Well, I didn't expect Molly the Maid to make a return, but as a devoted fan of the character, I welcomed her with open arms to delve into her latest whodunit adventure. I must honestly admit that this book leans more towards providing us with a cozy mystery vibe, and the dark comedy and intelligent, twisty mystery elements are somewhat diminished in this story. However, on the positive side, we are treated to more glimpses of Molly's childhood, offering us a closer look at her relationship with her grandmother, the reasons behind these women choosing to become maids, and the absence of other family members in Molly's life.

In this installment, we witness Molly's remarkable ability to notice invisible details that escape everyone else's notice. Her detective skills continue to sharpen without conscious effort, helping her solve the mysteries she encounters. It's truly gratifying to see her rise to the position of head maid, assembling her own team, which includes the introverted Lily, a young woman she takes under her wing, recognizing a bit of her old self in her. Molly is stronger than ever, echoing her grandmother's wisdom, happily involved with Juan, and forging a friendship with the hotel's beloved doorman, Mr. Preston. Life seems to be settling down after the scandalous murder investigation at the Regency Grand Hotel. After all, lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, does it? Unfortunately, it does.

The renowned mystery author, J. D. Grimpthorhe, decides to hold a life-altering press conference at the famous tea room of the hotel. However, the course of his life takes an unexpected turn when he suddenly drops dead after sipping his honey tea, possibly served by the new maid, Lily. His demise unfolds in front of his devoted fan base known as "LAMB" and a swarm of paparazzi who cause more chaos than the author's missing cue cards, which could reveal the secret topic of his announcement. The murder weapon that might explain how the author was poisoned has also vanished.

Unfortunately, the assigned detective on the case is none other than Ms. Stark, the same woman who once tried to wrongfully put Molly behind bars. This time, she's determined to see her mission through. Fortunately, she remains unaware of the connection between Molly and the deceased. Yes, Molly has a secret! She had met the author as a child and possesses knowledge that could create a media frenzy if inadvertently revealed. Now, she must uncover the truth before Lily or anyone she cares about gets wrongly accused. Thankfully, Molly's keen eye for detail puts her a few steps ahead of the detectives.

Overall, the implication that Molly may join the ranks of crime-solving intrigued me. I never say no to Molly's detective adventures. Although this installment may not be as sharp and entertaining as the first book, it remains an easy-to-read, riveting, and intriguing story that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for providing me with a digital review copy of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.25 stars out of 5!

I really enjoyed reading The Maid so I was super excited to see a sequel coming out. This book did not disappoint! Molly, the maid, has really grown since her first book and we get more flash backs of her younger life with Gran in this book. We are treated too a lot of characters from The Maid but also some new friends. I ended up reading this book in one sitting, it was a real page turner.

In the second installment of the series we find Molly caught up again in a suspicious death. J. D. Grimthorpe is a famous mystery writer, who drops dead during an event in the hotels tea room. It looks to be murder but who would kill the author?

Overall, I really liked this book but still found the first book to be my favorite. I think Molly is one of my all time favorite characters and I cannot wait to see what is in store for Molly in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**S P O I L E R S**

I enjoy Molly. She’s like a 2023 Amelia Bedelia with way better vocabulary and sense of humor. The dialogue is smart, snappy and funny, and the details entertaining, just like in book one. I thought the treatment of addiction in this was weird and distracting, like “a very special episode” style. JD could have just been a hermetic jerk and that would have sufficed; the alcoholism didn’t serve the story, especially with the the inclusion of the serenity prayer as set dressing, unless Gran went to Al-Anon to cope? Which I suppose would make sense, given her daughter’s addiction—also painted as irredeemable and gross, so I’m not sure if that’s the takeaway, or that Gran just had preternaturally bad luck with addicts. So weird, so many questions, when this sort of painful life circumstance thing gets dropped in with no clear reason in a relatively tongue in cheek book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

Nita Prose has succeeded in writing a second book about Molly and has done a great job!
Please, Ms Prose, write more! I love Molly and I love how you write.

Nita Prose did it again! Her debut novel, The Maid was incredible and I was so excited to see what Molly would go through in this sequel. I love the autism spectrum representation and the growth that Molly goes through from the beginning of book 1 to the end of book 2. The ending was great and gives us so many opportunities to follow Molly on new, exciting adventures.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Publishing Date - 11/28/23
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC. The Mystery Guest is the second installment in the mystery series about Molly the Maid. The Maid was one of my favorite books and I was so happy to see Molly is back. Couldn’t put this one down! Fans of cozy mysteries will love this one!

It is such a rare occasion that I enjoy a sequel more than the first book in a series.

But, Nita Prose has raised the bar with this one. I can’t wait to discuss this book with my book club once it’s released. I love all of Gran’s words of wisdom. Definitely add this to your “TBR list”….Juan would definitely use “TBR” and Molly wouldn’t understand…so he’d have to text “To Be Read list.” Enjoy.

Thank you @netgalley and @nitaprose for the #ARC. I appreciate it!

