Review of THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose (New Release)

 4 Stars

People who enjoyed The Maid will enjoy the return of Molly Gray in this sequel.

Molly is now 29 and has been promoted to Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.  Because of her obsessiveness about cleanliness and returning things to “a state of perfection,” and her devotion to duty, she excels at her job.  There is a great deal of excitement about the opening of the hotel’s tearoom:  its first event is the appearance of a world-famous mystery writer, J. D. Grimthorpe, who is scheduled to make a major announcement.  But just as he takes the podium, he drops dead after ingesting poisoned tea.  Detective Stark, who suspected Molly of murder in The Maid, reappears to investigate.  Various suspects are considered, including Lily, the newest maid-in-training whom Molly insisted on being hired. 

Though J. D. Grimthorpe is a mysterious figure – I couldn’t help but think of J. D. Salinger – Molly’s thoughts reveal something important:  “I knew so much about the man who’d written [The Maid in the Mansion].  I knew a lot about the book itself as well.”  Interspersed amongst the sections about the investigation are flashbacks to Molly’s childhood visits to the Grimthorpes and their mansion where Gran worked as a maid.

As in the previous novel, much of the appeal of the book is the character of Molly.  She has not changed in that she remains honest, unfailingly polite, and hard working.  Her social awkwardness also remains, although she seems more adept at reading emotions and social cues.  Her maturity shows in her awareness of both her weaknesses (not noticing what is obvious to others) and strengths (being attuned to what others ignore).  She is a charming amateur sleuth in the vein of Flavia de Luce.

Molly’s reminiscences about the past are most interesting.  The reader learns more about Molly’s childhood; her experiences at school are especially heart-breaking.  We also discover more about Gran, the woman who raised Molly.  Gran is a woman whom the reader cannot but admire.  Her sayings serve to guide Molly.  Sometimes Molly’s constant repetition of these nuggets of wisdom becomes annoying, but of course routine and repetition are keys to how Molly functions in the world. 

Of course, Molly’s memories also serve another purpose:  they hold the clues to why Grimthorpe was murdered.  Because she was only ten years old when she visited the mansion and because she understood things in a very literal way, she was not able to interpret the meaning and significance of what she observed and heard.  The reader may understand things Molly does not, but will s/he ignore things Molly does not?  Certainly the clues are there from the beginning.

This cozy mystery is a quick, entertaining read with both sad and silly moments.  Sequels do not have the freshness of the originals, but this sequel is quite good.  Molly is an endearing character so it’s fun to spend some time in her company.  As she was taught by Gran, Molly focuses on the positive, and some escapist reading that ends with a positive message is just what we need in these dark days. 

Note:  I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.