December 2023

THE MAID was such a terrific debut, and I was wondering if Nita Prose could either match it or top it with THE MYSTERY GUEST. I am very pleased to say that she did. Once again, we have Molly the maid, who I came to love in the first book. She now is the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. When the book opens, mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe has come to the hotel to make an announcement. But at the start of the program, he takes a drink of tea, collapses and dies. From there the mystery unfolds.

The hotel’s “pristine” reputation is at stake. Molly finds herself in a position to get deep into this investigation as years ago her Gran worked at Grimthorpe’s mansion. She knows lots about him --- details that many may not know as she spent time at his place while Gran worked. Molly was just a tad “too much” for the school that she attended, so she would find herself joining Gran on the job, which gave her the experience she needed for her treasured role as a maid.

Layering in an author, an author event and a lively group of readers makes this a fun story that has lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed it even more than THE MAID, which is saying something since sophomore efforts can go either way.