By Nita Prose

ISBN: 9780593356180

Molly from ‘The Maid’ is back with another big mess at the Regency Grand Hotel that she will need to clean. Fans of Molly’s character will enjoy this novel, as we learn more about her, while those looking for a good cozy mystery book will probably need to keep looking.

Synopsis:

“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 tearoom 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 high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.”

What’s to like:

Molly’s character, in all its simplicity and uniqueness, is as adorable as in the first book. As a neurodivergent person who often fails to understand social situations or pick up social cues, her character appears to have developed since we last met her in the prequel book, ‘The Maid’. It is great to see how she has responded to being in a position of authority now that she is the Headmaid at the Regency Grand Hotel.

For someone who has read the first book in the series, the most enjoyable parts of this book are all the chapters set in Molly’s childhood, where we learn more about her and her Gran’s relationship and also about the experiences in Molly’s past that left a big impression on her.

What’s not to like:

The novel does not offer much in the mystery genre. For the first two-thirds parts of the novel, the story doesn’t seem to be developing much concerning the murder aspect of the novel. If it wasn’t for the interesting flashbacks to Molly’s childhood the book would have been hard to read. Much like the first book, this book is a letdown when it comes to creating suspense and the eventual resolution of the mystery of who committed the murder. While there is no doubt that the author establishes Molly as someone with great attention to detail, which again helps her to solve the mystery, the events describing her finding the murderer seem too implausible.

Prose has again done a great job with adding further to a not-so-typical character in Molly and her story is what keeps the reader entertained. However, this series should not continue in the mystery books genre where the mystery in the plot is poorly built.

Book Review Rating: 3/5 – Feel Good.

Clean Content Rating: Clean. Brief mention of premarital relations, sexual harassment, and death. Age advisory: 16+