The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is a fun cozy mystery featuring Molly the maid, a girl who is on the spectrum and can not read emotion in faces. The Mystery Guest is the second book in the Molly the Maid series, the first book was simply called The Maid. Molly Gray is a fun character who is so sweet and disciplined, yet this is the second time she has dealt with and been accused of murder. This time the murder is a little more personal with Molly having met the victim when she was a child. The title The Mystery Guest could be taken as an unexpected guest, but in this book, it refers to a mystery writer who is a guest at Molly’s hotel. The mystery is set up very well with a lot of suspects you have to root through to get to the killer and the motive. I did not pick the killer in the end, I thought the novel was going differently. I was moderately satisfied with who the killer was at the end. This story is told the same way as The Maid where we go back and forth from the present to a flashback to the past. The pace of the novel was good and constant not too fast and not too slow. The humor was spread throughout the novel and usually was one of Molly’s sayings at an inappropriate time, which sometimes made the humor dark and I love it. The characters are what makes this novel special, Molly and her Gran’s relationship has been a highlight of the series, the new character Lily makes a big impact towards the end, and Cheryl you love to hate. The ending was satisfying it remained surprising and heartfelt with a possible new beginning for Molly the maid. A special thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for giving me The Mystery Guest for free in exchange for a review. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose was published on November 28, 2023, by Ballantine Books.

Plot Summary: Four years after the first murder, Mr Grimthorpe is a famed mystery writer visiting the Regency Grand Hotel where Molly the maid works. Mr. Grimthorpe is set to make a big announcement. But before Mr. Grimthorpe can make that announcement he drops dead in the tea room, right next to Molly the maid, and her new maid in training Lily. Because of all the uproar, his speech with the very important announcement was stolen, along with the poison container. Police think it is an inside job with a worker at the hotel, and who is the one person who was directly involved with the last murder at the hotel, but Molly the maid. We find out through flashbacks that Molly knew the victim had a reason to hate him.

What I Liked: Molly and her Gran’s relationship told in the flashbacks was the highlight of the last novel and this one as well. There is so much love and understanding between them it is infectious. I love Molly’s sayings that were passed down from her Gran, and how they are sometimes said at the wrong time. I loved Molly going undercover saying she’s a detective pretending to be a maid. I liked Molly and Lily’s relationship and how Molly sees something that most do not. I loved that Cheryl is demoted from the last novel and that she gets even more of a comeuppance in this story. She has it coming, you really love to hate her character. I loved where Molly’s character left off with a decision to make, I’m ready for the next chapter in Molly’s life.

What I Disliked: It took me a little bit to get used to how far Molly has come since The Maid her character doesn’t have as hard of a time understanding not reading into emotion. The mystery story was good but not great, The Maid had a stronger mystery.

Recommendation: This is a fun cozy mystery with some great characters. I do not read enough cozy mysteries but I really enjoy the adventures of Molly the maid, and I think you will too. If you like heartwarming stories with a hint of dark humor then The Mystery Guest is for you.

I rated: The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose 4 out of 5 stars. So far Nita Prose has only written two books, now I need her to write more.