The Mystery Guest (A Molly the Maid mystery) - Nita Prose

A new mess.

A new mystery.

Molly the maid returns . . .

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.

But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .

 

What did I think?

After the success of The Maid, I'm absolutely delighted that Nita Prose decided to write another book starring my favourite maid, Molly Gray.  The Mystery Guest is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of 2023 and I loved it.  Whilst The Mystery Guest can be read as a standalone, I would advise reading The Maid first as there are some returning characters and we also find out more about Molly's childhood.

We return to the Regency Grand Hotel in The Mystery Guest where Molly is now Head Maid and she's preparing for a big event as a bestselling author is hosting a press conference in the hotel.  This isn't the first time that Molly has met author J.D. Grimthorpe and this leads on to the wonderful flashbacks of Molly's past.

I adore the relationship between Molly and her Gran and even when Gran isn't with her, Molly  hears Gran's wise words in her head.  There are so many brilliant Gran quotes but my favourite is: "A tissue for your issue."  I'm definitely adopting that and using it whenever I can.  

Molly is such a delightfully quirky character and I feel that she has really grown up since I last encountered her in The Maid.  She's in a sweet relationship with Juan Manuel (who disappointingly doesn't make an appearance as he is away visiting his family) and she has been promoted at work.  Even this new encounter with Detective Stark sees Molly eventually being treated with more respect.

Cosy mysteries don't get much cosier than The Mystery Guest and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Once you have met Molly Gray you will never forget her; The Mystery Guest will delight fans of The Maid and introduce Molly into the lives of many more readers.  

I received an ARC to read and review for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

The Maid - Nita Prose

 

I am your maid.

I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry.

But what do you know about me?

Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice?

 

But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?

Escapist, charming and introducing a truly original heroine, The Maid is a story about how the truth isn’t always black and white – it’s found in the dirtier, grey areas in between . . .

What did I think?

What an amazing debut!  There has been a lot of buzz around The Maid on social media so I couldn't wait to read it and I was not disappointed; I absolutely loved it.  I'm really not surprised to learn that it is being made into a film and it's definitely one I will want to watch.

Molly is such a brilliant character; she is so literal and socially inept that you can't help but root for her, especially when she is mocked and taken advantage of.  After the death of her beloved gran, Molly is completely alone in the world - she has no family or friends, all she has is her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.  A job in which she takes great pride and excels at.  

When Molly discovers a dead body in the hotel one day, there's nothing in her mental rule book that tells her what to do so she inevitably does things that make the police take a closer look at her.  The police interviews with Molly are absolutely hilarious and this is where Molly's charm really comes through; she may be naive but she is totally honest...or is she?

The Maid is so easy to read that I would probably have read it in one sitting if I hadn't been participating in a Tandem readalong.  It's a charming cosy mystery but it also makes you think about people who are seemingly invisible.  I think this is possibly more apparent in the hospitality industry where hotel guests treat doormen, maids and cleaners etc as servants but they're all important cogs in the machine.

A delightful cosy mystery, The Maid is an outstanding debut from Nita Prose.  It's warm, funny, original and unforgettable; an absolute must read from an author who is definitely one to watch.

Many thanks to Tandem Collective and HarperCollins for sending me a copy to read and review for the readalong.  This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon