I absolutely loved Nita Prose’s The Maid, and as I found myself getting tired of running in the repetitive book cycle I was in it seemed like a good idea to pick up the second novel featuring Molly Gray.

Set some time after the events of the first book, The Mystery Guest returns us to the life of Molly Gray, now the Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel. Told in the first person, we accompany Molly, who has trouble reading facial expressions and tones, and often takes things quite literally, as she finds herself embroiled in yet another murder mystery.

This time out, a famous author drops dead right before he gives an important speech to his fans at an event hosted by the Regency. When Molly’s old nemesis, Detective Stark arrives to investigate, it’s revealed that the author was murdered, but what Molly doesn’t reveal is that she had a connection to the writer, a connection that could be construed as motive.

Soon she finds herself pulled into the investigation, even as we are taken back through portions of Molly’s childhood, and the layers of the mystery, and the characters are peeled back layer by layer.

I absolutely loved this novel. Prose took everything we loved in the first one, specifically the wonderful Molly Gray and her interactions with the world, and expands them beautifully. Prose fills out Molly’s character even more completely, as well as her co-workers and friends. Her boyfriend Juan gets a bit of a short shrift here as he’s away, but knowing Molly is happy in her relationship makes me happy.

The mystery is, once again, very well-crafted, the clues are all there, and Molly’s detail oriented mind is able to put them together in her own unique way.

It’s probably a difficult thing to bring something new and unique to the mystery genre, but Prose has done it by creating Molly Gray an endearing and earnest character that you can’t help but feel for. You root for her no matter what, and I loved how she started putting things together.

Prose tells a great story, one that sweeps you up into the world of mystery writers, their fans, a beautiful hotel, and the staff who work there. It’s just so much fun.

There’s an elegance to the prose (Prose?) that makes you just want to curl up with a cup of tea, and enjoy every word on the page. The Maid, and The Mystery Guest were delightful, there’s a third novel coming, and I’m hoping to get my hands on the holiday novella that features Molly before Christmas.

If you fancy a murder-mystery, I can’t recommend The Maid Series enough. Molly’s a wonderful character, and Prose tells a fantastic story. Pick it up!