What a treat to return to Molly's world! Molly the maid continues to delight in this sequel to The Maid. This time, a prominent author is hosting a press conference at the Regency Grand to make a big announcement. Before he can, he drops dead at the table. It's up to Molly to discover who wanted J.D. Grimthorpe dead, and why. I loved this book, and really enjoyed getting more of Molly's back story. I was a little sad that her boyfriend was on vacation in Mexico for the whole book, but was still glad to see Molly return. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Maid last year and in my opinion, The Mystery Guest is even better! I loved the evolution of the main character from the first book and getting to see a bit more of her backstory. The murder mystery was well developed and kept me guessing until the reveal. I hope we get another book from Molly the maid!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a great sophomore book in the Molly the Maid series. Molly has been promoted to head maid, supervising her former boss. While working an event for a prestigious mystery writer, he drops dead on the tea room floor. It's believed he was poisoned and everyone is a suspect, including Molly. It doesn't help that she has a history with the author - he is her grandmother's former employer. The one that unceremoniously fired her grandmother.

I loved Molly in the first book, and she's just as great in this one. She has the same focus and tenacity when investigating this mystery. She methodically goes through the evidence and information, gathering tidbits that others overlook to piece together the puzzle. I cracked up when a group of older ladies mistakes Molly for an undercover detective, but it does allow her to get some juicy gossip and helpful information. Most of the same characters from book 1 are in this story. Her former supervisor is just as lazy and nasty as before, but Mr. Preston is just as sweet and has become an even closer friend. If you liked the first book, you're going to love this one too.

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books. All opinions are my own.

What an incredible follow-up to Nita Prose's debut, The Maid! This book is somehow even better than the first. The Mystery Guest is set four years after the first novel and Molly, our favorite neurodivergent maid, has grown in confidence and her position. The Regency Grand Hotel, which is still recovering from its first murder, is hoping to get better publicity by hosting a renowned mystery writer for a "surprise announcement." But as the writer keels over, poisoned, everyone at the hotel once again becomes a suspect. And Molly has a surprise past with the writer that she hasn't shared with anyone. I hope we continue to get more Molly the Maid books in this series!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced audiobook copy for an honest reviewThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed this sequel to Nita Prose's The Maid! While, Molly has no official diagnosis listed in the books, many readers, myself included, recognize signs of neurodivergence in the way she thinks and views the world. It does take a minute to settle into the writing style, but I think that it is part of the point. Molly's charming narrative and insight thought processes as she solves the mystery remind those around her, and us as readers, that different is valuable and beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and Nita Prose for the eARC of The Mystery Guest. Another four star read and great story. Molly the maid is back for more and I really enjoyed every minute of it. Love the character and could we see more to come from Molly the detective???? That would be awesome..... Looking forward to more from this author.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is just a charming as The Maid. I didn’t think I could love Molly anymore than I already did but it happened over the course of this book. Molly is so literal and her view of the world can be refreshing at times. At other times, I want to just wrap her up and protect her. Molly is a character that I think about in between books and I really hope we see more of her.

3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads) i struggled to rate this one.
3.5 stars because I struggled to get into it, wasn’t wowed with a plot twist, but I would recommend to certain people! If I had been hooked a little quicker, I would give it 4 stars.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. At the beginning of the book I was dreading it, so much to the point I waited for it to be released so I could listen to it on audio. But once I got into it, I really got invested. In the first book, Molly just made me sad (it’s not explicitly said, but Molly is neurodivergent) because of the bullying she received. However, in this book she really shined and had a confidence about her I really enjoyed. The ending wasn’t super predictable but wasn’t shocking either. However, the epilogue did shock me.

If you’re wanting a thriller- this won’t be what you are looking for.

But if you’re wanting a cozy mystery- I think you’ll enjoy it! I would read the maid first to prevent spoilers, but this can be read as a stand-alone.

The audio on this book was really good and I enjoyed listening to it.

Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Mystery Guest is the sequel to The Maid, a cozy mystery I liked quite a lot. I expected another cozy mystery with a fair conclusion wrapped up in a charming coterie of hotel workers at the luxurious Regency Grand and that is exactly what I got.

Molly is now the head maid and the officious and awful Cheryl works under her supervision. Her beloved Juan Manuel is in Mexico visiting his family. She had hoped to accompany him but was forestalled by an event, the release of a new book by a famous mystery writer with an important announcement that created a mass press event that she had to oversee.

It is a good thing she is there as right in the middle of his announcement, the writer dies and it sure looks like he was poisoned. As it happened, Molly and her maid-in-training were the last to handle the tea cart. Molly has a bit of an inside track as she used to know the author as a child, not that he recognized her.



I really hate to rate The Mystery Guest as a disappointment, but it was. On the good side, the mystery was fair but not too obvious. There were a few herrings swimming around in the story. My struggle was with the overloading of the conversation with the many maxims passed down to Molly by her grandmother and my Molly to her colleagues and maid-in-training. Most of them are trite and shallow and with more than Molly giving them air, they became less a characteristic that developed a character and more of an annoying tic.

I did enjoy catching up with Molly and her colleagues and loved the new characters. I also was pleased by one of the big secrets in Molly’s life coming out and can imagine that becoming more important in a future book which I will probably read because I like Molly. I just think she deserves more interesting words to say.

