (Truly) - Talks about other long-ago romances, but there aren't any romantic elements on page between main characters

**Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Molly Gray, the ultimate MAID, is back. She is now the head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel and keeping everything in tiptop shape. Then an author event goes awry (the author drops dead before making his big secret announcement). Molly needs to clean up the mess. More of Molly's past is revealed in the course of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eGalley of this title.

Thanks to @Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was a solid mystery that kept the writing with grandmas cliched idioms guiding our main quirky and likable character Molly through life.

Molly does not always understand social cues and while never clarified in either book, I imagine has some form of autism. This aspect of figuring out the mystery with Molly accused of murder in The Maid is, in my opinion what made it so suspenseful and exciting to just want to know what would happen.

The Mystery Guest kept the writing style and quirky but lovable main characters but I think Molly had a ton of growth in this book and didn’t quite miss the social cues like the first book. So while I enjoyed this mystery, I think The Maid was a bit better with more suspense.

This book is #2 in the Molly the Maid series. I haven't read The Maid yet but I do love that it didn't seem like I needed to read these in order. This books follows the story of Molly, a maid, at a hotel who encounters a murder with somebody she's known since childhood. While sometimes not everybody understands why Molly is so literal it might help her with solving who killed a famous author in her hotel.

This is a charming mystery, Molly the maid is back with another death in the hotel, another mystery to solve. She is a character we care about and root for and a reminder of how people who think differently than what is considered the norm, have a lot of intelligence and a lot to offer.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

🫖 🫖 🫖 🫖 / 5

I absolutely adore Molly the maid and the other cast of characters in this series! The Maid was one of my favorite books I read in 2022 and this one was fantastic as well!

Nita Prose does such a wonderful job in this novel building Molly’s character out a bit more and really made me connect with her! The Mystery Guest had an nice rhythm and set up with chapters going back and forth between present day and the past. I would classify this book as a cozy mystery and really enjoyed it so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine books for the digital advanced readers copy!! I received a complimentary copy of this book. This novel will be published November 28, 2023!

Thank you to @netgalley and @RandomHousePublishing for this ARC. Book 2 of this series about Molly Gray, Maid Extraordinare. A local author books a VIP event at her hotel to make a huge announcement. When he drops dead before the announcement can be made, Molly is on the case. The author has made Molly a lot more personable in this book and you can tell how she has grown between book 1 and 2. Another cute read from Nita Prose! #MysteryGuest #NitaProse #RandhomHousePublishingBallatine #Nov2023

The latest Molly the maid adventure is fun and entertaining with her adorable and clever sleuthing. This sequel provides us with more clues about her family history and ties her closer to a number of characters. An enjoyable, quick read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC.