After enjoying “The Maid”, I was so excited to dive in to “The Mystery Guest” - and it did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed the cozy mystery that Nita Prose created for Molly the Maid.

We follow Molly as she and her team of maids at the Regency Grand Hotel prepare for a press conference with the renowned mystery author, J.D. Grimthorpe, who has a big announcement to share with his fans. But just as the press conference is starting, Grimthorpe drops dead in the ballroom, leaving his fans, and soon the detectives, wondering what he was going to reveal.

Molly is soon whisked into the thick of the investigation - this time as a helpful resource to the detectives (who previously arrested her for a crime she did not commit).

Follow Molly as she tries to figure out what happened to Grimthorpe, which takes her on a trip down memory lane to when she was a child with her beloved grandmother.

“The Mystery Guest” did not disappoint and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next for Molly the Maid!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an electronic ARC.

The Maid series is just so stinking cute. I love quirky main characters. I love weirdos. I love justice. I just discovered a Christmas novella will be coming out in the fall and I’m just delighted. We’ve read both The Maid and The Mystery Guest for book club and no one was disappointed. A lovely light read.

The Mystery Guest is the second Maid novel by Nita Prose. Released 28th Nov 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very well written and engagingly intelligent cozy mystery with an appealing and proper protagonist. This book delves more deeply into head maid Molly's past with her grandmother, and sees her helping the local official constabulary on yet another murder (this time with much less friction).

The descriptions and settings; the hotel, the characters and their interactions are again well rendered and believable. There were some instances of overly intrusive internal dialogue from Molly's back-story with her grandmother, but they were relatively fleeting.

This book follows heavily on the setup and protagonist from book one, and as such, it doesn't work as well as a standalone; the books should be read in order.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, or for fans of other cerebral classic mysteries such as Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz. With two volumes extant and a third (novella) due out in 4th quarter 2024, it would also make an excellent mini-binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Molly the maid is perhaps one of my favorite characters that has ever been written! This sequel carries all of the charm of its predecessor without being a straight up regurgitation. It’s smart, well paced, and I’d recommend

Nita Prose did it again! I love reading about Molly and the crew. It is similar to The Maid; however, it is still grappling page turner!

The second installment offers more character development for our dear Molly, and the alternating timelines create more backstory to fill in this character's world. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll readily fall into step with 'the Mystery Guest,' with the door left open for another adventure. You could also step into this book without reading the first, but I suspect you'll want to read them both!

Thank you to Random House for my copy of The Mystery Guest. I enjoyed The Maid a lot and was excited to read what Molly was up to in this sequel, but found myself a bit frustrated. This book provides us with a glimpse into Molly's childhood and her grandmother (and mother's) past. Molly's lack of social skills or awareness was less charming in book two than in one for me, and I just had a harder time getting into the story. Though I still was eager to find out who did it. A cozy mystery for those in the mood for that.

I loved this sequel! It was another nice cozy mystery and I loved the surprise at the end! I loved the flashbacks and it really added to the story.

I might have loved this sequel more than the first book! Molly is such a likable character and it was fun to jump back into her world and learn more about her!

It's wonderful to see Miss Molly surrounded by so many good eggs, Juan Manuel, Mr. Preston, Mr. Snow, Sunny and Sunitha are still there; Angela is a gem even with her PPP (perfectly polished profanity); and we're rooting for Lily who we know will eventually become a quality maid. However, all the good eggs can't keep the occasional poisoner from the sparkling halls of the Regency
Grand.

After four quiet years, murder is once again rearing its ugly head as a monster from Molly and Gran's troubled past slithers into the Grand's dazzling tea room with the demon's silly and sinister followers. Can Molly right the tea room, solve the case, and save the Regency's reputation in spite of the misunderstandings that always arise when Detective Stark gets involved? Will bad egg and lazy maid Cheryl finally be exposed for her underhanded ways? Will Molly be able to break through Lily's inhibitions and reveal her valuable qualities? Of course!

Prose delivers another glimmering treasure of a tale that is sure to please.

This is one of the few books that I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original! I loveddd this book! I hope there are more books coming about Molly. 5 stars!!

I loved this book. I was impressed with the book The Maid, but I was so generally enjoyed when I started reading this sequel that the character Molly was so much more developed, especially as she makes mistakes and learns from them. I thoroughly enjoyed that we heard a younger Molly along with current Molly the Maid. I also enjoyed hearing more from Grandma, as she played such a large part of shaping Molly while raising her as a child. The book even ends with a surprise, I can't wait to read what new adventure Molly gets herself into in the future.

I love Molly! This was a light and quick mystery / whodunnit. The flashbacks to Molly and her grandma that revealed how Molly became a maid were my favorite. Some heartfelt moments too! I loved the cozy mystery vibes - they were perfect to read before bed. Can’t wait for more Molly in the Christmas novella being released later this year!

"The Mystery Guest" is a well-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable mystery. It is a sequel to "The Maid" and is recommended to be read after the first book. The book is a quick read with a cozy feel and has quite a few side plots/mysteries that also keep it interesting3. It is a great gift for mystery fans and is just fun to buy for yourself

Lovely contemporary cozy mystery.

I love the literal and no-nonsense Molly the Maid. She reminds me of the main character in a much-loved children's book series, Amelia Bedelia, with how she perceives and interacts with the world.

When a famous author collapses and dies right in front of her in the Regency Grand Hotel Tearoom at a special VIP event, Molly is shocked to hear that it was a homicide. She teams up with her cohort of colleagues at the boutique hotel and joins forces with Detective Stark to find out who killed the author JD Grimthorpe. There is no way that Molly is going to let this scandal besmirch the reputation of her beloved hotel, especially not now since she became Head Maid.

Told in a past and present shifting timeline, the reader learns that Molly had actually met and known JD Grimthorpe when she, as a child, went to his mansion to help her grandmother who was working there as a maid. Some of the details Molly recalls help her while assisting in the investigation.

Love all the characters in this series and I enjoyed this second book as much as I did the first. I do look forward to more installments with Molly and her fellow workers, friends, and partner, Juan. I like the hotel setting and all the descriptions of the place.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I really enjoyed the narrator, Lauran Ambrose, who brought such quality to the production and enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. Definitely recommend this series.

Nita Prose has done it again!! Great story with a quirky likeable protagonist and a good twist at the end!

3.5 stars. Molly the Maid is back for a second tidy little murder mystery. I enjoyed Molly and her improved relationships with nearly everyone around her, including Detective Stark. Much like The Maid, I was rooting for Molly to crack the case. This story blends the past and the present in a way that isn’t always easy to follow. Molly really has to solve the murder because as a reader you don’t have enough information to do anything but guess who the killer is. It seems that Nita Prose might bring back Molly for a third installment but in a new profession. I would read that book as well. Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for my ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This is the second book in the Molly the Maid series and I actually enjoyed this sequel better than the first book. It was a very light, quick and quirky book.

I will read every single Molly The Maid book that Nita Prose writes. I absolutely love how unique and quirky Molly is. I love that this book revealed more about Molly's life and past. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book and love Molly's crime-solving.

I give The Mystery Guest 5/5 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this just as much as I loved the maid. It was so fun to go back into this world and to get more backstory on our main character. Always a delight.