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A review by crazygoangirl
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Part 2 in the Molly the Maid series by Nita Prose, featuring the inimitable Molly Gray - socially gauche, perfectionist Head Maid at the boutique five star hotel, The Regency Grand.
In this book, Molly, must deal with the death of a reclusive, famous mystery writer in the Regency Grand Tearoom, just as he was about to make an important announcement. Detective Stark is back to investigate and as always, several guests and hotel staff are under her scanner, including Lily, an extremely introverted and practically mute new hire and Molly herself. However, Molly, with her usual dose of chutzpah and intelligence gets to the bottom of the mystery with help from her friends, Mr. Preston the doorman, Angela tho bartender at the Social, Lily and Mr. Snow. Juan Manuel is away visiting family in Mexico but he and her omnipresent Gran offer comfort, support and subtle advice.
I loved that we got to visit Molly’s childhood and observe her relationship with her beloved Gran. Flora reminds me of my own Gran, in whose image I like to think I’m cast, who taught me everything I needed to know, ignore everything that wasn’t truly important and the wisdom to know the difference. Molly’s past holds the key to the present mystery and Prose is a skilled writer who makes it all come together neatly in the end. I had guessed the twists she’d included, they were pretty obvious, but that did not in anyway take away from the reading experience.
I read this book, in a combination of physical reading and listening to the audiobook. Lauren Ambrose is now Molly’s voice in my head! She does a fantastic job of bringing Molly to life! A great book, recommended for fans of the cosy mystery genre and featuring a neurodivergent character as the main protagonist. Looking forward to Molly’s next adventure!
In this book, Molly, must deal with the death of a reclusive, famous mystery writer in the Regency Grand Tearoom, just as he was about to make an important announcement. Detective Stark is back to investigate and as always, several guests and hotel staff are under her scanner, including Lily, an extremely introverted and practically mute new hire and Molly herself. However, Molly, with her usual dose of chutzpah and intelligence gets to the bottom of the mystery with help from her friends, Mr. Preston the doorman, Angela tho bartender at the Social, Lily and Mr. Snow. Juan Manuel is away visiting family in Mexico but he and her omnipresent Gran offer comfort, support and subtle advice.
I loved that we got to visit Molly’s childhood and observe her relationship with her beloved Gran. Flora reminds me of my own Gran, in whose image I like to think I’m cast, who taught me everything I needed to know, ignore everything that wasn’t truly important and the wisdom to know the difference. Molly’s past holds the key to the present mystery and Prose is a skilled writer who makes it all come together neatly in the end. I had guessed the twists she’d included, they were pretty obvious, but that did not in anyway take away from the reading experience.
I read this book, in a combination of physical reading and listening to the audiobook. Lauren Ambrose is now Molly’s voice in my head! She does a fantastic job of bringing Molly to life! A great book, recommended for fans of the cosy mystery genre and featuring a neurodivergent character as the main protagonist. Looking forward to Molly’s next adventure!