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.

This book is like a warm hug or how one would feel about a cozy mystery. The characters are easy to understand and follow. No shocking twists but writing that keeps you on your toes - because you want to know what happens to the characters. The first book was perhaps a better read because it was my first introduction to the characters but this is a worth while sequel.

A truly enjoyable second installment of the Molly the Maid series. This is the relatively rare instance of the second book in the series being even better than the first. The character development is excellent and the story line engaging. This is a very well-written series thus far, elevating it from the more typical cozy mystery novels that are part of the genre. I appreciate the neurodiversity of Molly and the ways in which that both serves her and presents as a challenge as she solves the mystery. Highly recommended for mystery lovers!

So first I want to say I loved the first book it was fun and thrilling and I couldn’t wait to figure out every detail. This book felt the same I loved how in depth the characters were and learning all the secrets of the hotel. It was a lot of fun and kept my attention I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Molly is such an endearing and well written character that she Carrie’s the other poorly developed characters through. This book is very cheesy and not exactly well written…and yet I love it!

Summary
Following up on her bestseller The Maid, Nita Prose returns to Molly Grey (now Head Maid) and her found family at the Regency Grand Hotel.
The Regency Grand is abustle, preparing for the opening of their Tea Room and an author's visit by the notorious recluse J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly is determined to make everything run like clockwork, but she certainly couldn't account for the infamous author dropping dead just moments before his big announcement.
Now Molly has to protect the hotel's reputation (again), while also juggling the unclear motives of friends, coworkers, and strangers alike. All the while, Molly is protecting her own secret history with the author. With all these dirty secrets floating around, has Molly finally met a mess she couldn't clean?

Review
This series has been characterized by many as a 'cozy mystery', which is fitting because the first book left me with all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings. I adored Molly the Maid from the moment I met her, and it was a privilege to spend more time looking at the world through her eyes. This new title has brought back many of the beloved traits of this character - the Molly-isms, the sharp eye for detail, the kindness and willingness to give second chances, the quiet aptitude for her job and contentedness with her place in life. The returning characters also bring familiarity from the first book, even if they play much smaller roles in the second.

Interludes into Molly's childhood help shape not only Molly and Gran's character, but also provide context for the modern-day mystery. It is easy to see why someone would want to kill misanthropic Grimthorpe! Additionally, the strong details helps the reader visualize the spaces and people that Molly encounters. The mystery unravels itself by inches - a slow disentangling of the various plot threads, people, and motives that led to the climactic death of the author.

On the other hand, there is something missing from The Mystery Guest that made The Maid so special. It's difficult to put my finger precisely on it - maybe it's a combination of several smaller things that undermines the plot. First, it's hard to believe that the same detective would return to a second crime scene and immediately fall back on the same old standby of 'blame the staff'. It was especially hard to reconcile with Detective Stark's complete 180 in attitude at the end of the book. Second, the book has lost much of a spark of kindness and friendship that characterized its predecessor (perhaps because, as mentioned before, the returning characters play much smaller roles). Third, the crime and the perpetrator lack the sophistication and complexity of the first book, which had many layers to peel back before all could be understood.

I truly enjoyed the read, and would recommend it for anyone who enjoyed The Maid. It is always worthwhile to spend a few hours with Molly Grey and company.

Appeal factors: intricately plotted, compelling, character-driven, quirky, well-rounded character(s), neurodivergent

Miss Molly the Maid strikes again.

I was so excited to receive an arc on this book! I found Molly to be such a likable and relatable character that I needed a little more in my life.

Started reading The Mystery Guest and was starting to question whether or not a sequel was actually needed. A lot was repetitive but I had just finished reading The Maid about a month ago so it was just fresh in my mind. Even if you never read The Maid, this book makes it super easy to follow along.

Halfway through, I was addicted and didn’t want to put it down. Even though there is murder in this book, Molly’s character makes it less heavy and more lighthearted. It’s a very refreshing break while reading some serious suspense books.

The way this book ended has me wondering if a third book will be written one day. And honestly, I would look forward to it just because I adore Molly and Mr. Preston.

If you liked The Maid, definitely add this your TBR. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!