This was my first book from this author. It is a quick and pleasant read.
Molly, the maid, is mixed up in the death of a hotel guest, which also happens to be someone she knew as a child.
The story is a who-done-it murder mystery with parts of Molly's childhood divulged.

As a child, Molly was bullied in school and had learning difficulties. Her grandmother, who was her guardian and a maid herself, takes her out of school. Without a babysitter, Molly's grandmother decides to bring her to her workplace - a private mansion. At the mansion, Molly is mesmerized by all the 'treasures' she discovers and the people she meets while her grandmother works.

The murderer of the hotel guest is identified, and Molly's personal story wraps up at the very end of the book while hinting to a future book, hopefully.

Just finished my Buddy Read of The Mystery Guest with @sweetbookishlife I loved the first Molly book and really enjoyed the sequel too.

In this book, a famous author is booked to give an announcement in the tearoom of the hotel but he dies just beforehand. Molly now has to deal with Detective Stark again but they both realize Molly knows things that can help the Detective solve the case. I also love how we start to get more of Molly’s childhood through flashbacks and still get to hear from her gran through those as well.

I find these books easy and cute reads. They suck me in and keep me hooked. This was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me

Is anyone else hoping we continue to see more of Molly?

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #bookwormsofinstagram #igreads #booksofinstagram #crimewithaclaw #thepageflippers #bookishbabesengagement #bookishgroup #bookishbunch #booksfriendswithbenefits #netgalley #netgalleyreview #penguinrandomhouse #themysteryguest #buddyread

Title: The Mystery Guest
Author: Nita Prose
Series: Molly the Maid, #2
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: November 28, 2023

I received complimentary eARC from Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Cozy • Comforting • Accessible

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J.D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tea room floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J.D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows that she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past—because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly must comb her memory for clues, and revisit her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where her dearly departed Gran once worked. With Molly and her colleagues under investigation, she knows she must solve the mystery post-haste. And if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it's that dirty secrets don’t stay buried forever...

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Mystery Guest was my final selection for my personal book of the month project in 2023. I selected it because I absolutely adored The Maid, but also because I like showing my support for Canadian authors. Molly the maid found a way into my heart, and I was eager to be back in her world.

Alternating between the present timeline where renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead during an important announcement at the Regency Grand Hotel, and the past when Molly was ten and tagging along with her Gran to the Grinthorpe residence, this novel is lighthearted, even while tackling some significant topics. Molly is one of those characters that has found a special place in my heart, and so I really appreciated getting a glimpse into her past. Molly is the star of the show, yet the secondary characters, particularly Molly's tight knit circle of supporters, were equally as endearing. I just love how the author continues to incorporate Gran into the story even though she has died.

The mystery is fairly low risk, and unfolds at a steady pace as the past slowly provides clues to what happened. There is definitely a need to suspend disbelief at times, but isn't that a signature aspect of cozies? The sleuthing and aspects of the plot did feel eerily similar to The Maid, yet it didn't deter my interest.

Was this book necessary? Probably not. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely! Would read more books starring Molly the Maid? 100%! I can understand why some people would be underwhelmed, yet I personally loved this feel-good story. Although it is marketed as part of a series, The Mystery Guest could easily be read as a stand alone, which is how the author intended it, despite it being marketed as part of a series. I will definitely be curious to see if Nita Prose's next book includes Molly, or whether she chooses to create a new set of characters.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• cozy mystery enthusiasts
• fans of endearing characters

⚠️ CW: murder, death, grief, sexual harassment, sexual assault, ableism, emotional abuse, mental illness, addiction, alcoholism, drug use, drug abuse, toxic relationship, abandonment, bullying, misogyny, sexism, classism, cursing

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"You can fight monsters you can see, or you can run away from them. But the invisible ones are inescapable."

"And what is hope if not the decision to shine light into the dark?"

"It doesn't matter if you understand another person's pain because their injury is real nonetheless."

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is the second book in her Maid series. Again we follow Molly Gray, meticulous maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, where yet another guest has mysteriously dropped dead. This time, it's a famous author on the cusp of making a grand announcement.

This was a fun book that really let Molly's personality shine. The storyline jumps between the present and the past, when a ten-year-old Molly intersected with the murder victim. Clues in the past lead to the solution in the present.

I do believe the mystery in this book is a bit simpler than in the first one, but I enjoyed it. It was great to see a return of characters from the first book, with a few new characters. We also get to learn more about Molly's past, and there's some character growth. I do think a few plot points were unnecessary, but they didn't hamper the story

Nita Prose has done it again! This was a quick and easy-to-read murder mystery featuring Molly, from The Maid. It was cute and witty and quite enjoyable.

After finishing The Mystery Guest, all I can say is: Nita Prose, please give me more of Molly the maid!

What do I say about one of my favourite characters? Molly simply has a part of my heart! Put Gran, Mr. Preston and Juan Manuel in that category too, because who is Molly without the wonderful people in her life - those who are always accepting her just as she is!? (I like to think that Sally Diamond and Molly Gray are best friends. Can you imagine?)

If I only got to read about Molly’s grocery shopping experience, I know it would be a compelling and endearing story! Instead, we are lucky to watch her eagerly help solve the mysteries at the Regency Grand Hotel where she works as a maid. Molly is full of charm, unknowing wit and determination, and she is one of the best!

That’s it!

Oh, and I loved learning more about Molly’s past in this one!

This book (and The Maid) are fun mysteries that have solidified my love of this genre!

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Viking for the complimentary copy to read and review.

