I enjoy cozy mysteries and this is no different. I loved the continuation of this story. The characters are unique and the story is fun.

I received an advanced copy of The Mystery Guest, a sequel to Nita Prose’s lovely novel The Maid, which I very much enjoyed last year. I had no idea there would be a sequel, but I loved jumping back into Molly’s world after another mysterious death at the New York hotel where she is now Head Maid. This story is about a bestselling author with a link to Molly’s childhood, and is a fun cozy-ish mystery. Most of the cast from the first book are back and there are some fun new surprises.

The story ends on a possible whole new direction for Molly, which I am very excited to read more about, plus a new family connection. I’m ready for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, expected publication date is November 28, 2023.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It was an interesting story and gave a lot of backstory to Molly and her Grandmother which I really enjoyed. I did feel that the plot was not as riveting as the original book, the Maid. I was able to guess who the true writer was pretty early on in the book which took away from my normal fun confusion of believing every lead in a mystery. I don't know if a sequel was necessary but I still loved Nita Prose's writing style.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine Publishing, and Ms. Prose for providing this heartwarming cozy mystery for my honest review. I can’t wait for this book to be published so I can purchase a physical copy! I loved this book just as much as the first book in this series. Please continue this series with more books and a tv series. I need more Molly! This book is a cozy murder mystery but it is so much more. I love all the life quotes Molly provides and the heartwarming side characters as well. I am so glad Mr Preston and Detective Stark were back. I really need more Juan Manuel for the 3rd book please. If you love to read heartwarming and funny cozy mysteries then please pick up the first in this series, The Maid, and this beautiful book as soon as it is available to purchase. You will not regret it! Thank you again for allowing me to review this book. It is one of my top reads of 2023!

Molly, now Head Maid is at the center of another murder mystery at the Regency Grand Hotel. This time it is the famous mystery author, J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly makes sure all is perfect for his arrival and his special presentation. Unfortunately, his tea has been tampered with leaving everyone a suspect. It's up to Molly to find the culprit as police Detective Stark decidedly sets his sights on the new, quiet maid Lily. Overall a cute next edition of the Molly the Maid series. It also gave a good backstory to Molly and her gran while Molly was growing up.

The Mystery Guest is a wonderful follow up to The Maid as we catch up with Molly the (head) maid and her co-horts!
I like how the characters and situations all entwine and the outcome is a logical one with just the right amount of mystery. The characters like Cheryl and Detective Stark make a welcome reappearance with the gentle wit of the previous book.

A second outing with Molly was a joy! I will not spoil things but I loved seeing her involved in another mysterious death at the hotel. A prickly author with a huge following is poised to make some huge announcement and summarily drops dead taking his big revel with him into the after. But it turns out not to have been a natural death and there's a good list of people he's mistreated so lots of suspects. Adding to Molly's urgency to figure things out is that one of her trainees is suspected of the murder. Molly, knowing what it's like to be the maid blamed is determined to set things right. What helped this time was having a less adversarial relationship with the police. Molly, like the best sleuths, is often underestimated and as a maid, unnoticed by many. She is a keen observer and listener so those qualities paired with recalling sage advice from her grandmother, she picks up the clues and assembles them into a tidy solution. It's what the best do.

Molly showed great growth and the potential for more and I enjoyed that. I missed Juan Manuel being around but I was glad he'd got to go visit his family in Mexico. Molly's new maid trainees, Lily and Angela were great additions to the story. Molly also has found a wonderful family connection that made me smile. If she takes up an offer or embarks on a new trajectory if there are future books, I will be happy to read about it. Just like the first book, time with Molly makes me smile.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an Advance Reader's Copy.

I loved revisiting Molly the maid! This is a great sequel, but can also be read as a stand alone! Will definitely be purchasing for my library.

