The Mystery Guest

By Nita Prose

What it’s about?

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 I think:

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.