Well, Nina Prose has done it again! If you loved her novel “The Maid”, you’ll love “The Mystery Guest. We are back at the Regency Grand Hotel with Molly, now “Head Maid”. As Head Maid, Molly is responsible for preparing the tea room for the world-renowned, best-selling murder mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe. As per Molly’s propensity, everything is perfect, that is until Mr Grimthorpe drops dead just as soon as he is about to make a news-shattering announcement. This time, Molly knows what to expect when a death occurs in her hotel, and she uses her acute observational skills to gather as much evidence as she can, not just because she wants to solve the case but because she doesn’t want the wrong person to get accused of the crime…like last time.
I absolutely loved being back with Molly. Nina Prose writes a good mystery rife with numerous suspects. In this novel, we also get a portion of Molly’s backstory when she was a little girl living with her Gran. Prose skillfully weaves this backstory and the present-day crime together so that I was engaged in both storylines. I also loved the plot developments that happened in the last third of the novel that lend themselves wonderfully to a third novel that I absolutely cannot wait to read!

I was very lucky to get an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I enjoyed the first book quite a bit more! I wasn’t invested in the story as I was. There was more action in the first book! It felt like the stakes were higher.

I read The Maid twice and absolutely loved it, so you can imagine I was excited to hear that a second book about Molly the Maid was coming out. Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

Going into reading this book, I was just a tiny bit scared that it wouldn't live up to The Maid. For the first 20 pages or so, that's also what I felt had happened; it didn't feel like it was Molly talking to me through the pages. Luckily, the book quickly caught up and I was again immersed in the peculiar and wonderful life of Molly, the now Head Maid, at The Regency Grand.

I loved seeing more of the relationship between Molly and her Grandmother through the flashbacks, even though it makes me even more sad for Molly's sake that her grandmother is now gone.

The mystery in itself was interesting too, even though the characters and their relationships once again trump it by a long shot.

Looking forward to reading a third one eventually, please and thank you!

Thank you for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Milly works at the Regency Grand hotel as a maid. A famous writer J.D. Grimthorpe was going to make an announcement when he seems to have passed away in front of his audience and of course they blame the maid. In this book it’s Lily the maid in training that is suspect.

Such a quick, quirky who did it novel

I’m going to keep this short and to the point just like Molly would. I love these books! Molly is back with a new mystery to solve, and along the way people finally start to recognize her more for her strengths than her weaknesses, and it’s about time I say. Just like the first book, the story is heartwarming, funny, and exciting, with a mystery that keeps you guessing, and I love the characters and the growth many of them go through while working alongside Molly to solve the mystery of a famous author’s murder. This is what you call a cozy mystery at its best. True rating 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the early review copy.

It was so much fun to get back to Molly and the Regency Grand Hotel! I was thrilled when I got this ARC because The Maid was a book that really stuck with me. That is to say that my hopes were quite high!
Well they were met. The same charming characters, the same teacups and shortbread cookies, it felt like coming home, but with a different story, and one that let Molly evolve as a character and gave us a perfect ending to her story.

I highly recommend this book if you've read The Maid. If you haven't, I recommend reading The Maid to then get to The Mystery Guest :)

Thank so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy smokes. What a whirlwind of a novel!
The maid was the first book in this series. And it was good, I also rated it 5 stars. But wow!!!!! I loved this one even more!

Molly the maid has not only been in the middle of 1 murders but now 2! This time around though, people know her better. She’s head maid. And the detective is more or less on her side and in her assistance.

Molly has so much more confidence, and is so funny. Her social awkwardness and differences make her such an asset for figuring out this murder. Not only that but she has special insider knowledge that helps her along the ways.

As always Nina’s writing is so warm and inviting. My heart is so happy with all twists. The characters are soooo wonderful and kind, so diverse. And I just can’t explain to you how happy this series makes me.

I love that nina always brings awareness to mental illness and differences in people, and I wish more authors did it this well.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me this very early ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

4.5 stars
Wow! What a book. I was so excited to be picked to read the ARC, as I thoroughly loved this author’s first book, The Maid. This is book #2 in the series (who know there would be a sequel!?) and it lived up to the hype. A fabulous read with Molly, the maid, who is in the middle of another murder at the hotel. Such a great group of characters - the perfect whodunit. I wonder what’s in store next for Molly. Hope we will have a chance to find out. I will be buying this book when it comes out it was that good!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I was so happy to be back at the Regency Grand Hotel with Molly and all her friends!