First and foremost, thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. Another 5 star entry into this delightful series (dare I dream for another one)? I enjoyed this second entry tremendously. The writer keeps things moving and her fresh style of writing drawers me in every single time. She’s a joy to read . Highly recommend this one to all. Enjoy!,!

This book was complex and I loved Molly's character. Her observations and wit was incredibly fun to read. I loved this more than the maid. I thought it was an expansive story. I loved the follow up and it was an incredible read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballatine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Molly is such a wonderfully complex character! I absolutely adore her observations, her wit, and her charm. The Mystery Guest is the perfect follow-up to The Maid! I loved the added insight into Molly’s childhood and thought the dual timeline was so well-written. The author did a great job expanding our knowledge of Molly and how her past informs her present day thoughts and actions. She has such amazing growth. The mystery and old and new characters were delightful. This is meant to be a sequel to The Maid, but I feel it could easily be read as a stand-alone. That said, you should absolutely read The Maid. I really hope we get more books featuring our favorite head maid!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballatine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a sequel to The Maid, which I highly suggest you read; that being said, I feel it is a standalone book. The first chapter does a great job giving the synopsis to anyone reading about Molly for the first time. The story starts off once again at the Regency Grand where there is a murder. at the hotel. We follow Molly and detective Stark as they work to solve this murder mystery.

I love that we had the old characters back: Mr. Preston. Mr. Snow, Cheyrl. Detective Stark and Juan Manuel although he is away in Mexico visiting family. There are new characters as well. Molly takes her new hire Lily under her wing as she shows her the ropes and Molly is very protective of Lily. We learn a little more about Lily as the story progresses, but somehow, I still feel I don't know much about her. I was so annoyed with her continuingly saying loose lips sinks ships. I thought we would never here the truth from her. I really loved Angela's energy.

I like that we had the storyline of gran and hearing more about her and Molly. I really got to see just how tough Gran had while taking care of Molly. Things definitely were not easy for her. We also get to hear more about Molly's mom and understand just why Molly had to stay with her gran. There are also other revelations made in this book. I will say I really like how Molly and detective Stark relationship has grown and how strong Molly has grown. Gran would be proud.

I felt it was a nice cozy mystery and I enjoyed reading it. I would have loved a little more dialog with Juan Manuel, but I understand the dynamic of having Molly help to solve the mystery without him. It shows how strong her character is. She had no distractions and so she was at her strongest. I wonder if Molly will take up learning Spanish to better communicate with her soon to be in laws. They definitely love Molly and so do I. It was a joy to jump into her world once again and follow her story through both timespans.

First, This is a sequel to The Maid not a stand alone. I highly suggest reading The Maid before reading The Mystery Guest.

In the sequel there is another death at the Regency Grand. Molly and detective Stark are back to solve the cozy mystery. I devoured the drama of the first book, this one had less drama, but we learned much more about Molly's past. It is a dual timeline where we learn about her first job as a maid.

This book definitely had a lot of character development, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more books with Molly the Maid

I really do enjoy the character of Molly Gray, she is quite interesting, clever and quite unique. I thought this book held up well against the first, so much so, that I may have enjoyed this one a bit more. I love a cozy mystery and this one didn't disappoint. I was thrilled to be reacquainted with some of the characters from The Maid, and introduced to some new ones. I may be in the minority, but I hope there is more of Molly and her family in the future.

The Mystery Guest is a cozy mystery revolving around the quirky lovable maid Molly. The story and the writing are both enjoyable as Molly sets out to solve another mystery/murder in the hotel where she is employed. Molly is unpredictable and lovable as she deals with the complexities of life. Her observations are razor sharp which help her solve the murder. Looking forward to more adventures from this head maid. #TheMysteryGuest #NitaProse #NetGalley

Molly the Maid is such a fun, likable character. “The Mystery Guest” gives readers the opportunity to dive deeper into how Molly’s past shaped her into who she is and watch as she unravels another mystery.

