The Mystery Guest is the second book in the Molly The Maid series by Nita Prose.
Having read the first, which was a very cosy mystery whodunnit, I was looking forward to being back with Molly Gray and intrigued how this was going to be made into a series as the first was wrapped up nicely.
Once again, Molly finds herself involved with a death at the Regency Grand Hotel, where she is now the Head Maid. We also learn more about Molly’s backstory, and even though her Gran isn't around we still get to hear her voice and thoughts through Molly in this novel also.
I felt this was a good follow up , with returning characters , and a new mystery to unfold. Though not quite as absorbing as the first, it still had much of the charm, good pacing and entertaining.
I can also see a new potential career for Molly that would definitely lend itself to further books in the series!
3.5 ⭐️ - Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. Molly the Maid #2.
I really enjoyed this book, probably more than the first one. A great cosy crime book with all the characters from the first book and of course Molly.
It's really easy to read, great humour and likeable characters.
I didn't guess who the murderer was ( well I did but I was wrong !) so you're guessing right up to the end.
I especially liked the throw backs to Molly as a young girl living with her Gran.

4.5 stars

Molly the Maid is back and, if I’m honest, in a more credible and endearing rendition. She’s less of a cliché, a more rounded version of the neurodivergent character we met in The Maid, and I loved her!

Now Head Maid at the Regency Grand, Molly rules her fiefdom like a general. She’s still quoting Gran’s aphorisms and has many more of her own enshrined in her Maid’s Handbook, conceived to ensure the desired “state of perfection” she subscribes to.

When a famous mystery writer drops dead in the Regency tearoom, Molly finds herself once again in the frame for murder. But then some memories from her childhood come flooding back. She knows this man, and she knows his secrets. And, with her eye for observation, she’s soon well on her way to identifying the true killer.

For me, everything about this book was a step up from The Maid. I felt the writing was more assured, with dual timelines adding an extra layer of interest to the storytelling. I also found that the chapters about Molly’s childhood lent more depth to her character, eliciting sympathy for and a better understanding of grownup Molly. I liked this Molly better and felt less uncomfortable around her.

Of course, the story is sprinkled with generous amounts of humor and some wonderfully drawn peripheral characters. And the whole sleuthing element is delightfully plotted. It kept me engrossed and guessing until the end.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable, distracting, easy read that I’m sure will be well received by all Molly the Maid fans.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
I give this book 4.25 stars

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel.But when a famous mystery writer – drops dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.It involves her 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 . . .

After reading the first book I have a soft spot for Molly the maid.I’m glad she’s back and getting caught up in another entertaining murder mystery so we get a peek behind the scenes of the upmarket hotel she works in.Many of the original cast of characters are back along with a few new additions.The author portrays Molly so vividly, she is such a quirky and endearing protagonist who has a top level attention to detail which as the plot thickens helps her to solve the unexpected twists and surprising turns of this heart warming and enriching story .l absolutely loved the flashbacks to Molly as a child growing up with her beloved Gran it really gives you a better insight into her character.
If you haven’t read these they need to be added to your tbr pile.
With thanks to Netgalley,Nita Prose and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my chance to read and review this book

The Mystery Guest is that sort of cosy crime story taken to new heights.

I really enjoyed Molly the Maid’s first outing in The Maid, particularly her intriguing and unique narrative voice. It was charming, distinctive and fiercely intelligent. That observant nature and wanting to follow the rules lends itself perfectly to solving murders. So when I heard she was back, I knew I had to pick it up. The Mystery Guest takes everything I enjoyed about The Maid and elevates it. I actually enjoyed this one more!

We get to learn a lot more about Molly’s backstory and it is heart-breaking. There is such a deep sense of loss, characterised by her current grief. This just adds layers to not only Molly herself but the surrounding cast of characters, as we learn a bit more about why they may have acted the way they did previously. It is dark at times, so please check the trigger warnings. Due to Molly’s style of narration though this is often through inferences and character reactions that we can see the wider picture. Her detail oriented mind is a fascinating place to inhabit though, particularly in the context of a deliciously rich and twisty murder mystery.

The conceit of a murder mystery author being killed off is one that I am hooked by on its own. Throw in that classic Golden Age of Crime set up of the various suspects and mix it with that introspective look at Molly’s life - then I am more than sold. This has such excellent atmosphere, characterisation and pacing that the pages seem to turn themselves. Prose could write many more books for Molly and the people around her & I would pick them all up.

The Mystery Guest is an excellent return to a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable character, as well as a cracking mystery to boot.

