Molly Gray is not only the Head Maid at Regency Grand Hotel, she’s literally written the book on being a good maid. Raised by her grandmother (also a maid), Molly has put her skills into being the best at what she does. She may have social interaction issues, but she’s great at her job.

And when a celebrity author guest drops dead just as he’s about to make a huge announcement to a roomful of fans at the hotel, Molly becomes involved in the ensuing investigation. After all, she knew the victim, J.D. Grimthorpe many years ago when she was a child. Investigating officer Detective Stark is well known to Molly and not exactly Molly’s biggest fan. Was Grimthorpe murdered by a staff member? Is Molly involved? Who holds the key to solve the murder?

While the author crafted an interesting mystery with lots of potential suspects, I found myself struggling for a good portion of the book to stay interested in Molly, the other characters and the plot.

And that is more of a “me” issue than an author issue perhaps because the book is written in first person and in a dual timeline. Neither of them is my first preference.

3 stars

What a fun read!!!

I love when I pick up a book and cannot put it down. I love when a sequel to a book draws me in the same way the first one did and doesn't disappoint.

This one did it for me - I picked it up and dived back into Molly's world as Head Maid. Diving back and forth between the timelines. I was drawn in page one - immersed in the mysterious death of this mysterious author and the secret it was to reveal. I love Molly's character and the family that she has built around her. I loved thd insight into her as a child and the connection to the mystery in the story. I loved that this book was about an author who wrote a book about a maid. It is intricate, quick witted and just plain lovely. I am anxiously hoping for the chance to dive back into Molly's world and would recommend this read to anyone!!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a copy of this ebook.

Molly is back and this time she’s training new maid, Lily. While overseeing a event at the hotel, VIP guest and author, JD Grimthorpe drops dead before he can give his well-anticipated announcement right after taking a sip of tea served by Lily.

Told in dual timelines we get to see the past from Molly’s childhood with her Gran

I hope to see Molly again but not so sure I want to see her join the ranks of detectives

I think I enjoyed more than the first one (which i also liked). I liked furthering the character development, and watching the relationships with people like the detective change from the first book. I loved the familial twist at the end.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Oh my goodness, Molly the Maid is so delightful, capable and oh so endearing! I love this character so much— and I am already looking forward to further instalments of this wonderful series. Nita Prose, you’ve done it again!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the e-ARC. 👏🏻

Princess Fuzzypants here: The protagonist in this book is unlike any you have met before. Initially I wondered if Molly was somewhere on the autistic spectrum. She is very unusual. She sees life literally in more ways than one. Raised by her gran, she struggles in school because they do not know how to deal with her. She thinks she is a failure. She is odd but she is also very astute and observant. In fact, it will be Molly who finds the killer of a world famous novelist.

Molly and her gran have crossed paths with this gentleman before, although calling him a gentleman might be a mistake. He is a thoroughly reprehensible excuse for a human being and his closet is packed full of skeletons. On top of everything else the man is a total misogynists. With the way he treats women, it is a wonder he had not been killed long before.

Everyone underestimates or dismisses Molly but she turns out to be strong, loyal, capable and very smart. The reader will grow more and more admiring of her attributes as the book goes on until in the end, there will be a thirst for more. Because Molly is so unique, the temptation might be to give up on her. Don’t. Stick with it. You will be rewarded. Five purrs and two paws up.

After reading The Maid I had to dive deep into The Mystery Guest.

You again follow Molly the Maid. And there happens to be another death in her hotel. But this time there are connection and flashbacks and her adorable romance to keep you entertained! I didn't finish it in 24 hours but was dang near it!

I do give this one a 3.5/5 . It's was captivating and fun and I didn't figure it out, and I didn't for the first one either. I did feel like it was a slower burn than the first one. But if you enjoyed The Maid, you should read this.

Who doesn't love a sequel that is almost as good as the first?

Molly the maid has returned and I was definitely here for it! Molly somehow finds herself in the middle of another murder. I loved getting a backstory into her childhood as well as some gran info! Can’t wait to see if there will be a book 3!

Excellent followup to the first book. I cannot wait for more books in this series.
We all need to feel that our voice is heard and that we matter, I love all the characters.

Molly is back again and has once again found herself in a completely ridiculous situation. The most infamous mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe has come to the Regency Grand to make a grand announcement, only for him to suddenly pass away right when he is about to deliver his speech. Curiouser and curiouser.

Molly is Molly. If you have read the Maid, I am sure you are completely smitten with her. She is back and better then ever, thriving and learning to live without her Gran. What a fantastic character she is. While the story was great fun, Molly is what has me returning each time. I cannot wait to see what she gets into next!

While I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I think I still preferred the Maid more. It was less predictable in my opinion. But I really did enjoy the dual timeline, especially learning more about Gran and Molly's upbringing.

Anyways, if you loved the Maid! You will enjoy this one! :)

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House and Tandem Collective for the Gifted Review copy, all thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! The Mystery Guest is exactly what I expected after reading The Maid. Molly's character is endearing and is a solid addition to Molly's story. The mystery was engrossing and I was hooked from the very beginning. I can't wait to read about Molly's future (mis)adventures because the way this book ended, there is bound to be more excitement in Molly's life.

I absolutely loved The Maid and was really worried about reading her follow up.
Molly is such a super cute character and I was so happy to get another wonderful story with her.
This book shows a lot of development for Molly emotionally and I was here for it.
Another great mystery unfolds with all the awkward and funny bits you expect.
I really hope Nita does more books with Molly.
Much love to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for my ARC.

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
While I did enjoy the first book in this series, ‘The Maid’, I don’t really think it needed a follow-up. That being said, this book was a good cozy mystery with enough intrigue where I wanted to read more.

