The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is a bright, dynamic continuation of her cozy mystery series that features Molly Gray, a lovable, learning-as-she-goes maid who works at the Regency Grand, an elegant, five-star boutique hotel.
In the first novel, The Maid, neurodivergent Molly struggled to navigate life after the death of her touchstone, her grandmother, "Gran," who spent her life working as a maid. Molly, then a meticulous maid-in-training, became swept up in a murder investigation of a hotel patron who called her and her co-workers into question. In The Mystery Guest, Molly's story picks up three-and-a-half years later. Molly, now 29, has been promoted to head maid at the Regency Grand, proving (as she puts it) that she is no "fly-by-night."
The hotel is eager to redeem its image, hosting J.D. Grimthorpe, a "world-famous," reclusive author. He is intent on making a major public announcement. Standing before a gaggle of press people and adoring fans in the Regency tearoom, he suddenly drops dead before the big reveal, sending Molly and those in her orbit into mayhem. Could it be that Grimthorpe was murdered? If so, why?
Prose deftly employs a familiar cast of quirky characters and adds a few new ones, each with dubious motives. As in the first book, Gran and her wisdom continue to influence Molly's smart perceptions. Molly's strong narrative voice mines experiences from the past that might hold clues to her solving this suspenseful and well-drawn second entry in the mystery series. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines