The best word I can think of for this book is "fine". I liked the first, and was super excited to get a copy of this one but it was kinda just meh. How many murders can happen in the same building and be pinned on the same person? The book was entirely predictable, down to the murdered and it was less of a whodonit more of a cozy mystery.

I definitely enjoy the writing though - Molly is such a sweet and enjoyable character that even though the book was a little flat, she was still wonderful. I also liked how we had flashback chapters of her as a kid, with Gran being alive and present.

Overall, I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoyed the first but not for someone who wants something unpredictable or original.

Apparently this book was also brought to you by Moleskine©. A fun drinking game would be to take a shot every time a Moleskine© is mentioned😂

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this. 2.5/5 stars rounded up!

A quaint cozy mystery filled with unique characters. I continue to be drawn to almost anything written that has characters that are anything but perfect as society may define, yet these disabilities make them as well as the story more real and fun to read.

Molly is back! … and dare I say it … the second book is better than the phenomenal debut?!

This awkward yet perfectionist hotel maid has been working diligently since we last saw her and has risen through the ranks of the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the Head Maid. Just as Molly Gray gets comfortable in her new role, her workplace experiences what no hotel wants on its record - a death. Not only is J.D. Grimthorpe a guest, but he’s also a world-renowned mystery author. Can Molly help tidy up this mess before it damages the hotel’s reputation?

You’ll love getting swept up in Molly’s world again as her old nemesis, Detective Stark, returns to investigate. Stark wants to plant the idea that Molly isn’t as innocent as she seems, but Molly sets out to prove him wrong and return the hotel’s reputation. The thing is … Molly and the deceased know each other. Does this help or hinder the investigation? What dirty secrets are unearthed that should have been kept buried?

Can Molly revisit her past to solve her present predicament and ensure her future at the Regency Grand?

I loved a deeper dive into Molly’s history! Prose has written in dual timelines to show us the connection to the mystery guest, cleverly using this technique to showcase Gran despite her death in book 1. We all love Gran’s wisdom tidbits, right?! I also thought the two new maids-in-training added depth to the story and covered for Juan’s departure. I’m venturing a guess that there’s another book in the works and that Prose has a mini-series in mind.

You can anticipate this sequel with confidence - it’s a fantastic continuation of Molly’s story.

I was gifted this copy by Penguin Random House Canada, Viking and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

At first I was a little sceptical that Nita Prose could recapture the quirky appeal of Molly the maid at the Regency Grand, but after a few pages, I was soon drawn back into her world. The novel acquires more depth with the parallel development of Molly's back story covering her childhood when her beloved Gran looked after her due to the absence of Molly's mother who remains a shadowy figure, but makes a tantalizing and brief appearance midway through.
The story centers around the possible poisoning death of renowned crime author, J.D. Grimthorpe, who we discover has ties with both Molly and her Gran. The author deftly weaves this storyline around the quest to unmask the culprit, led by Detective Stark, Molly's nemesis in the first book. Surprisingly, she soon turns to Molly, a stickler for the smallest detail, for help in solving the crime.
This book was basically a cozy mystery, which is not my favourite genre because of the overly simplistic police procedures and slight unbelievability of Molly's part in solving the crime, but fans of the genre will find this an entertaining and satisfying read and undoubtedly look forward to the next instalment in the series.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 116 of 2023. I loved THE MAID, and I was thrilled to read @nitaprose’s second book in the series. This one did not disappoint. Prose is so fantastic at developing characters. So many funny moments as well as those moments that bring you to tears. I loved the dual timelines as well. I was not expecting who did it, but all of the evidence was there. Cozy mysteries are not always my favourite, but this one I loved! A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for sure. #avivaandfriendsrecos

Awesome! I think I loved it even more than the first book, The Maid.
Nita Prose’s flair for writing and use of colloquialisms make reading her books such a treat. I couldn’t put it down and yet I didn’t want to finish it either. I hope there’s another Molly book in the works.
The Mystery Guest could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading/enjoying The Maid first in order to maximize the reading pleasure.
Thank You to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Nita Prose for the opportunity to read and thoroughly enjoy this ARC

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for sending me an advance read e-copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. I loved revisiting the world of Molly Gray.

Molly is the central character of the novel. She is brilliantly created and stands strong from the first book, The Maid, through to The Mystery Guest.

Every now and then I like to dive into a cozy mystery. I consider The Maid and The Mystery Guest to be cozy mysteries in the delightful and entertaining stories and characters. Nita Prose has created a world between cozy mystery and a thriller.