I like it when books in a series can be read as a stand-alone books, so that people like me who read the books in any order(without realizing that the book they requested on NetGalley is part of a series 😅) can make sense of the story. Ok, sheesh, I got that out of the way. But yes, I am happy to have read the second book installment in the Maid series and I loved it, even though I haven't read the first one.

In this book, Molly the maid is now the Head Maid and the operations of Regency Grand hotel is slowing coming back to normal after the scandalous death of Mr. Black(there was little information about the murder in Book #1). The renovated tea room is supposed to host a grand announcement from a popular, best-selling author, J.D. Grimthorpe. The reclusive, Mr. Grimthorpe has written numerous mystery novels but hardly makes any public appearances, so the event has created quite a buzz. But things deteriorate quickly when the said author drops dead after taking a sip from his specially prepared tea. A tea that Lily, Molly's maid-under-training had prepared under her supervision. Obviously, the prime suspects are then the employees of the hotel, because, ummmm, the maid is always to be blamed. But not this time perhaps as Molly, Mr.Preston and Angela go about solving this baffling mystery.

The chapters alternate between the present and Molly's past. Molly has had a previous connection with J.D Grimthorpe and few chapters detail how Molly worked with her Gran to survive their impecunious conditions. I loved reading these chapters and loved Gran's character more and more with each chapter. Now I can't wait to read the first book in this series. I don't know how I missed reading it when it was popular on Bookstagram, but I was in a phase where I wanted to keep my distance from hyped thrillers.

I think more than the mystery I may have enjoyed reading about the characters here- Mr.Preston, Molly, Angela, Lily, Mr.Snow and Granny for sure. A delightful cozy mystery book and another book series to follow :)

Molly the Maid is back. I loved the first book and it's wonderful being back in her company. She is now Head maid at the Regency Hotel and enjoying her new role.
When the reclusive author JD Grimsthorpe dies just before he is due to make an important announcement Molly comes under suspicion from her arch nemesis Detective Stark. But Molly, with her social awkwardness and idiosyncrasies has her own way to try and discover what happened , however she has some secrets she's hiding from the Detective.
If its possible I enjoyed this book even more if the first, I loved the chapters when she was a child with her Gran, gave more of an insight to her behaviour
I'd like to thank Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this advanced copy, I'm under no obligation to leave my review

In 'The Mystery Guest' by Nita Prose, the main character - Molly Gray, literally wrote the handbook for being a maid in a hotel. She has a keen eye for detail and an enjoyment of cleaning and elbow grease. However, she is not very good at understanding people, so much so, at school they wanted to hold her back a year. When A.J. Grimthorpe, a famous author of murder mysteries, is murdered at the hotel she works at, Molly becomes a suspect and her poor social skills don't help. However, she knows more about Mr. Grimthorpe than many others do.

It took me a while to get into this novel. Molly's formal way of speaking, some of the imagery and setting, make this story feel old fashioned, rather than contemporary. This is intermingled with text speak and references to podcasts. However, once I was a quarter of the way into it, I started to really enjoy it and I'm glad I persevered. I don't like to pigeon hole a novel, but I guess this would fit into 'cosy crime'. It was fun to read, with twists and turns to surprise the reader. Very enjoyable.

It was lovely to be back in Molly the Maid’s world and to see how she has grown in confidence in the time between. She still has her autistic traits, it’s just that she has more awareness. We see her younger, pre-hotel self which is interesting and more of her Gran, in the dual time line, although I missed Juan’s character interaction with Molly. If you like your cosy crime on the less tense side, this should be a good fit. There weren’t many surprises, and it didn’t have the same tension as the first book, simply by nature of the plot, but then again, given the state of the world currently, this might be exactly what many readers need.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

I was excited to dive back into the world of Molly the Maid and the characters introduced in the first book. I enjoyed the alternating timeline between the present and the flashback with mollys Nan and them working at Gristhorpe manor.

I wasn’t a fan of the lack of Manuel and I felt like many of the characters introduced in the first book were pushed aside in favour of newer characters in this book. I also felt the book begin to drag out a bit towards the end.

Overall, this book is equal to, if not slightly better than book 1. However, I have realised I don’t love the writing style of the author enough to give higher than 3 stars.

I didn’t realise The Maid was going to be a series and although I didn’t love the first book, I was intrigued and decided to give this a go. I did much prefer this book to the first as we already know Molly’s character and a lot of the side characters. I loved how Molly had grown in confidence. There was a lot of repetition though which grew a bit tiresome and I would have liked to see the return of Juan Michael but overall, a good read.

I really enjoyed this read! It was fast paced, I love the flickering back and forth from her childhood stories to her current life! I didn’t predict the murderer which I think is a sign of a very well written thriller book!

