New mess, new mystery

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose picks up from her previous book, The Maid, which came out in 2022 and features the same few characters that include Molly Gray, the protagonist and a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.

In The Maid, the death of Molly's grandmother, who was also a maid, left her to navigate the messy webs of life by herself. She found comfort and security in her tasks, but her quirks put her in the crosshairs of the police when a guest was found dead in his hotel room.

We know Molly is cleared in this second novel because several years have passed since then, she's still employed at the Regency Grand, and she's now the head maid with a trainee under her wing. She even has a boyfriend.

However, death still stalks the hotel, this time picking off the famous but reclusive mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe as he is about to make a huge announcement in the establishment's newly restored tea room. Later, a banker's box filled with Grimthorpe's personal items go missing.

Soon, Molly is roped into the case by Angela, the hotel's barmaid who's a true-crime podcast aficionado, much to her annoyance. A maid's work must go on, even if her workplace is now a crime scene. Her protégé, seemingly shell-shocked by Grimthorpe collapsing dead on top of her, has gone quiet and evasive. The gloom of the incident hangs over the hotel as the cloud of suspicion falls on staff and guest alike.

What Molly has yet to reveal is that she knows the deceased, and as the case unfolds, dark pasts begin to emerge.

Maid vs murder

More than a cosy murder mystery, this novel is about a few good eggs in an unsympathetic world, including one good but odd egg whose strengths lie within what others perceive as quirks. Our Molly is a loyal friend, dependable maid, and a firm but understanding mentor – someone you'd want in your corner on a bad day.

Her distinguishing quirk is that she is also neurodivergent to some degree. Clues: her inability to read the room and people, her hyperfixations on a single given task, and her discomfort with triggering words or situations, among others. This trait made her a target for bullying at school, prompting her grandmother to take her away.

We also learn more about Molly's previous encounters with Grimthorpe when she was a child and her grandmother was working at his mansion, and how she may have picked up the cleaning bug. Her grandmother's past is also unveiled and it's not pretty.

Still, having Molly as the narrator may not have been the best choice because she comes off as a bit long-winded – perhaps a function of her neurodivergence. She answers questions with more than what is required. Readers probably don't need to be told what IMHO stands for, but "new" acronyms are also invented.

(On an unrelated note: a ladies' society of mystery-novel fans is dubbed LAMBS, paving the way for a groan-inducing pun.)

Characterisation for most of the cast feels flat. Many characters don't sound their age or their profession, and some of the exchanges between them aren't what one would consider realistic. If Molly is narrating, then this might be chalked up to how certain traits register in her mind more than others.

Novel storytelling

Our victim drops dead about 10 pages in but getting past the first half of the novel feels like a drag, what with the flashbacks, the at-times sophomoric dialogue, and Molly's verbosity. And while the killer's identity is not the only mystery in the book, readers don't get to solve that one.

Those who persevered throughout the first half will find the second half more enjoyable. The pieces start falling into place to serve up a satisfactory denouement, and all the things that bog down the story gradually become irrelevant.

Learning to appreciate people like Molly and how they tell stories is perhaps part of this novel's challenge. Hers is one of the many ways to narrate a tale, and while it may not be to the liking of some, one finds her casual frankness refreshing, at the very least.

This review is based on an advance reading copy, but do give the US edition or the UK edition of The Mystery Guest a shot.