I just finished The Mystery Guest, Molly the maid book 2 by Nita Prose and I have to say, the PR box I received from @penguinhouseca was a real winner for me! A tissue for your issue… I don’t wanna use them haha

Anyway, here is my review!!

Molly Gray isn’t like you and me. Her talents lie in the small details and correct etiquette that befits her position as head maid at the 5 star regency grand hotel. Molly’s life couldn’t get any better. A man who loves her, a job she adores and her life is structured just so. When novelist JD Grimthorpe decides to use the hotel to make a big announcement, Molly springs into action to make everything perfect. What she couldn’t have planned is his death during his speech.

Detective Stark is on the case much to Molly’s chagrin and it soon becomes clear that JD was murdered. Too many suspects and so little time… Could it have been Lily, the new trainee who served JD before he died? Or his surly assistant who disappeared before he hit the floor? Maybe Mr Preston who seems to know JD and cannot hide his disdain for the man.

Molly races against the clock to figure out who killed him before the detective finds out that her Gran used to work for him when she was a child and there are many dirty secrets hidden there too.

Ah Molly! I have missed you so! I grew to love her character in the maid and seeing how much she has grown a few years later was magnificent to see. I love the hotel too so I was so glad to find the book was also based mostly in the hotel and with the flashbacks of Molly working with her gran at JD Grimthorpe’s home. Seeing the struggles Molly had growing up with her obvious neurodivergent tendencies, was so well done. I have neurodivergent kids so seeing the author use their talents to help show a person with difficulties succeed…. I loved it. The book was beautifully written and I devoured the whole book in one sitting.

I do hope there is another book in the near future. I liked the idea that Detective Stark had about a career change for Molly with her skills of near perfect attention to the smallest detail, she could be anything she wants to be. I missed Juan in this book. I would have liked to have seen more of them together instead of him being away and the little twist at the end with Mr Preston…. OH MY HEART!!!!

I thought the mystery was so clever and I never guessed who it was so I was super surprised at the end and how clever Molly was to figure it out by…. HA! I’m not going to spoil it. Read it for yourself because you will not be sorry.

5 stars! I also got a digital copy of this book from @netgalley so thank you for my gifted copy too!

#themysteryguest #nitaprose #mollythemaid #booklover #reader #bookish #bookstagram #readercommunity #bookreview #penguinreader

A fun follow up to the much beloved The Maid. Was great to revisit the characters, especially the neurodiverse Molly, and get taken on another murder to solve.

Thank you to Ballantine Books via NetGalley for this cozy, fantastic read!

Molly is back again folks and honestly I’m thrilled. Mostly Gran and her little tid bits of joy and wisdom and overall just being the best Gran ever have me coming back for more.

This book was great!! Lots of mystery, lots of Cheryl hating, lots of new characters but also keeping with the same, and was interesting in a quick-paced kind of way. Really enjoyed it!!

4/5 ⭐️

Move over, Detective Monk. Molly the Maid is dusting your doors on the way past.

Set at the fabulous Art Deco Regency Grand Hotel, a five star boutique establishment, this is an early-body mystery, in which a award-winning and famously irascible mystery author drops dead during his special appearance in the hotel's tea room. The maid-in-training who prepared his tea is the chief suspect.

But our new head maid, Molly, is not having it. She was once accused of murder in this very hotel and rose above to clear her name with the help of Charlotte, the brilliant daughter of the hotel’s doorman. She's determined to protect her underling by finding the real killer.

It’ll be an uphill struggle. All she has to go on is the unfinished/rudely interrupted statement by the famous deceased that he was about to reveal a long-held secret to his dedicated fans. And the odd behavior of one unpleasant maid with designs on Molly's job, yet who lacks the cleaning skills or dedication that Molly learned over many years of observing and assisting her now-deceased Gran, whose advice still whispers in her head at opportune times.

