It appears that my prayers were answered, as I loved "The Maid" so much that I had wished for a sequel. I was really excited to read "The Mystery Guest" and I did enjoy it but maybe not as much as Nita Prose's first book. As Molly is now Head Maid, she is less of an unseen character. The book was good and fell comfortably within the Cosy Crime genre but I felt it was lacking something that the first book had.

The Maid by Nita Prose is one of my favourite books, so I was delighted to have the opportunity of reading The Mystery Guest, the second book about Molly the Maid. I think it should be read after The Maid, otherwise readers will miss much of the background about Molly and her Gran. In this book, Molly Gray still thinks differently from other people and there is lots of evidence of this throughout the book. However she has acquired some self confidence and has become more “normal”, having been promoted to Head Maid. Many of Molly’s thoughts and acts made me smile, not laugh out loud, but smile. Molly quotes words of wisdom from her Gran, who sadly has died and left Molly living in the apartment, but not alone. Molly has a boyfriend, but he is away in Mexico for most of this book. The story has two time lines, one taking us back to Molly’s childhood, so we learn much of her early life, as well as the present time in the hotel. Molly solves the mystery of the murder of a grumpy author, being able to put together the facts that everyone else has missed, There are also several twists and turns in this story, some not too difficult to guess, others quite surprising. I enjoyed this book very much, but perhaps not quite so much as the first one. Perhaps I liked Molly better when she showed herself as being so different. Is would recommend this book as an easy read and I am very grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers for giving me an arc of The Mystery Guest. I am looking forward to reading any further stories further about Molly.

I wasn’t sure if a sequel with Molly the maid would work but it certainly does. Molly becomes involved in another murder case as a famous writer dies mid speech at the hotel.
Along the way we find out more about her early life and background.
Molly is as charming and astute as ever and others around her are beginning to recognise her gifts. A recommended read which signals the start of a great series to come.

I didn’t know there would be a sequel to Molly’s story. Truly, a wonderful surprise!
The writing is absolutely brilliant. The title may or may not be a slight giveaway, depending on how familiar you are with the genre. The reveal was skilfully orchestrated, even though, perhaps, it wasn’t as shocking as in the first novel. But, personally, it didn’t matter because I really enjoyed how the past and the present came together for Molly and how she learnt to accept herself fully. Seems like there will be another sequel and I can’t wait to read it!

𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸!

And after the scandal involving the death of a guest, the Regency Grand is trying to rebuild its reputation by hosting a world renowned author in the newly refurbished hotel. There will be hoards of fans, cameras and press. It's a very big event. But when the mystery writer drops dead during his speech, Molly has a massive clean up on her hands. Aside from the obvious returning the hotel to a state of perfection, she may be the only one able to solve the murder…

Thank you so much to @harperfiction and @nitaprose for reaching out with a gifted copy of Molly's newest escapade! It felt like returning to the story of a friend, Molly is just the most lovable character and must be protected at all costs!

Her way of seeing the world, her attention to detail and her witty charm makes her such a fun character to follow and I loved watching as she unravelled the newest murder mystery.

There are flashbacks to Molly's younger years and we still get a lot of her fabulous Gran with returning cast such as Mr Preston and Juan.

It's not often a book flows so easily and is a complete joy to fly through so if you enjoyed The Maid, definitely pick this up!

The Mystery Guest will be out on 18.01.24 and you can preorder via the link below -

https://amzn.eu/d/a34OF2Y

Having read last year's 'The Maid' and been charmed by Molly the Maid, I was very happy to be granted an advance copy of 'The Mystery Guest' for review. This is Molly's second outing and a lovely sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts with Molly Gray - now Head Maid - preparing for a big event at the Regency Grand Hotel. A famous crime writer has a big announcement - but, before he can make it, he drops dead on the floor of the tea room. Molly, with her quirky ways and ability to be in the wrong place when it counts, immediately comes under suspicion as the police start digging into secrets in the hotel. However, Molly knows that she has important information - even though it means confronting some truths about her past...

There was so much I loved about this book - it's a very worthy successor to 'The Maid'. The character of Molly remains charmingly naive - although now a little more savvy about her ability to spot things that other miss, something that is obviously helpful in a murder investigation! Her retelling of the key past events and memories of her beloved Gran do bring the book alive - there's a real warmth in the relationship and I absolutely loved Gran's resilience and strength in always doing the best for Molly.