I loved the characters, molly is so sweet and lily was adorable I just wanted to pick her up and give her a cuddle!! I’ve never read one of Nita’s books before but I’m definitely adding “The Maid” to my wish list now!!

I gave it a 4.25 star and I look forward to reading more in the future!

Thank you Net Galley & Nita for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release!

Having been in the minority and not actually enjoying The Maid all too much, I was keen to read the sequel and give this another go and I'm really glad that I did because I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one! It is a very cosy thriller, fast paced yet not too tense or jarring - it is an easy read. I would have liked it to be a bit trickier to solve however, as the plot twists are what I love about thrillers, and the unexpected surprises, but I could tell what was coming and nothing took me by surprise at all in this book. I also enjoyed a deeper dive into the character of Molly as this was one of the things I felt was lacking in the first book. So overall, I definitely vibed with The Mystery Guest more than The Maid, but felt it was still lacking in parts and I would have loved more twists and turns.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s just as good as the first one, which doesn’t happen very often!

I loved the backstory into Molly’s history - it was really interesting! Though in this one, there’s a lot more references to her late grandmother which does get a bit repetitive.

With the way this one ended, I do hope there’s another book to follow!

Title: The Mystery Guest
Author: Nita Prose

This book is a delightfully good follow-up to "The Maid". Molly, the maid, has returned with another mystery to solve after a death at the Regency Grand Hotel. If you loved Molly before, you'll adore her even more after reading "The Mystery Guest."

In addition, you'll learn more about Molly because of all the flashbacks. This time, Gran gave more information about her childhood while outlining the beginnings of both her ability for seeing details that others overlook and her ability to remain discrete.

I genuinely hope we get to see more of Molly in the future because this charming murder mystery series is so adorable and straightforward.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ooooo how exciting that Molly is back, this has made me so so happy. She is such a lovable character, which just grew even more with this book. Full review to follow as I am travelling, but its a 5 star ALL the way for me.

CONGRATULATIONS as a new go to author :)

Book Review 📚
The mystery guest by Nita Prose - 4.5/5 ⭐

Not my first Prose book and certainly won't be my last. After reading the ARC edition I will be buying this book on release to put on my trophy shelf! The Mystery Guest is the sequel to The Maid.

This book holds a triumphant return to The Maid series. It's always hard to outdo the first book, but that was easily done in The Mystery Guest. This book captivates and enthralls you on every page. The twists and turns are truly mind blowing and the entire thing left me speechless on way to many occasions.

As in the first, Molly was a truly phenomenal character to read about and follow on her journey. Character development was incredible and I wouldn't change anything. I love the scene setting through each page, it's really edge of your seat suspense!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

I really enjoyed The Maid which I was lucky enough to read as part of a Tandem Collective readalong, so I was excited to see the sequel, The Mystery Guest, pop up on Netgalley. I requested it on the off chance and was thrilled to be accepted.

This book sees us back at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly has grown in confidence and has been accepted as part of the team. The qualities that make her different have become her strength and have gained her respect.

This book sees Molly help investigate the death of a famous novelist who is staying at the hotel. Bestseller, J. D. Grimthorpe has chosen the tea room as the venue for his much anticipated press conference. As he is about to make his big announcement, he drops dead, and everyone in the hotel is a potential suspect.

The book is structured with chapters in the present with the investigation at the hotel, and chapters in the past where the reader gets to see Molly’s childhood, her relationship with her nan and the family links to Grimthorpe which gave Molly a unique insight into this mysterious man.

I think I probably enjoyed this book more than the first. Revisiting characters you have lived is always risky, but this definitely was a visit to old friends. I loved the scenes in the past as I feel you really get to know Molly and her nan so much better.

There’s a hint to what may happen to Molly in the future – which I hope is a bit of red herring.

If you enjoyed The Maid, then I definitely recommend thsi entertaining sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley for my gifted digital advanced copy.

I absolutely love both of these books. What an excellent sequel. If you love Molly like I do, then this is a must read. The world of Molly is an absolute delight 😊 xx

The mystery guest is the second book in ‘the maid’ series regarding Molly the maid. The story is a few years forward from the previous novel. She is now the head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Leading and teaching a group of maids in her ways to seek cleaning perfection.
When Mystery writer J. D Gimthorpe who has come to the to make a special announcement to the local media and fans. Suddenly drops dead the hotels tearoom. Once again Detective Stark comes to the hotel to lead the investigation. She accused Molly once of murder will she do it again?
I love that Molly has returned for another episode in this fab series. Not only is this another great mystery. But we get to learn more about Molly and her Gran and how she developed her quirkiness and her ways from what her Gran taught her and the links she has with the deceased. Molly is such a likeable character anyway. I hope there is more of Molly to come. 5 stars from me.