Molly’s voice is crisp and engaging. She’s a collector of the lonely, a comforter of the lovelorn, and supremely competent, relied upon by Mr Snow, the manager. He’s not the only supporting character who comes to life with a few well-chosen phrases, but Molly is the deftly created and wholly supportable star of the whole shebang. She's coded convincingly autistic, which adds a few layers of both good and bad to her investigative process.

Good: she is highly observant and remembers a lot of what she sees.

Bad: she frequently alienate police officers and other people who should not be antagonized.

Does she overcome all that, and her own dubious family history, to solve the crime?

Well, this isn't her first swing on the roundabout of murder. But for that history you'll need to read the widely acclaimed 'The Maid' where we first make her acquaintance.

Go for it. It's a strong mystery, well crafted and written, with a bonus of solid representation for autistic and neurodivergent people in the workforce.

Firstly, I'd like to express my gratitude to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an Advance Copy in exchange for my thoughts on this book.

Molly is back in a second story, and once again, there's a murder mystery unfolding at the Regency Grand Hotel. J.D. Grimthrope, an established author, had plans to make a significant announcement at the hotel, but fate had other plans. He abruptly collapses at the very beginning of his announcement.

Having read the first book, I can confidently say that I enjoyed this one even more. However, if you haven't had the chance to read the initial installment, you can certainly start here as this book functions well as a standalone.

In this sequel, I found Molly to be a more relatable character. Despite her neurodivergent nature, she felt more accessible in this story compared to the previous one.

This is a delightful cozy mystery that I highly recommend for a delightful escape into its world. I would rate this book 4.5 out of five.

Molly Gray is now Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. But once again her world is turned upside down when renowned mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead during a VIP event in the hotel’s tea room.

Molly's previous foe Detective Stark investigates & evidence quickly points towards Lily, the new Maid-in-Training. As the hotel’s pristine reputation is affected, Molly is determined to help find the killer and she has special knowledge about Grimthorpe. When she was a child, Molly's deeply departed Gran had worked at the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion.

By bringing up her childhood memories, Molly is able to piece together the real motive and identity of Grimthorpe's killer.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada. All opinions are my own.

The Mystery Guest follows Molly the maid as she moves forward with her life after the death of a guest at the hotel she works at.

Another death at the hotel means Molly must clean up more messes, while proving that she is indeed innocent.

This book brings us back and forth from Molly’s past and present that lead up to the events of a famous author's death.

It was a great whodunit mystery, and I really enjoyed learning about Molly’s past and how things played out. I would love a book on Mollys Gran and how she grew up.

Molly the Maid is back! The unique and loveable maid from the debut book has returned and another murder has happened at her hotel.

If you enjoyed the first book and all of it's quirky characters and a cozy mystery, you'll like this one too! While this book doesn't have the page turning shock value I often crave, I found it light, easy to read and entertaining overall.

The mystery guest was not a very compelling follow up to The Maid for me. The characters felt more flanderized in this book, and it was frustrating that those who have experience/a relationship with Molly don’t see her for more than what’s on the surface (particularly the detective), i.e. the characterization felt heavy handed.

The suspense was also not well paced, with the flips from one suspect to another not very graceful. I enjoyed the flashbacks a lot - more than the current day plotline - but I think that juxtaposition of storyline’s also didn’t help with the strange pacing.

No doubt I’ll read the next one in the series (as we were left with an obvious opener) but I’ll be crossing my fingers it will be more elegantly done than The Mystery Guest.

Oh how I adore Molly Gray. She's one of my favourite literary characters and reading the Mystery Guest, we learn more of her backstory which ties into the murder. I enjoyed The Mystery Guest more than The Maid. I love Molly's character development throughout both novels as well as how the relationships from the first one has evolved.

This was such a fun read; suspenseful, comical, and cozy with a well curated plot.

Thank you to Penguin Canada and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So great to read this follow-up to The Maid. I love Molly and I love that she has found her people! This time around, the mystery involves someone from Molly's past, which is an excellent way to give readers a glimpse of Molly's past--something many of us were curious about. Looking forward to the next installment from Nita Prose. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Molly the maid is back and trouble is afoot again at the Regency Grand, whether she likes it or not!

