I was hoping the follow-up to The Maid by Nita Prose would be good. Sometimes sequels are just a huge letdown. But I am happy to report that The Mystery Guest was just as good as the first book and I loved it from start to finish. I enjoyed the character of Molly and the author’s writing is excellent, I think that if you liked The Maid, you will not be disappointed!



Plot:

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 tearoom 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 high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.

Molly the Maid is back in The Mystery Guest. If you were a fan of The Maid you will love this as well, it is not technically a sequel and can be read as a stand-alone. I would suggest reading The Maid beforehand though to get a little background into the characters!

This is a cozy mystery that actually has two mysteries to solve, to figure out who killed the famous author and how Molly the Maid is connected to him before his appearance at the hotel. It was fun to follow along, although I did find it a bit predictable but I mean it's a cozy mystery. A fun and quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House, Ballentine books for the ARC copy of this book!

I love Molly the maid and all of her quirks! The "mystery" portion of this book is good but Molly and her Gran make the book great.

Molly the Maid returns to the Regency Grand Hotel with a new (murder) mystery to solve after a famous author drops dead in the ballroom. Did The Maid need a sequel? No. Did this make me happy and scratch my cozy mystery itch? Absolutely it did. I really appreciated the flashbacks in this one that allowed us to spend more time with her grandmother, see their relationship, and experience some of Molly’s childhood. Fans of Juan Manuel will be sad to learn he spends the book almost entirely off page but that was my only (minor) complaint. BotM fans should also note this was recently added as a December add on!

Pub Date: 11/28/23
Review To Be Published: 11/21/23
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, cozy mystery that's a fantastic follow up to The Maid. You don't necessarily have to read the first book to enjoy The Mystery Guest but it does make for a richer experience. An intoxicating whodunit that keep me guessing. Just a solid, entertaining read

I went back to the Regency Grand Hotel for another mystery with Molly, and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed getting to know this character more and watching her grow and better navigate the world around her, even if she doesn’t always seem to fit in.

Just as the boutique hotel is recovering from the death of Mr. Black, another unexpected tragedy strikes, and everyone wants to know who did it. There are quite a few suspects, and everyone seems like they have something to hide… including Molly!

I really love this series, it is light, cozy, and gives you hope in humanity. In addition, I feel this is a great insight to the world of neurodiversity, even if the characters are fictional. This was a great sequel to “The Maid,” and I hope there will be more to come!

4/5 Stars

You don't have to have read book 1, but you will want to because Molly is a fantastic character.

This was a great follow up to book one and I am so excited to see where the next one goes.

I loved The Maid, Nita Prose's debut novel and when I saw there was a sequel, I was so excited to read it. It was terrific! Molly the Maid returns in another mystery at her Grand Regency Hotel. This time it is a reclusive author who dies under mysterious circumstances. Molly and Detective Stark become an unlikely pair to solve the mystery with the help of a new maid-in-training, and others, at the hotel. Molly reminisces about her grandmother and we find out more about their relationship and Molly's childhood. The surprises about her life revealed are interesting and heartwarming.
Molly has quickly become a favorite character of mine as she is quirky, smart, and not the usual protagonist in many novels and mysteries. This was a quick, fun read and the author planted crumbs throughout the book that all make sense at the end. Hoping another Molly book will be written since the question of will she or won't she continue to be a maid was raised and I would love to find out the answer. If you are looking for a fun, clean mystery with interesting characters, I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Calling all armchair sleuths, Nita Prose has done it again!! 🕵️‍♀️

Mark your calendars - The Mystery Guest is coming out November 28th!! If you read and loved The Maid, this is for you! In TMG we go back into the world of Molly Gray, head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. This time, a famous recluse author has come to give an announcement at the hotel, but right as he takes the stage he drops dead.

We follow Molly and a cast of quirky, funny, and intriguing characters to uncover what truly happened to J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly herself just absolutely makes the book. She is such a unique character, with an obsession for proper etiquette, cute and quirky phrases, and a totally unadulterated innocence, just seeing things through her eyes is so fun.

This book can be read as a standalone if you haven’t already read The Maid. I loved listening to the narration of The Maid on audiobook, I felt it really made Molly’s character, so if it’s in audiobook format totally get your hands on that!

I would definitely recommend this for a mom or mother-in-law gift!! I’m always looking for mystery books to recommend to family members that don’t love the psych thrillers that are super popular (& which I love) and are filled with gore and super graphic scenes. This fits the bill completely!

Thank you to @netgally @randomhouse and of course @nitaprose for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 💙

I was dying to check this out after being pleasantly surprised by the first one!! This was another quirky mystery that kept me on my toes until the very end of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Nita Prose’s latest, The Mystery Guest!
4/5 stars

I wouldn’t have said The Maid was a story that required a second installment, but The Mystery Guest ended up being a cute little story, so I have no problem with it. This book picks up several years after we last leave Molly the maid, and she is witness to yet another murder in her hotel. This time, the investigation is told with a dual timeline with flashbacks to Molly’s childhood.

Both of Prose’s books just made me feel cozy. They’re mysteries without being thrillers, and sometimes that’s a nice thing. This book comes out next week (11/28) and if you liked The Maid, I think you’ll enjoy The Mystery Guest.