With mystery novels that have such a cut and dry plot line in their first book, I never know what to expect from a sequel. Prose did an incredible job with introducing another mystery at the Regency Grand Hotel without being repetitive.

If you annotate books then get your pens, highlighters, and tabs ready because there are tons and tons of amazing quotes in this book that you’ll want to flip back to in the future.

Throughout the book Molly reminded me of the television character “Monk” with her attention to detail assisting her in solving crimes and i loved every bit of her character.

The plot of the book overall was underwhelming. The storyline didn’t draw me in nearly as much as the first book did and there were moments throughout that i felt were irrelevant details and did not contribute to the plot line. I also hope that the discussion at the end was not supposed to be a major plot twist, as it had been hinted to earlier in the story and was underwhelming.

Overall the book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat wanting to know exactly what was going to happen next, and the whodunnit was not very difficult to guess early on. However, it was a fun read and getting to understand and know Molly and her backstory better was worth the read. If you’re looking for a cozy mystery, then this is definitely one to pick up!

I hope that this is not the end of the series because I would love to see more of Molly utilizing her skills to solve crime!

I love Molly the Maid. She is quirky, smart and completely adorable. I was so excited to get to read this and it did not disappoint. Just as great as the first book. There’s another death at the hotel, this time a famous writer, one that Molly has history with. This will be one of my top books of 2023

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

"Most people underestimate me"

This quote from Molly Gray pretty much explains the depth, the surprises and the joy that readers have come to experience in Nita Prose's The Maid and now The Mystery Guest.

Molly is the ranking maid at the Regency Hotel. When a famous mystery writer holds a conference at the hotel and falls over dead at the podium, it will be Molly's keen eye for the details other miss that will solve the case. Detective Stark is once again the thorn in Molly's side with surprising results when the murderer is caught.

Along with the murder mystery, Molly will reveal her past that includes the life she lived with her grandmother, also a maid, who taught Molly everything about the career and her acquaintance with the mystery writer himself when she was just a small girl.

Prose again portrays Molly Gray in terms of her strengths, even when Molly does not see them. This is one of the many strong appeals in Prose's writing.

Looking forward to another installment of this engaging character's life.

Molly the Maid is back in this delightful sequel to Nita Prose's original book 'The Maid'! This time, another mysterious death has occured on Molly's watch at the Royal Grand hotel. I really liked this book a lot better than her first. It's really exciting to see a writer mature and hone her craft over the course of her career. For one, there are more characters in this book. Yes, all our favorites are back-Mr. Snow, Mr. Preston, detective Stark, and Juan Manuel! There's also a secret that is revealed at the end, that most of you probably guessed from the first book, but still a very endearing moment. Molly also ends up having a past relationship with the victim which gives her some unique insight into what happened and why.

She's now Head Maid at the hotel and has definitely matured beyond book one. She has more confidence and is now managing all the maids, good eggs and bad.

When a famous author dies right before a 'big announcement', after drinking tea served by the maids, Molly is thrown into the midst. The victim has many enemies, some with more of a motive than others, but the reveal was surprising and not quite believable, after the ruling out of many other suspects.

Molly also has a renewed relationship with Detective Stark which was interesting, and her unique perspective is more appreciated this time around.

A more complex plot this time, more mature character development, and new respect for Molly makes this a great sequel that could turn into a series for fans of Molly the Maid.

Another dead guest and another murder to solve. The Mystery Guest is a followup to The Maid, by Nita Prose. Molly the Maid has been promoted and takes her job as Head Maid seriously. She is understandably distraught when a visiting author dies and a member of her staff is suspected of murder. This book lacks some of the charm of The Maid. In the first book, Molly exhibited a lot of characteristics of someone on the autism spectrum. Less so in this book. She seems to have no trouble understanding and using idioms, for example. The plot is fairly predictable and although there is one major surprise at the end, it doesn't quite track with events from the previous book. This was an entertaining read, but a bit of a disappointment.