When a world renowned mystery authors drops dead in the tearoom before revealing a big secret, all fingers point to the hotel staff. Molly must work with her colleagues to get to the bottom of things and keep her name clean in the process.

As Prose brings back the blunt but lovable character, you’ll be captivated by her voice in both past and present storylines. With a whole cast of colourful characters, you’ll enjoy the antics needed to unveil whodunnit!

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

I was so excited when i was selected to receive and ARC of this book, but then I read the book.

While the story of this book is different from book one, the plot is very much the same with just a few twists thrown in here and there.

We also meet a few new character in this book but most are returning characters from book one, so having rad book one before this I would consider a must.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review by saying that I really enjoyed "The Maid" and felt a strong connection with the main character Molly from whose perspective the novels are told. While it was fun being back with Molly, this new novel seems a bit unnecessary as we don't really get to learn more about Molly (who was the most interesting part of the previous novel) apart from a tiny tidbit at the end. While it was heartening to see her being independent and taking charge of the situation, especially others who may need support like her, it didn't seem to have the same heart that "The Maid" did.

Overall, 'The Mystery Guest" was a very light and quick book but felt like more of the same. The resolution to the mystery was a bit anticlimactic and seemed to come out of nowhere. The mystery was not as interesting or nuanced as the one in the previous novel. The book would have benefited from more appearances by the supporting characters that really rounded out Molly in 'The Maid".

This is quite similar to The Maid. I enjoyed the back story. The mystery lacked a little pizzazz but entertaining enough to get my through my 7 hour flight.

I really like Molly’s quirks. And I like how every one around her accepts her as she is. This author does a great job writing Molly’s character.

The writing in this book is slow and deliberate, somewhat like the protagonist's speech but unlike her excellent and wide ranging mind. A young woman was born into a family of poverty and service becomes the head of the housekeeping in a hotel, whose famous guest dies at a gathering he organized in the hotel. The housekeeping staff (all whom are female) are under suspicion. The head housekeeper recalls the man as the one for whom her grandmother worked and was abused by. The circle of suspicion grows narrower, but the protagonist connects many of the clues that the police overlooked to find the true killer. In this case, the maid is NOT guilty. The book reveals that although one may not have completed formal school studies, the person may nonetheless be very worldly, accomplished and a deep thinker. This book reveals just how prejudiced we all are and in so many different ways. A great opportunity for us all to become more self-reflective and to think before jumping to conclusions. And very well written.

Molly is head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel with a new maid in training under her wing, when a famous mystery writer drops dead during a conference. Suddenly Molly and Lily are at the center of the murder investigation by Detective Stark; the detective who erroneously accused Molly previously. Can Molly’s childhood memories of meeting the writer help her to uncover what happened, or will it make her look more guilty than the detective already thinks she is?

I give this cozy mystery a 4. Likable characters, and a hard to put down story. I had not yet read the first book in the series and had no problem becoming immersed in this one.

Just as delightful as book 1, The Maid. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose brings us back to the Regency Grand Hotel and our favourite maid Molly, now Head Maid. We learn more about her childhood and her beloved Gran as the mystery unfolds. I started with the ebook thanks to #NetGalley and finished with the audiobook - narrated perfectly yet again by Lauren Ambrose. Well done!

This book was awesome!! Even better than the first one!! I couldn’t put it down, read it in 2 days. Nita Prose does not disappoint!!

Thank you to #netgalley #killercrimeclub and #niraprose for the opportunity to read this book.

This story is well written although I do have to say that in the first couple of chapters, the reminder that the main character’s mother was deceased I don’t think was really needed.

The storyline developed well along with the characters. The plot was good and did have me guessing almost to the end. Although a mystery there is also a healing journey for the main character. Seeing pieces of her past getting focused on along with her feelings was well written.


This is a nice cozy mystery and a quick read. Will definitely look forward to more on this series.