#themysteryguest #thesequelwasbetter #ilovegranswordsofwisdom #mollythemaid #netgalley #librarian #bookish #iheartbooks #givemeallthebooks #mysterybook #bookclubbook #bookstagram

I am so happy Molly and the gang is back! I did not know there would be more installments but I am so happy. I love reading cozy mystery stories and this was so good. I also rlly loved a deeper dive into Molly’s history!

Molly the maid is at it again! Another murder at her hotel and she gets in the middle of it all! I enjoyed seeing Molly grow as a character in this sequel and enjoyed seeing her relationships develop! 4/5 stars for me! A delightful, cozy read!

As always, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!!

Could not wait to read this follow-up mystery to The Maid, which was brilliant. This one is almost as charming, but left me feeling wanting to read more about the main character and her private life. It was an easy, pleasant read but did not pull me in as much as the Maid. Thank you #netgalley for letting me read this advance copy!

Nita Prose has done it again and is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I absolutely adore Nita’s characters and couldn’t put this one down!

I think I may have liked this book even more than the first one!

Molly as a character has really grown on me throughout the first book, and this only continued into the second book. Like the first one, this book almost seems to carry the cozy mystery vibe, but this time delves into Molly's mysterious past and how it merges with the current situation. This book really carries the classic charm that you can expect from the first book, but as Molly matures so does the writing and I think this really made this novel that much deeper.

As for the mystery itself, it is very similar to the last book, which basically just means it has the basic twists and turns but overall it's not too difficult to guess who did it. It's still very much a good mystery but in this case, it's just a tad easy. But personally, I found myself drawn to the characters and story more than I was drawn to the murder mystery.

Overall a perfectly fine mystery, but a fantastic story with a character I find more and more endearing.

Nita Prose's first book, The Maid, was my favorite read last year. I was excited to receive the ARC of the sequel, The Mystery Guest. It did not disappoint. Although I will say that the original is still my favorite, this new mystery has plenty of charm all on its own. New secrets from Molly's history were revealed. New friends were made. The hotel's new tea room was introduced and in the first hour of operation, a famous author was murdered. Molly and her friends work dilligently to uncover the killer and return the Regency Grand Hotel to "a state of perfection."

Molly the Maid stole my heart in the book of this series, The Maid. Think of Molly as a very high functioning adult on the spectrum with a dash of Amelia Bedelia in her personality and the gumption to get things done. In this caper, a famous writer dies at the hotel where Molly works. This is the second time she has had to deal with a dead body on the job. Her observational skills are second to none, and her attention to detail once again pays off in the long run.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Molly is back and what a joy this is. All the characters were well-developed and the mystery has lots of twists and turns. Can't wait to see what happens to Molly next .

We are back with Molly the maid! I was really intrigued by Molly in the first book of this series. Molly has such a unique outlook on the world and the things that happen to her. So I was excited to see that again in The Mystery Guest.

Molly is once again caught up in a mysterious situation. Is it foul play? Is a hotel employee involved?

There more flash backs of Molly and her Gran. You get more of Molly’s history and life growing up.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and twisty.
Thank you Anita Prose and Random House for the arc.

Molly might just be one of my top favorite characters ever. I loved The Maid and I was THRILLED to get an advanced copy of this sequel, The Mystery Guest. It was super fun to be back in Molly’s world as she works out the latest mystery in the Regency Grand. She is quirky and so clever; this was such a delightful and compelling read. I loved the flashbacks and getting to hear more of her life with her gran. (And her gran-dad- I knew it!!) I loved the back story; it felt like it all came full circle. I’m very excited for Molly and her future!

Head Maid Molly's beloved Regency Grand Hotel has recovered from the recent murder scandal and redecorated. To celebrate the opening of the new tea room, they are hosting a famous author who has a momentous announcement. Unfortunately, he collapses just as he is about to start his speech - right on top of one of Molly's Maids-in-Training, Lily. Of course, the imminent Mr. Grimthorpe has been murdered. And Molly is, once again, a prime suspect.
What the police don't know is that Molly knows Mr. Grimthorpe. The reader learns of their connection as the book is told in alternating chapters - present day and past. Molly's beloved grandmother was, at one time, the maid at the Grimthorpe mansion. And Molly herself even worked there for a short while.
We learn a lot about Molly's past in this book. Her grandmother's wisdom continues to guide her through another turbulent investigation at her cherished Regency Grand Hotel - along with Mr. Preston and Angela.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-ARC of the book. It was delightful!

Molly the Maid does it again! Using her quirky personality and observations to solve a crime at the hotel. Not only is this book full of twists it also pulls at your heart strings as Molly reflects on her childhood and is always striving to honor her Gran. Sometimes sequels aren’t as good as the first but this sequel lives up to the hype

I love the characters in this series. The Mystery Guest does a great job of unveiling the mystery and solving the crime. The imperfection of the characters is what makes them relatable. There were lots of twists and turns to keep the readers intrigued. The growth of the characters really shines in this book. The plot provides many opportunities for all the characters to flourish. The sequel to The Maid is a compelling story that anyone love loves mysteries will enjoy. I cannot wait to see what else happens with these characters in future stories. Prose does a brilliant job of storytelling.