The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is book two in her Molly the Maid series and it was such a delight to read! I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive a free advanced copy from NetGalley. As always, even though I received a free copy, this is my honest opinion of the book.
Molly has been Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel for three and a half years now, and she takes great pride in her work. She has even penned an official rule book A Maid’s Guide & Handbook to Housekeeping, Cleaning & Maintaining a State of Pinnacle Perfection.
Unfortunately, Molly’s happy world is about to be turned upside down again, when the grand opening of a tea room at the Regency Grand is marred by the sudden death of famous author, J.D. Grimthorpe. Once again, Molly and her co-workers are suspects in a murder investigation.
Through a series of flashbacks we get to see glimpses of Molly’s childhood and life with her much beloved Gran and it gives us a lot of insight into her character and her relationship with her grandmother.
I felt like in this book Molly is much more respected by her fellow co-workers, and although the story is still very amusing, there are fewer instances where the laughs are at Molly’s expense.
There are a number of familiar characters in this book from Cheryl, the former Head Maid, to Molly’s nemesis, Detective Stark, who finally grows to appreciate Molly’s intelligence and suggests a surprising change of career. This left me wondering at the end of the book if we would see more of Molly and if so, would she still be in the same position, or would she have taken that suggestion to heart? Only time will tell!
In addition to the familiar faces, there are some new ones on the scene. First there’s Lily, the new Maid in Training in whom Molly see’s glimpses of herself. Then there are the Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Book Society (the LAMBS), fanatical followers of J.D. Grimthorpe.
The Mystery Guest kept me guessing almost to the very end. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to any cozy mystery lover, and especially to anyone who loved The Maid. I really hope we see more of Molly.
The Mystery Guest will be available on November 28 2023.
Life, Tea, and Everything 