In The Mystery Guest there is another murder at the upscale hotel where Molly is the head maid. Characters from the past return and more new and colorful people join the story.

While reading The Mystery Guest, I find that I am cheering for Molly from start to finish. Well done.

From the author of The Maid, the internationally bestselling phenomenon that’s since sold more than one million copies in over forty countries, comes another delightfully cozy mystery featuring the wonderful Molly Gray and her comrades at the Regency Grand Hotel.

It’s been four years since prominent guest Mr. Black was discovered dead in his bed one morning by Molly, with all fingers pointing to back to her as the prime suspect. Proven innocent after a lengthy investigation, Gray has since moved on with life, now Head Maid, she’s found comfort in a relationship with Juan Manuel and weekly dinners with doorman Mr. Preston.

All is well, until one morning, a well-known writer named J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead on the hotel’s tearoom floor before revealing a long-held secret to the press. When Detective Stark shows up on the scene, it becomes clear the cause of death is murder. How has Molly the Maid found herself in the middle of yet another murder investigation?

As it turns out, Molly’s encounter with Grimpthorpe at the Regency the morning before his death is not the first time she’s met him. She’s hiding something, and as a suspect in the investigation, she must take a trip down memory lane with her beloved Gran to clear her name. While doing so, Molly learns more about herself and her past than she intends to. Nita Prose reminds us to never underestimate a hotel maid, least of all, Molly Gray.

The Mystery Guest is a modern-day Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote. While this heartwarming whodunit can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading The Maid first.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Nita Prose for this ARC!

After devouring “The Maid” last year, I didn’t realize it would be the start of a series. To be frank, I wasn’t sure Molly’s adventures really necessitated a series. Nevertheless, “The Mystery Guest” was a pleasant surprise! Although the storyline didn’t captivate or entertain me as much as “The Maid” did, this is still a—dare I say it—well-polished story on its own.

<u>The Mystery Guest</u> - a well-polished mystery

The Regency Grand Hotel, in a bid to restore its tarnished reputation, hosted a conference featuring prolific and best-selling mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe. Alas, his sudden death as he stepped up to the podium did not bring the lustre so desired by the hotel management.

It's been four (book) years since we last encountered Molly the Maid, and she has flourished in our absence. With a boost to her confidence via promotion and a new and decent partner at her side, Molly has become a more rounded person. This is somewhat unfortunate - much of what there was to love about the first book was seeing the square peg fit into the round hole. However, life goes on, and it does make sense that Molly would adapt to her surroundings. The rest of the characters are as they were in the first mystery, and new characters have been added to the cast.

Though much of the story is present day, flashbacks add both clarity and background to Molly's story. The mystery (set in contemporary times) was a more traditional version in this particular novel. Whereas the first book could very much have been a standalone, this story is definitely a part of a series. And while it is a standard mystery, there is nothing basic about the storytelling. The quirkiness of the main character is charm personified and the writing is par excellence.

I adored <u>The Maid</u>, and I love <u>The Mystery Guest</u>. I recommend both highly, but suggest they be read in order.


A sincere thank you to Nita Prose, Random House-Ballantine, and Netgalley for an Advance Reader's Copy.

This is another great book from Nita Prose. I loved the Maid and I equally love The Mystery Guest. Molly is a person you can’t help falling in love with. She is so unique and so innocent. The twists and turns keep you reading and not wanting to stop.

Quirky Molly the Maid is back! I must say, when I read The Maid, it was such a unique book with one of the best characters I have ever read about in a book. I was so thrilled that she is in another whodunit mystery.

This time a famous author dies in the hotel, right before his big announcement. We never get to know what he was going to reveal. I knew I could count on Molly to get to the bottom of the situation, after she gets herself out of one, again. I also loved the new Lily character. I just need to see these characters come to life on the big screen.

Please, I need a movie or tv show. Now.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley, and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose reunites readers with the unforgettable, quirky, and wholly unique Molly Gray from The Maid, and that, in itself, brings pure joy.

Molly has been employed at the five-star Regency Hotel and has finally achieved the pinnacle status of Head Maid. Molly has learned everything she knows from her beloved, now departed, Gran, and strives to impart this wisdom to maid-in-training, Lily. When a well-known author suddenly drops dead at the hotel on the cusp of delivering a momentous announcement, the maids are once again in the frame for murder. Will Molly's sharp eye for detail and skills of deductive reasoning puzzle out the truth of the matter before anyone else is hastily accused?