Molly is definitely a bit of an interesting character. Her personality is one that specific people like, and where people tend to take advantage of her, but also don’t give her enough credit. I like how since the first book in the series, Molly has actually come a long way! She seems more certain of herself, and it better at making good decisions.

Overall, I found this book just okay. It wasn’t bad, but I also didn’t love it. It was just okay. I will however continue on with the series if there is another follow-up.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
- 🕵🏼‍♀️ Cozy mysteries
- 🕰️ Dual timelines
- 💡 Interesting main character

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for my Advanced Reader Copy, and to Penguin Random House Canada & Tandem Collective Global for my finished copy, all in return for an honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy for review purposes.

I read The Maid by Nita Prose and was smitten so I jumped at the chance to read the sequel. This novel did not disappoint.
Prose's style complements Molly's personality. The plot was engrossing and I spent the entire novel trying to figure out "who dunnit". I was wrong.
I look forward to the next Nita Prose novel and hope Molly's adventures continue.

The fabulous Molly Gray is back, now head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. The hated Cheryl was demoted after the events of book one, and Molly now mentors Lily, a diligent though seemingly meek young woman.

Molly is as optimistic as ever, with new sayings to get her through her day, and deal with cleaning situations, and difficult people. Molly is still as socially awkward as ever, not always understanding the emotions of those she interacts with, rendering their actions sometimes inexplicable or confusing to her.

At the story's outset, Molly and her team are preparing for an event in the hotel's tea room. A famous mystery author, J.D. Grimthorpe, will be speaking and making an important announcement afterwards. Before he can get through his speech, he suddenly dies in front of his audience. He's been poisoned.

Detective Stark, who investigated Molly last time there was a murder at the hotel, is in charge of the investigation, and she's dubious, at best, of any information or insight Molly provides her, as she again feels that Molly might be responsible for the murder.

Molly decides to clear her own name, and help prevent damage to the hotel's reputation. As she cleans, and interviews possible suspects, author Nita Prose also gives us several moments from young Molly's past, when her beloved grandmother actually cleaned J.R. Grimthorpe's home, while Molly sat in Grimthorpe's library, reading. These often tense and odd scenes, which demonstrate young Molly's hyper-notice of seemingly random and unrelated things, actually hold a key to solving the mystery of his murder.

Molly is wonderful. She's so smart, but as she seems so odd to those who have only a surface understanding of her, she's dismissed, often to the detriment of the person dismissing her. Her charm and caring are fully on display, as she ensures guests and her staff are well taken care of.

Nita Prose delves deeper in this instalment into Molly's and her Gran's relationship, which is so full of love. Gran has a lot on her shoulders, with her delinquent daughter and a granddaughter who does not fit the conventional definition of what a child should be, and not a lot of money. Cleaning Grimthorpe's home should have been their ticket to stability, but these scenes show us the darker side of this famous author and his household.

I loved book one, and this book only further reinforced my love for this protagonist. The mystery, both what went on in the Grimthorpe mansion, as well as the motive for the author's murder, were absorbing. I loved the deeper dive the author made into both Molly and her Gran, as their relationship is so central to both books and to understanding Molly.

I loved this book, and greatly hope Molly returns.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Molly the maid is back for another fun and quirky cozy mystery from Nita Prose. I adored the Maid and this one was no different. Molly has a unique voice and a different way of the seeing the world. She is very black and white and so she approaches everything in that way. This story takes place a few years after The Maid, Prose's first book and it is recommended (but not required) that you read that story first. We are once again at the Regency Grand Hotel and someone drops dead! This time it's a famous author as he is about to make an announcement to a live audience. We have some of the same characters from the first novel, along with a few of the author's #1 fans. We also find out that perhaps Molly has a connection to the dead author in her past. I was happy to have Gran along for the ride again as the one person who has truly supported and loved Molly for all her life. Prose has absolutely done it again with this one. I can't wait to see what Molly gets up to in a future novel.

The Mystery Guest is author Nita Prose's second book starring Molly the Maid.
Molly Gray is now the Head Maid at the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel. Loving her day to day life, Molly's world is turned upside down when a well known mystery author drops dead on the hotel's tearoom floor. It quickly becomes clear that the author was murdered.
Once again, it's up to Molly to uncover the truth.
A fun character-driven read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t wait to get back into the world with Molly the maid. This book didnt disappoint, I also couldn’t put it down.
We are back at the Regency grand hotel where another famous person drops dead. Of course Molly is determined to find out what happened.
There are flashback chapters where we get to know more about Gran. Which I loved.

I was very excited to read The Mystery Guest because I thoroughly enjoyed The Maid. As soon as I started reading my excitement was met with harsh disappointment. Does this sound hyperbolic? Probably. But everything about this book read like The Maid 2.0 instead of a new book. The characters, setting and plot were all exactly the same as The Maid. What snoozefest! The characters didn't develop, the setting didn't have any new charms, and the plot just plodded along.

I struggled to finish this book because I lost interest in everything after the first chapter. I would not recommend buying or borrowing this book.

Molly the maid is back at it and we are pleased 👏

The Mystery Guest is the sequel to The Maid, a wonderful little mystery about a maid named Molly, who works in a fancy hotel and stumbles across a few things that were meant to be kept a secret.
This book picks up a few years after the first leaves off - Molly is now the head maid and has flourished under the responsibility placed on her. But when a famous author drops dead at the hotel, moments before making a huge announcement, Molly is reminded that not everything in life is orderly and kept in its place. Familiar faces appear as an investigation begins, and our sweet Molly is once again the focus.

This book was adorable, funny and mysterious - I absolutely love the hotel setting and the glimpses we get into Molly's life. Her development is apparent and I think we're all rooting for her from the sidelines. I can't wait to see what mess she has to clean up next! 🥰

Thank you Netgalley, Nita Prose and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!