A good mystery that really kept me going. This is a great weekend read to escape in. Thanks for the opportunity to read as I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved The Maid. I thought Molly was a great new voice. I was excited to see that Molly was brought back for a second book. However, I struggled a little getting into this book. I didn’t like how the detective treated Molly and it gave me the ick. Molly is and always will be one of my favorite characters but this one didn’t completely work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book!
I love how Molly’s character evolved and is not portrayed as she was on the first book.

I deeply enjoyed getting a closer look at Molly’s life and how her childhood formed her character as well as her relationship with her grandma.

Molly is back at the Regency Grand Hotel as the head maid when she’s thrown into some crazy mess once again. Famous author J.D. Grimthorpe has a big announcement to make, but he shocks everyone when he drops dead before even starting his speech. Molly now has to figure out who killed J.D. while also dredging up some history from her childhood. This book took me on a wild ride by switching from past and present to bring the story together. There were some twist that I completely didn’t expect while there were some things that I found a little predictable. Overall, I enjoyed the story and was glad this was my first ARC.

Molly the Maid, still charming and overly literal, is back in The Mystery Guest, sequel to The Maid. Now she is the Head Maid and there has been another murder at the Regency Hotel. Famous reclusive author JD Grimthorpe is scheduled to make a special announcement in the newly redecorated Grand Tearoom. But as he sips his tea, brewed specially for him by new maid Lily, he drops dead in front of the packed room of his devoted fan club followers. Officer Stark once again investigates and, once again, Molly is a suspect. Molly is always good at keeping secrets and a big one is that she knew JD Grimthorpe when she was a child. Her beloved grandmother was the Grimthorpe’s maid and Molly met him several times under very different circumstances. Her memories will help Officer Stark with the case and her devotion to her job will help solve it.

Molly Gray is nothing but delightful. Her behavior may be neurodivergent but her dedication to her work and her loyalty to her friends endears her to readers. The Mystery Guest has a multilayered plot with a behind the scenes look at the workings of a hotel. Familiar characters return. While Juan Manuel is visiting his mother in Mexico, Cheryl is still trying to push boundaries and Officer Stark is as obnoxious as ever, missing all the clues Molly sees. The Mystery Guest is unique, entertaining and in a class of its own. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Nita Prose for this ARC.

Molly the maid is back! Taking place a few years after the first novel, Molly is now the Regency Grand’s head maid and is in charge of its biggest event yet: teatime with mystery author JD Grimthorpe. But when the author drops dead at the start of the speech, the hunt for the killer is on and there’s more than one rat. The novel also pivots between the present day investigation and Molly’s own childhood history with Grimthorpe, himself, and her beloved gran. Many of the first novel’s favorites return for The Mystery Guest including sweet Mr. Preston, salty Cheryl, and a quick cameo by her beau Juan Manuel. I loved returning to this series and found the sequel even better.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This comes out 11/28!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Molly the maid and the Regency Grand are back with a whole new murder. Molly is stepping out of her comfort zone for the Grand Opening of the Regency Grand tearoom. She made sure the room is just so for the special event—a special announcement by mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe to his biggest fans. Unfortunately before he makes his announcement he falls to the floor dead. Barmaid Angela is a true crime expert so she enlists Molly in interviewing some of those fans which include the Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Book Society (known as the LAMBS). Molly’s definitely not his biggest fan since her Gran worked at Mr. Grimthorpe’s house and Molly met him when she was young. Inspector Stark is back as is doorman Mr. Preston. Of course Molly’s attention to detail solves the crime.

I loved the back and forth between time periods to get the true background of the author and her relationship with her maid in training Lily. I also enjoyed that a mystery book group was part of the story since I run one myself. My only quibble is that Molly no longer has so much of the social awkwardness as she once did. I thought this was an excellent follow up to The Maid and a great sophomore effort. Four out of five stars.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Mystery
Representation: Main character is on the spectrum, racial diversity is on the periphery

It is not absolutely essential to read THE MAID before reading THE MYSTERY GUEST, but I think you'll enjoy more if you have. I was more aware of the novel using flashbacks—but I enjoyed how this kept Molly's grandmother on the scene.

I enjoyed seeing how Molly earned respect within her community. In this book, there's less of Molly misunderstanding subtext in conversations. She's helping another maid navigate these complexities.

And of course there is murder. I was a little disappointed that the police officer over the investigation still misread Molly so terribly, however, by the end, I was very satisfied with this relationship/situation. I thought the solution was clever, and I didn't see it coming (though I wasn't trying to solve it as much as work through what Molly was experiencing). There's an element of a mystery within a mystery.

In the first book, there was a jaw-dropping revelation. Seriously, I was gobsmacked. In this one, there's another revelation, but it didn't have the same impact on me. (But how could you pull that off twice in the same series? So, this is an observation rather than a criticism.

I recommend this book for all mystery readers.

Happy reading!

I loved Prose's first book, The Maid. I found myself instantly a mother figure to Molly. I wanted to take care of her and shield her from the world. Molly is back, and she has been promoted! She is now head maid at the hotel. The book starts with a bang----a well-known author dies just as he's getting ready to make a big reveal during an author talk at the hotel. During flashbacks, we learn an interesting connection between Molly and this author. This follow-up title has the same spirit and suspense as The Maid. I hope Molly Gray will be an ongoing character and series for Ms. Prose. Another great one!