Book Review: The Mystery Guest

Ballantine Books

In 2022, Nita Prose hit the ground running with her debut novel The Maid, which was translated into more than 40 languages and sold over a million copies worldwide, and was one of the Erie Reader's top five books of 2022. In 2023, Prose returned with the highly anticipated follow-up, The Mystery Guest, a subsequent novel featuring beloved characters drawn from the first.

We welcome back Molly Gray, now the head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, who has learned how to cope with the struggles she faces in social situations while still maintaining the unusual demeanor that makes her such a lovable character. Other familiar faces include Mr. Snow, the hotel's manager; Mr. Preston, the doorman; Angela, the fiery barmaid; and Detective Stark, Molly's old nemesis.

While many of the faces remain the same, a new death at the hotel brings with it many new mysteries and unsolved questions. J.D. Grimthorpe, renowned mystery author and known recluse, is set to make a public appearance for the first time in years, holding a press conference in the hotel's tea room. But, right as he's about to make his big announcement, he drops dead in front of the crowd, leaving everyone wondering what he was set to reveal and who wanted to stop it from happening.

Fingers point in all directions, with many suspecting others throughout the hotel: was it the quiet new maid-in-training, Lily? Or perhaps the author's new secretary, Serena? Could kind Mr. Preston, manning the door of the hotel, be hiding something as well? Or could Molly herself be involved, seeing as she knew J.D. Grimthorpe in her childhood?

What follows is an intricately woven web of secrets, the past intertwining with the present in ways that seem impossible until all is revealed in the end. Even when you think you've figured it out, another wrench is thrown into everything — creating a page-turning story that you won't want to miss.

Ballantine Books // 304 pages // Cozy Mystery