Told entirely from Molly's often naive, though sharp, perspective, and alternating between the past and present, Prose has fleshed out her delightfully enigmatic protagonist, successfully leaving the reader sated for now, but hungry for more. Without revealing any spoilers, the ending does suggest that a series may be forthcoming, and I fervently hope that, as Gran would promise in her infinite wisdom, good things come to those wait.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the privilege of an ARC.

Rating: 3.8 / 5

So, here we are, friends--at the end of a sequel that many people didn't expect or, in some cases, want. Just to be clear going into this review though, when I first read The Maid, I DID want there to be more books featuring Molly, as I just love her as a character, and therefore was not at ALL against this book or when into it with negative prejudice.

HOWEVER

That won't stop me from being honest in my review, which must start by saying that it just doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor. Like...not at all. In fact, it kind of makes me think, seriously, that The Maid really could work well just as a standalone, since it's unique and quirky whereas The Mystery Guest is....well, just kind of standard.

So, in a spoiler-free way, let me elaborate on why the quality of this work is diminished from the first book of what will now be a series--and yes, I WILL be following along with the series, despite the fact that this book is lukewarm whereas the first one came in hot and steaming--and what readers should be aware of going in.

1. The plot is...not that developed this time around
Remember the twists and turns of the first book? Of how we were introduced to a mystery that was really a stunner, where we had no idea what happened and then there was that twist at the end that changed how you'll view the entire story? Oh, and also that sub-plot that got our poor Molly into trouble? Stakes were high and tensions just rose and rose?

Well...we don't get that this time around.

The way this book is written, I get the sense, honestly, that there just isn't as much heart put into it, and that maybe Nita Prose did write The Maid as a standalone, but then was pressured by her publisher and editors to write another book because money talks and all that. All hail the almighty dollar, y'know!

But, the problem is, that it's hard to hit two home runs in a row, even for the most seasoned authors, and so for a newer debut author like Nita Prose, I think it's unfair to expect that.

In this story, we have the chapters alternating back and forth between the present day and Molly's past as a child, which ties in to the case--er, somewhat loosely I should say. Both storylines are interesting enough, but I found myself annoyed having to go back and forth between them, especially in trying to find the connections in some way. Even once I realized the connections, admittedly they're pretty weak. This leads me to conclude that the author didn't have enough of a basis to really make this a "bam, wham, awesome!" mystery, and instead had to make a smaller plot FEEL bigger, by expanding on her wordcount via a forced backstory that only somewhat connects.

So...yeah, it's choosing to take the ten mile trail when the two mile trail will get you to exactly the same place, and then you realize at the end that it wasn't worth it.

I'm just saying, to conclude on this point, it feels forced and...irregular.

2. Molly, oh Molly--what happened?
*sighs* This isn't a BIG downgrade, but it is noticeable, in my opinion. See, what I loved the most about the Maid is the character of Molly Gray herself: she's "special", socially inept, exacting, quirky, outcast, different, etc. She's the female equivalent of an obnoxious or annoying Sheldon Cooper, or maybe the less-misanthropic version of Eleanor Oliphant.

In other words, she's delightful and, above all, unique.

But...in this sequel, I guess because the author has to assume that Molly has "developed", this is all changed. In this case, "developed" means becoming more "normal" by bs societal standards, which unfortunately tones down all that was loveable and original about Molly from before. She's not as clueless this time around, and a good portion of the characters around her are reacting to how they "underestimated her", but then gain a newfound respect for her. Now, this would be FINE, if only Molly herself didn't feel so changed.

Like...the only way I can compare it is like taking a miniature sculpture of Michelangelo's David, and then crushing it up and remolding it into the standard shape of the bathroom sign of a "Man". In Molly's case, it takes her own uniqueness and relegates her into being a standard cozy mystery / mystery heroine, which in most cases is not unique apart from just "being observant" a good deal of the time.

I'll grant you, this isn't an obvious change or even an abrupt change, but by the end of the story it IS felt, and it feels like a step backwards.

3. And the final murderer is...

Underwhelming. Again, spoiler-free here, but let's just say that the final result of everything is not at all good at delivering what you'd expect. Even with the title "The Mystery Guest", I don't really get who that means or how it connects to the plot. I have an IDEA, grant you, but it still feels like an inappropriate title and isn't what I expected via a last-minute twist that's brilliant and was there all along but we just didn't see it.