This book wove together the past and the present with such grace and delicacy. I enjoyed how the pacing of the memories kept you wanting more so you could know the full story, but not so much so that you didn’t want to read the chapters set in the present.

I loved seeing Molly change and grow from the first book, both personally and within her relationships. And the mystery in this book had me hooked from beginning to end, with an ending I did not see coming.

This book is as delightful as a cup of tea with clotted cream, but I’ll pass on the honey…

What a treat!

I was so excited to step back into the world of Molly Gray, and Nita Prose did not disappoint!

Molly Gray has once again found herself in the midst of a murder investigation. Using proverbs instilled in her by her gran, Molly helps solve the crime with the help of some friends from the Regent Grand.

Everything I loved about Molly from the first book, shone through the pages of her second adventure. She is the same quirky, loveable person who always stays true to herself and her beliefs. The story had great pacing and the author’s easy-to-read writing style made this a book that easily had you reading “just one more chapter”.

I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy a good mystery while sipping a cup of tea! This book can be read as a standalone, but the first one was so good, you might as well read it first!

**received with thanks from the publisher in return for my honest thoughts**

This second instalment of the “Molly the Maid” series continues on in a similar vain to the first book in the series. Here, Molly has gained confidence, respect of others and her love interest is well entrenched. This was a very light read, a cozy mystery and most things were tied up nicely at the end, although not everything. I think this is just good enough that readers will be looking for a third book in the series.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this ARC

The Maid was one of my favourite books. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read The Mystery Guest. I loved the past and present storylines. And, enjoyed learning more about Gran and Molly’s special relationship. The Mystery Guest is a great read.

I loved Nita Prose’s Novel The Maid. I had no idea that it was to become a series. The Mystery Guest is not as good as her first novel, you be delighted to have many of the same characters, although it would have been nice to see some of them a bit more. This book lacks the freshness as her fist book had. I found there was a lot of repetition, making things at times very annoying. I do like that Prose left breadcrumbs for a third installment in this series which will be fresh and fun.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is another great mystery by Nita Prose. Our intrepid heroine Molly (the maid) had me unable to putthe book down. It is great to see how her unique way of looking at things are finally appreciated and a killer is caught. It this book we get more of Molly's back story, yet never lose track of the crime. I loved this book as much as "The Maid.". I look forward to reading the next Nita Prose book.

It's always a big question if the second instalment in a series is going to be as good as the first one. This one one doesn't disappoint though it doesn't quite get to the level of the first one, maybe because the novelty of the main character Molly has worn off a bit. The mystery in itself is not hard to solve but I liked the background story about the mystery writer that gave us a better insight into Molly's past. It's a book filled with kindness, a pleasure to read, but do read the first one before you start this one.

Molly is back! I may have done a little happy dance when I saw that Nita Prose brought one of my favourite characters back. A cozy mystery with a cast of delightful characters. I hope this series continues.

Just finished reading “The Mystery Guest” by Nita Prose.

Molly the maid is back in an all new adventure. The book is similar to the first in that Molly is under estimated and ends up solving a mystery.
This book gives a little more background on Molly as a child through flashbacks. I found that interesting in helping to understand her character more. What I did find annoying is Detective Stark’s judgement of her again.

I enjoyed this book but not as well as the first book.

I really enjoyed this second "the maid" novel, such a fun twist on the whodunnit, detective genre... a really great holiday read!

A delightful follow-up to The Maid, which i also enjoyed.
A character-driven murder mystery that is slow but charming.
I especially enjoyed the quirky but loveable characters and the hotel setting.
Will there be a third volume in the series? I would like to see what happens next with Molly !

The Mystery Guest is Prose’s second novel, and continues to follow the main character of Molly the Maid. Prose again does a phenomenal job of creating a classic whodunnit, with a main character who is rather relatable. I enjoyed reading this book as Molly often speaks, especially at the beginning of the novel, as if speaking to the reader directly. She invites you into the story, much as if you’re at coffee with a friend doing a retelling. Molly also has many interesting quirks that make her unique, but again, feel like the friend you’ve known forever. I had theories throughout the reading of this novel, but Prose once again kept me on my toes with many twists that I did not see coming. It was, much like her debut novel, extremely hard to put down! Thank you, NetGalley, and Penguin Random House Canada, for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.