The Mystery Guest will be released November 29th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Mystery Guest from Ballantine Books | Penguin Random House
Nita Prose author site

Book #2 in the Molly the Maid Series

Molly Gray, the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, takes on another mystery, facing a murder investigation when renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe dies on the premises. As suspects emerge and the hotel's reputation is at stake, Molly, armed with her cleaning skills and memories of the past, races to unravel the mystery before her secrets come to light. Who's the killer? What happened in her past? And why is she the only one that can crack this case? I always enjoy Nina Prose's cozy and fun mysteries!

This was a fun and quirky book! It wasn’t the most life changing book, but I still really enjoyed it! The main plot kept me hooked and on my toes, but it wasn’t a book I will be revisiting.

The mystery aspect wasn’t as interesting or intense as the first book. I found the flashbacks a little boring.

Molly the maid is ready to clean up another murderous mess in the latest offering from Nita Prose.

Molly Gray has come a long way since Prose’s bestselling debut, The Maid, where she was unfairly accused of the murder of a guest at the five-star Regency Grand Hotel. Cleared of all charges, Molly is now the head maid and blissfully in love with her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, another Grand employee. But when celebrated author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead in the hotel tearoom moments before making a mysterious announcement about his career, Molly’s plunged into chaos once again. Grimthorpe was poisoned, and police, including Molly’s old nemesis Detective Stark, believe a hotel staff member may be the murderer.

The hotel is full of suspects such as Lily, the new maid-in-training who prepared the poisoned tea cart, and Serena, Grimthorpe’s secretary who disappears in the aftermath of his death. Detective Stark still believes Molly is capable of murder, so to protect herself and her friends, Molly puts her eye for meticulous detail to use to help solve the crime. Molly also has a mysterious connection to the reclusive writer—one that may help her crack the case.

The Mystery Guest is a delightful sophomore novel that showcases how Molly has changed since the first entry in the series: She’s as sharp and honest as ever but has grown into her roles of head maid and girlfriend. Molly’s particularly protective of Lily, and it’s a joy to see the lengths to which she’ll go to defend her friends. Molly’s co-workers, including long-serving doorman Mr. Preston and head barmaid Angela are warm and funny, and both contribute to her sleuthing success in unexpected ways. Another bright spot of the novel are the LAMBS: Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Book Society members. A group of Grimthorpe fans who are staying at the hotel, the women are entertaining, helpful and suspicious in equal measure.

Molly’s a singular character—she’s intelligent, unfailingly honest and the epitome of a professional maid—and readers will enjoy checking in to the Regency Grand to follow her and her exploits. Fans of The Maid will miss Juan Manuel, who spends the bulk of the novel visiting family, but hopefully Prose will reunite him with Molly in the next installment of this charming series.

I was worried that this story wouldn't make me as happy as my first adventure with Molly the maid, but I was certainly wrong. This story is just as adorable, heartwarming, charming, and lovely as the first. In fact, I think this one is even better. We follow Molly as she continues to work as the head Maid in charge, training a new maid and getting things done. But of course, someone winds up dead. But this isn't her first time dealing with this sort of mess and she's ready for it. I loved the character growth from the first book to this one. I loved the found family development. I cheered for Molly so many times in this book! I hope there are lots more adventures for her in the future because I can't wait to read about them.

I am so glad for a second book with these characters. We get so much of Gran’s backstory in this one. Just such a great read.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is a cozy mystery and the second book in the Molly the Maid series.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Lauren Ambrose, via my Spotify Premium membership. She does a great job; it was really pleasant to listen to.

I continue to be charmed by Molly the Maid!

This book is set a few years after the first. Molly has definitely grown up a little bit more. We get some callbacks to characters from the previous installment, along with some new faces.

We have a bit of a dual timeline here, in the present murder scenario and when Molly was a child while her gran was at work. Some of this storyline gets a little on the darker side, so check CWs if you want to.

CW: murder, death, sexual assault (mentioned), alcoholism

Just not my cup of tea. I did not enjoy the quirkiness of the main character. The story overall was a bit predictable. If you loved Prose’s “The Maid,” you will enjoy this one as well.

I loved hearing more about Molly the maid in her quirky world where she enjoys returning things to a state of perfection and thrives from order and cleanliness. There is once again a murder at the hotel and Molly, now head Maid, finds herself connected to the man who was murdered. She first met him when she was a young girl and her Gran cleaned his home. He is still a curmudgeon, but also a famous mystery author. Molly finds herself working alongside a detective to solve the murder and set the record straight. Great story!

It was so great to be back in Molly’s world! All of the reveals were very clever and it was so I rightful to learn more about a Molly as a child.

While I didn't enjoy the mystery in this one as much as the first book it still kept me guessing. But my favorite part of this one was seeing how much Molly had grown since the first book. And much she's thriving well I mean murder in her hotel aside.

Head Maid Molly Gray is an employee at the five-star Grand Regency Hotel. During a recent event, world renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe dies in front of a large crowd of fans. It is soon revealed that the writer was murdered. Being no stranger to this sort of scenario, Molly uses her uncanny skills for detail to help uncover the murderer. This delightfully charming who-dun-it is for fans of Prose's first novel THE MAID.