There is...no twist, in my opinion. Maybe some readers will be fooled (I guess?) and think that there is a twist, but ultimately it's not a great one. There's absolutely nothing here that a seasoned mystery reader wouldn't have guessed already.

________________

CONCLUSION

To confirm, I'm not saying that any of the above constitutes lazy writing, because...no, it doesn't. Instead, I'd say that it constitutes forced writing, and this is quite different. I'd like to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say that the environment around her forced her into this, as the Maid had more success than perhaps even she anticipated. Positive reception to a great original piece will force crappy sequels/remakes, after all. *ahemDisneyahem*

Not to say that this is crappy or anything though because, despite how harsh I have seemingly been above in pointing out its faults (though, granted, these DO encompass the entire book), this is still something that I'm rounding up to 4 stars.

The reason for this is simple: because, all in all, it isn't a bad book.

It's not cringey or nonsensical or even particularly boring. No, it still has hints of the flair of Molly the Maid, that same recycled charm and SOME touches of depth that helped the first book succeed so well.

BUT

I am advising all readers to take that in their stride and not expect the same magnum opus that the first book was. I also don't want to discourage anyone from pursuing this as a series, because I still think that it DOES have merit as a series moving forward, especially as the author even left some room for sequel material near the end--no doubt, at the behest of her publishers.

So, dear friends who've read through this rant, I do recommend reading forward in this series (hopefully with a dark green cover in book 3, because that's just how I'm picturing it), but just maybe don't expect greatness as you got from the first book.

At least, speaking of just The Mystery Guest, you won't get it, and so maybe wait for book 3 to see if we get back anything that we really loved in book 1. I think it's worth the wait, in all fairness.

It is a pleasure to meet the delightful and quirky Molly again. About four years have passed since she began working at the prestigious 5-Star Regency Hotel, and she is proud to hold the position of Head Maid now. She is a unique narrator; her thoughts and dialogue are a joy to read. She cleans and polishes to perfection and now oversees a new maid-in-training, Lily, who is anxious to follow Molly's directions. The new girl is quite nervous and barely speaks. The hotel manager holds Molly in high regard.

Molly's work ethic and polite behaviour are ruled by the sayings and rhymes her now deceased Gran repeated to her. These contained much wit and wisdom, and Molly tries to impart them to Lily. An exciting event is being prepared at the Grand Tea Room in the hotel. J.D. Grimthorpe, a world-famous and acclaimed mystery writer, is holding a meeting where his dedicated fans will be waiting for him to announce a career statement publicly. He takes the stage to applause, and after drinking tea sweetened with honey, he drops dead before the audience can learn about his announcement.

Enter Detective Sharpe, Molly's nemesis, who mistakingly blamed Molly for the previous death in the hotel. The honey pot and the writer's cue cards have gone missing from the stage. Molly's eye for detail lets her observe things others might miss. Detective Sharpe suspects that Molly and Lily may have something to do with Grimthorpe's death. Both had a hand in serving the tea, which is now proven to contain poison. Molly is stoic but knows she must solve the crime to save the frightened Lily from being wrongly accused.

This is a cozy mystery told with humour, but the crime is complex. There are many suspects among the hotel staff. Besides Molly and Lily, there is Serena, Grimthorpe's secretary, Mr.Preston, the beloved doorman, and Cheryl, who used to be a head maid and steals tips meant for the other maids. There is also a maid who is a true crime fan and is excited for the chance to follow this murder investigation up close. Mr. Preston has a secret he wants time to share with Molly. Molly once worked in Grimthorpe's grand home beside her Gran and does not want this connection to the volatile writer revealed.

There are stories about Molly's background that shows how she has matured over the years but detracted from the complicated mystery. There was a time when she was being forced to repeat a grade in school despite exceptional academic marks, but a failure in social development. Her Gran removed her from school and brought her to train as a maid at the Grimthorpe residence. Molly loved the work and only wanted a future cleaning and polishing. I thought the past incidents could be a separate book. I also felt Molly constantly repeating Gran's wisdom was overdone.

Sharpe gradually solves the mystery with much help and input from Molly and, eventually, Lily. Detective Sharpe is very impressed by Molly's observations and sharp deductions. She tries to persuade Molly to change careers, but Molly is precisely where she wants to be in life, as Head Maid.
I was pleased and thankful to receive the ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Random House, Canada (Viking). The publication date is set for November 28th. I highly recommend it to all those who loved the previous book and want to enjoy Molly's further adventures.