The Maid & The Mystery Guest

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Maid by Nita Prose
Narrator: Lauren Ambrose
Series: Molly the Maid #1
Published by Ballantine Books, Penguin Random House Audio on January 4, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General
Length: 9 hours 37 minutes
Pages: 304
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “A heartwarming mystery with a lovable oddball at its center” (Real Simple), this cozy whodunit introduces a one-of-a-kind heroine who will steal your heart.
 
FINALIST FOR THE EDGAR® AWARD • “The reader comes to understand Molly’s worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted—a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
 
“Think Clue. Think page-turner.”—Glamour

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Reader’s Digest
WINNER: The Anthony Award, The Fingerprint Award, The Barry Award

In development as a major motion picture

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The Guardian, Glamour, Elle, PopSugar, Newsweek, Mental Floss, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews

This was fantastic! I have had this book on my shelf since it was released and I am so glad I finally got the chance to pick it up. I fell in love with Molly almost immediately. She sees the world a little differently and often struggles in social situations. She always relied on her grandmother but is alone now that her grandmother is gone. She takes her position as a maid very seriously.

I knew that Molly was most likely in over her head as soon as she found the body of one of her regular hotel guests in his room. This starts a chain of events that will throw off Molly’s routine in quite a few ways. There were quite a few players in this mystery that I didn’t completely trust and I couldn’t wait to find out what really happened in that hotel room. I loved the fact that there were some surprises worked into the story.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Lauren Ambrose did a phenomenal job with the narration. She quickly became Molly in my mind which really helped to bring the entire story to life. I believe that this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to this narrator’s work and I was very impressed. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this delightful story.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a refreshing mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the cast of characters and look forward to reading more of the series very soon.

I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Random House Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Narrator: Lauren Ambrose
Series: Molly the Maid #2
Published by Ballantine Books, Penguin Random House Audio on November 28, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
Pages: 304
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

BOOK 2 OF 2: MOLLY THE MAID

“Prepare to be swept away again into the wonderfully endearing and unforgettable world of Molly. . . . Nita Prose writes like no other—I loved this even more than her utterly delightful debut.” —Ashley Audrain, bestselling author of The Push and The Whispers

“Polished to perfection!” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying

A new mess. A new mystery. It’s up to Molly the maid to uncover the truth, no matter how dirty, in this standalone novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid, a Good Morning America Book Club pick.

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 tea room 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 case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows that she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past—because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly must comb her memory for clues, and revisit her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where her dearly departed Gran once worked. With Molly and her colleagues under investigation, she knows she must solve the mystery post-haste. And if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that dirty secrets don't stay buried forever...

This was fantastic! I might even like Molly better in this installment than I did in the first (and I liked her a lot in that book!). I love how much Molly has grown as a character and I was happy to see that things were going well in her life. Well, things are going great until there is another death at the hotel and Molly finds herself in the middle of another investigation.

The mystery in this installment kept me guessing, and I enjoyed the flashbacks to the past that were worked into the story. It was really interesting to me that Molly had a connection to the deceased author even though he didn’t seem to remember. Molly looks at the world a little differently and I thought that some of her insights into this case were very interesting. There were a few things that I was able to figure out but I found the book entertaining overall.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Lauren Ambrose did an amazing job with the story. She did such a great job of bringing Molly and the rest of the cast of characters to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and thought that she added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to others. This is the second book in the Molly the Maid series and I would recommend reading the series in order if at all possible since the events from the first book are discussed in this installment. I found this mystery to be delightful and I hope that we see many more stories featuring Molly the maid.

I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Random House Audio.

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