As with the first book, the humour is hugely appealing. There are some darker moments around Gran's employment and living situation (I found the blackout particularly heartbreaking - and I'm a tough, no-crying kind of reader!) but this is always seen through Molly's slightly innocent and naive eyes. This softens some of the tougher bits and the humour throughout is absolutely gorgeous - I particularly loved the writer's in-fighting fan club!

I'll admit that I'm still a bit puzzled about where the Regency Grand Hotel actually is. Maybe it's my British sensibilities, but it all sounds kind of English - with fancy tea rooms, a remote grand house and a definite sense of upstairs/downstairs. However, there are some American words scattered in which made me doubt myself and threw me off occasionally. I don't know whether I've missed the location somewhere along the line!

Either way, this is a good mystery and another charming look into Molly's world. I'd recommend it to fans of funny, quirky mysteries - it's all that you'd want in a cosy crime novel, with the added bonus an unforgettable heroine at its centre.

I really enjoyed The Maid and was looking forward to reading this sequel,but sadly didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book.I didn’t feel that the flashbacks worked,and there was quite a lot of repetition from before,with the same little catch phrases and sayings.It became quite sentimental by the end,and it dragged on ,unlike the first book.
I would like to hear more about Molly,but I think the character needs to develop more.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Its no secret how much I adored The Maid, so I was excited to learn of a sequel. Sadly it just fell a bit flat for me.
I was disappointed to see that Juan wasn't around. The flashbacks didn't work for me, just felt it dragged the story down. All the rest was a tad stereotypical and Molly's voice and character just didn't seem quite as vivid for me.

A good crime, and a few twists, just wanted more.

Another wonderful book by this excellent author! The Maid was one of my favourite books from last year, so I was really excited to read The Mystery Guest. I loved it, but there were just a couple of teeny niggles from me. Would Cheryl have been able to keep her job after what she did? No. Would Lily have been made Head Maid after only a few weeks? No. Does this mean that Molly has relinquished her job, or been promoted? Not sure. I need a third in the series to find out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a lovely cosy read!

I was so excited to read this, especially after enjoying The Maid so much. Many thanks for the digital ARC via Netgalley, I totally wasn't expecting a sequel that involved Molly. The book flashed back in time and gave us some good insight into Molly's childhood. There was also further development of the relationships within her life, although no sign of her boyfriend, who spent the book overseas visiting his parents.
The novel falls very much into the cosy crime genre, which differed to the first book, where there was more of a thriller vibe. However, I did enjoy it and would continue to read more of Molly's adventures if this becomes a series.

I've read and loved the first book, so I had high hopes for the sequel. For the first half of the book, Molly seemed to have lost her mannerisms and quirks that made Molly "Molly." It just didn't feel right, but I carried on, and I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed the parts of the storyline where she went back in time to when she worked/read in the house. This was more like the Molly I knew and loved. But it wasn't until everyone was gathered together, much later in the story, that "Molly" came back, and I started to love it. It just took a while.

#TheMysteryGuest #NetGalley
Molly the maid is back with lots of twists.
Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor. When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems? As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

I was delighted to find out that Molly the Maid was back again, and in a sequel to the first book! She’s not a character that you soon forget, and slipping back into this series was enormously easy.

4 years later, we rejoin Molly and this time, she’s gone up in the world at her beloved hotel. She’s still returning rooms to a state of perfection but she may be about to be faced with more than she bargained for…. She’d never forget the first time she encountered a dead body on her cleaning rounds, and this time, death visits the hotel again but in the form of a renowned and beloved book author.

I loved how Molly really came into her own in this one. She’s found her place, she’s living up to her life’s ambition and things are ticking along nicely. When the worst happens, she steps up and aids the investigation into the murder. It was SO addicting to read as soon as you start.

I was also so onboard with the split time perspectives, with before younger Molly and the Molly of the here and now. It was a compelling narrative and I also really enjoyed getting to see a sneak peak into her childhood. The writing, as before, was spot on and everything just made for a great reading experience. I wouldn’t say no to another follow up, as Molly certainly has her way of worming into your heart!

I really enjoyed ‘The Maid’ and especially Molly. Indeed, I have bought copies and recommended the book to many friends and family. Therefore, I was delighted to be asked to read this follow-on novel, The Mystery Guest. First of all, where does this title come from? It is not an obvious title for the content.
This story is another case of murder at the hotel where Molly is now the head maid. The start was so promising, including the introduction of a new character, Lily. However, I found that Molly’s character did not quite stay true to the girl we had met in ‘The Maid’. The investigation took up the majority of the book but became more and more unrealistic. I know this is a humorous book but neither did it quite hit that mark.
I appreciated finding out more about Molly’s childhood and her relationship with her gran. It came to a point where we were left wondering what happened next and I suppose this could be held back for a future episode, but it would have been good to have a hint.
Finally, the concluding revelations were too obvious and the way Cheryl gets away with her behaviour is both ridiculous and disappointing!
Sorry but this was fun but nothing like as great as Molly in ‘The Maid’. I'd give it a 3.5 rating.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc. Unfortunately I had to dnf this due to some medical things in this book which I’m unable to read about

I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Maid, and was delighted to be approved for this follow- up book. Sadly I have to say I was greatly disappointed. There is very little new to learn here about Molly’s background, and how she navigates her way through life that has not already been covered and explained in the previous book. The addition of her beloved partner, Juan Manuel who Molly now lives with, and who also works at the Regency Grand hotel, made me hope that this would add an extra dimension to the story, and to Molly’s life. This is not the case unfortunately, as he is away visiting his family in Mexico on a long- awaited visitation at the time of the death of the author.
The under-maid Lily, who drifts about like a wraith, brings little to the story.
I did not find this second book amusing, the ridiculous aspects and stereotypical characters I felt were overdone. The over confident, under- performing maid Cheryl would surely have been dispatched by now from her post in an otherwise impeccably run hotel. The LAMBS, the author’s groupies, are not convincing. Then there is the blundering, incompetent police officer Black. Just too many stereotypes for my taste. This is a 2.5 star rounded up to 3 stars.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I really wish I had liked it more.

Having loved The Maid and been charmed by Molly, I was pleased to receive a copy of The Mystery Guest.

It was fairly interesting to learn Molly's family history by going back and forth in time, but I felt less delight in her character second time round. To me The Maid was all about Molly's social inadequacy, her learning from her grandmother, her difficulty in navigating the world. Knowing all this about her already, the new novel relied on the plot being interesting, and sadly it didn't deliver.

Other characters in the book were too clichéed for my taste - maid Cheryl, detective Stark and the LAMBS in particular did not ring true.

The Maid was a great book but I think this could be even better. Molly has been head maid for around four years now and the hotel is finally moving on from the Mr Black scandal with the opening of a restored tea room with the first event taking place there a rare appearance from a reclusive curmudgeonly author. When he collapses and dies during his speech the hotel is left facing yet another murder investigation which might just require Molly’s attention to detail and unique powers of observation to solve.

I love Molly’s voice and her literal style of thinking, this offers a really positive reflection on how atypical thought processes can see the things so many fail to observe but without any denigration. The addition of Lily, the new maid in training, was great as for a mainly mute character she really had a lot to add to the story. The authors superfans really helped keep a lightness to the story and I loved how some chapters told of Molly’s past which had an innocent but at times bittersweet element. The humour in this is brilliant, very much fits with my sense of humour and the narration is fantastic. I’m very much hoping Molly will have a third book although I’m very intrigued to see what her life might look like in it.

A delightful tale featuring the return of Molly, who is now Head Maid at the hotel. It's a lighthearted humorous murder mystery with lots of surprises and we learn about Molly's past. I loved how the story intertwined between past and present times and how all the characters had a part to play in this intriguing enjoyable drama.

The Maid by Nita Prose made me fall in love with Nita's writing. There's a je ne se quois about the way she describes characters and her dialogues flow beautifully. The Maid was truly a page-turner!!

When I read The Maid I truly wasn't expecting it to be the first part of a series so The Mystery Guest was a pleasant surprise. When an acclaimed author dies at the Regency Grand Hotel, it's up to a fastidious maid to uncover the truth, no matter how dirty... that is SO mysterious!!

To say that this novel doesn't disappoint is an understatement...!