Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this follow up to the Maid! It was a fun peek into Molly's past with her gran and a fun follow up mystery. I really enjoyed following Molly's thought process as she attempted to solve the mystery and her compassion for others is inspiring. Highly recommend if you enjoy cozy mysteries!

Remind me never to stay at the Regency Grand. There’s always a lot of malarkey f going on there. M-A-L-A-R-K-E-Y— meaning nonsense. Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for my copy of this. Sorry I didn’t get to it before pub day. It’s out now!

🗝️ Molly the Maid is such a great character, and this book gives us a little more insight into why she is the way she is. We get more stories of her childhood, her time with her Gran, and her history with her mother.

🗝️ Read this if you love…
- the first book!
- cozy mysteries
- books with neurodivergent MC’s

🗝️ I really enjoyed The Maid and this was an easy, pleasant and enjoyable listen. Did we NEED a second book? Not necessary, but ultimately I’m glad I read it.

Thank you NetGalley! I had looked forward to this ever since I heard there would be a sequel to The Maid. Molly is her usual quirky self and now she gets to prove how useful and strong and smart she really is, when everything goes nuts at her hotel and she has to dig into her past to find answers. If you liked The Maid you will love this!

The Mystery Guest did not disappoint! I just love Molly’s character. Yet again she is called upon to solve at murder at her hotel.

I had high expectations after reading “The Maid.” Pleasantly surprised that those expectations were met. Nita Prose writes as though she herself is the protagonist, fully in the mind and voice of the character she created. The style is not overly wordy, but simple and compelling. Excellent follow up!

When you love book one in a new series, it's always a bit nerve-wracking to read the author's sophomore effort. Will they be able to keep up the standards in book two? I am happy to report that The Mystery Guest, the author's second outing with maid Molly Gray, is every bit as delightful and engaging as the first book. In my case, I think I even liked it better.

Author Nita Prose has managed to create such a strong voice in the character of Molly, and she never missteps. I love all of Molly's little cleaning quips, saved from her Gran's wisdom. We see some of the same characters in Book 2, and it is good to revisit them.

Molly once again comes across murder at The Regency Grand Hotel. This time it is distinguished mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly is in the thick of solving this mystery, using her somewhat unconventional observation powers. And she has a secret. She actually knew the author when she was a child.

I really enjoyed the glimpses into Molly and Gran's past, especially as it pertained to the Grimthorpe's. Molly is not as busy proving herself this time out as she was in the first book, and that just gives her more time to be her delightful self.

I realize that this quirky character and rather madcap mystery might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I absolutely loved it! One of my favorite reads so far in 2024!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House/Ballentine for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be approved for The Mystery Guest. I loved Nita Prose's first book, The Maid, so much. Molly is a quirky character, who put integrity and loyalty first, as she seeks to solve a mystery. Who murdered the author? In The Mystery Guest we see Molly grow quite a bit and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Being posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble awaiting approval. Auto sent to Goodreads.

The Mystery Guest is the delightful, cozy, unputdownable sequel to The Maid by Nita Prose.

I had already been a fan of the endearing protagonist Molly Gray in The Maid and couldn’t wait to read the sequel. Nita Prose didn’t disappoint! To the contrary, she delivered a great, easy-to-consume mystery novel.

The story revolves around JD Grimthorpe, a celebrated author and his sudden decease when he on stage of Regency Grand Hotel to deliver a speech and unearth a secret.

Molly’s eye and ear for detail will help Detective Stark to think ‘around the corner’ to identify the ‘rat in its nest’.

I also loved getting to know Molly better. Her memories of her gran and mother helped me understand how her personality was shaped.

By the end of the novel, I was positively overwhelmed by a wonderful secret Mr. Preston shared with Molly.

Nita Prose you had rocked your debut novel and had sparked my interest in further cozy mystery novels! So, I am very glad that you and NetGalley granted me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Molly the Maid is as intrepid as ever, and while I enjoyed the character development, I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the first. I do hope it becomes a series, because I will keep reading to see where Molly goes next!

after reading the first book i couldn’t wait to read the sequel. the characters are always fun and likable. the plot is always interesting and compelling to read. i can’t wait to read more from the author.

I was very happy to have another book in this series! Molly’s character is a favorite for sure. This book felt a little more rushed than the first book, though.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a decent sequel to The Maid, but ultimately, did not live quite up to my expectations. I think that representation is very important in literature, and I wish that Prose had decided to formally mention in The Mystery Guest that Molly is either autistic or lands somewhere on the spectrum, instead of dancing around her diagnosis by giving vague references to Molly being "special". The disability representation by a neurotypical author did not work well, in my opinion. The mystery was alright, but I ultimately wasn't super invested in it.

Dare I say I enjoyed this more than The Maid!? This book was the perfect, cozy, Clue kind of mystery read! Molly is Molly-ing more than ever and now she has a side kick! We got a bit more of Molly and Gran’s past and how it tied into the current mystery of “the author, dead in the tearoom, murder weapon honey and tea!”

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first! Molly the Maid is such a well thought out character. Her quirkiness and bluntness makes this book!

If you enjoyed the first book in this series I definitely recommend The Mystery Guest! There were a few plot twists that I wasn’t expecting! This was a quick read for me mainly because I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a fun, quick whodunit and the second book in Prose’s Maid series. This time our titular character must solve a murder that has occurred in her beloved hotel in order to protect a fledgling trainee. I definitely enjoyed this installment more than the first one and thought certain subjects were handled better this time around including the portrayal of an autistic character.

Molly the maid is a cozy mystery series and Molly is truly a sweetheart who keeps getting caught during the worst times being a maid. It’s a quick read and I love the narrator for the audiobooks. It’s definitely not a fast paced or super intriguing storyline (for my liking anyway). I think if there’s a 3rd in this series I probably wouldn’t be picking it up right away.

THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Okay so THE MAID was the perfect quirky book for me (as seen in my favorite quirky books series below) so when I saw a sequel was coming out, I was so excited! And it delivered! Read this one for a lighthearted quirky uplifting mystery with heartwarming undertones - what more could you ask for in a feel good book.

I still probably liked THE MAID a little more, as there was something uniquely uplifting about getting to know this unique cast of characters for the first time and it maybe felt more novel? But still enjoyed this one!

Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

I loved the first one and the second is even better. The head maid is a great character and the mystery of trying to figure out who did it was engaging.

LOVE Molly the Maid!! She is back and better than ever. When an acclaimed author dies at the hotel, Molly knows her skills will help find the killer! But will what she finds destroy her faith in humanity?