*ARC Review* 🔅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑮𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝑵𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Adult General Fiction
Pub date: Nov 27, 2023
Rating: 4🌟

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Mystery Guest is book 2 in the ‘Molly the Maid’ series, the first being ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose. Although this book is technically part of a series, it is one that you could potentially read as a stand-alone and still have it make sense. That said, I would still recommend reading ‘The Maid’ first so you can really get to know Molly and all of her little ‘intricacies’.

I’m not normally a proponent of sequels when the first seemed to have a tidy finish, however, The Mystery Guest brought new twists and turns that did not disappoint. In this sequel, we take a trip down memory lane and learn about the life experiences that made Molly who she is. If you were a fan of The Maids, I recommend picking up The Mystery Guest.

⚠️Potential trigger warnings:
* alcoholism
* sexual abuse

I was so excited to hear Molly the maid was back!!

This book had a dual timeline line which I enjoyed. The past that showed us Molly’s childhood and how important Gran was in who she became Then there was the present and the murder of a guest at the Regency Grand.

Molly being so intuitive was the one that Detective Stark listened to at the end to help find the murderer.

The ending of The Mystery Guest had me hugging the book. I absolutely loved it!

Even though this book could be read as a standalone I would recommend reading The Maid first to learn more about Molly and her character.

I look forward to reading more by this author!

I enjoyed this great follow-up to The Maid. I love how Molly’s character is being developed. Hoping for the next sequel of this quirky sleuth!

Highly recommend.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin Random House Canada,Viking

I loved this book. The sequel was such a great way to continue with the main character and all that ensues with her on the job. I am definitely hoping for a third book. Thanks to net gallery and the publisher for this ARC.

A good follow up to The Maid… Molly returns, a new woman it seems. I understand Molly was meant to have grown as a person between the the first and this second book, but I felt like this growth was too much and Molly lost some of her character. That said, I did enjoy this easy read, nice cozy mystery.

3.75 stars

“It doesn’t matter if you understand another person’s pain because their injury is real nonetheless.”

The above line was lovely and, to me, encapsulated an important takeaway from the book. I enjoyed revisiting the quirky protagonist and found myself constantly guessing (incorrectly) what the outcome of the story would be. As with the first novel, and it was a really satisfying mix of lighthearted and more serious situations. I liked it and will probably read the next book, if that’s a thing that happens.

That being said, if Molly becomes a cop, I’ll be done with the series lol.

Reading The Mystery Guest was like visiting with a dear friend.
Thank you @penguinrandomca for my eARC for review!
It's after the events of @nitaprose The Maid, with Molly Gray adjusting to life without her gran. On the positive side, Molly is thriving in her new position as Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel, and life with Juan Manuel.
The hotel is the host site of an event featuring celebrated and pompous author J.D. Grimthorpe - and it's the last place he will ever visit alive.
Also in The Mystery Guest, we learn of Molly's life as a child, when gran worked as an estate maid for the Grimthorpes.
I enjoyed both storylines, but the early years of Molly and gran were especially interesting to me. It was a treat to read the backstories of such memorable and lovable characters.
Some sequels can be read as standalones, though personally I recommend experiencing The Maid before this one.
Recommended!
For release on Nov. 28.

This was a quirky one! It was a quick read and I really enjoyed some of it but some also fragged a bit. I really like Mollys character and was excited to read about her again! I loved her and her Gran + seeing how Molly became a maid. I could’ve used more mystery though.

I really enjoyed Molly the maid so the second one did not disappoint!
I enjoyed how it gave more back story about her childhood and we got to know gran better.
Hopefully there will be a third in the series

I enjoyed this book. The main character Molly, is portrayed as being either autistic or ocd (or both) and her unique view on the world is both intriguing, and can also be frustrating. This being the second book in the series we learn more about Molly's past. The back and forth between the past and present was helpful to give this information, though at times it was a bit distracting to be in one part of the story and then jump back to the other part. The mystery aspect of this story was fun and I enjoyed trying to solve it, and did in fact put most of the pieces together before the reveal, but there were a few places where the story dragged a bit and made it difficult to remain engaged.

If you enjoy a cozy mystery that is a bit out of the usual, and with a neurodivergent main character, I think you would like reading about Molly the Maid.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this second novel in Prose’s “Molly the Maid” series. I read it quickly and thoroughly hated to put it down. I would love to see more of Molly, but also look forward to a different story from Prose in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC of this novel.

I had higher hopes for this sequel after enjoying The Maid, a hotel-themed murder mystery as told by a
neurodivergent maid, but this left something to be desired. The story unfolded more slowly and focused more on the flashbacks than unraveling the mystery. There was more suspense in The Maid than this story too.

I enjoyed this entertaining, cozy, classic feel mystery. I love the character Molly and the writing. For the murder part, I wondered why the murderer didn’t get rid of all the evidence since she seemed to have time to do so.

I was so excited to learn about Molly the Maid's return in the this sequel! She is definitely one of my favourite literary characters ever, and this book has reminded me exactly why!

The Mystery Guest is set once again in the five-star boutique hotel, The Regency Grand. While Molly has grown as a person and as a maid in this sequel, this book still brings forward Molly's same unique and quirky sense of humor! I loved seeing the return of some of my favourite catch phrases about good eggs and tissues 🥚🤧 😉 (those who know, know)!

The Mystery Guest has a similar premise to the first book in the current duology: there is a mysterious death of an important guest at the hotel and Molly and her sidekicks find themselves at the forefront of the investigation, which, as can be expected, is filled with bumps and obstacles along the way.

I highly recommend reading the first book in order to be fully able to appreciate this sequel. Both books were easy five stars for me! I'm crossing my fingers for more books in this duology, which I think isn't impossible! I'm also looking forward to more movie news on this one, which is in itself a mystery...

Read if you like:
🔎 Cozy mysteries
🗯 Quirky humor
❤ Endearing characters

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.