This is the second in the Molly the Maid cozy mystery series.

Molly is a neurodivergent woman who was raised by a loving grandmother (now deceased) who helped her understand others by using many little rules and sayings which Molly took to heart. She is now the chief housekeeper at an upscale hotel, where in the initial book, she was believed to be a murderer due to her different way of interacting with the world.

This time Molly is helping prepare the hotel for a lavish author event where a very well known and beloved mystery author, J. D. Grimthorpe, will be giving an important announcement to his gathered fans. By shear chance, Grimthorpe was a major player in Molly’s childhood. They have not met for many years and he no longer recognizes the child he once knew.

But … just as he begins to speak, he dies.

It seems to be murder – and once again one of the maids is the chief suspect.

Molly has learned to become very observant of things, events and people in an effort to demystify people’s actions and understand what is happening. This can make her the perfect detective as she sees things others overlook – but she can also misunderstand what has occurred– and sometimes her grandmother’s concrete rules can lead her astray when situations don’t fit neatly into specific boxes. In both books, I felt the police were characterized as not-too-bright – surely they would realize a speaker would have notes and the notes were missing.

I enjoyed learning more of Molly’s back story and thought the dual time line worked well. I also enjoy reading about a neurodivergent woman with a responsible job, a love interest and good friends who treat her with respect.

All in all cozy mysteries are perfect when one needs a break from tougher subjects – and this one fit that category very well. If the author continues the series, I'll read onward. 3.6 stars. ( )

This is the second book in which Molly the Maid turns detective when there are 'goings on' in the hotel. Molly has been promoted to Head Maid, she wears a badge to prove it, and is now responsible for teaching others how to clean. We are most definitely in cozy crime country with these books. Molly, who has difficulties 'reading' people, notices things that others wouldn't and so that makes her an ideal detective although it has to be said, she also misses things.

An author dies at a conference in the hotel just as he is about to reveal a big secret and it turns out that he was poisoned. And just as in the first book, maids are often thought to be guilty. This time it is Lily, Molly's Maid-in-Training, that is under observation.

The book shifts between now and then to explore Molly's childhood and how it relates to the now. The chapters where this happens are prefaced with the word 'Before' making it quite clear and I suppose this was a device used now that the voice of Gran who Molly relied on so heavily to read the world has now gone.

This book isn't as good as The Maid although still enjoyable. It's not easy to write that second book. ( )

A delightful cozy mystery with our neurodivergent main character. She was a bit less bumbling this time around, and the past timeline was delightful. ( )

Nita Prose has created a character whose voice gets in my brain. I hear her and understand her and root for her on every page. She strives for perfection while understanding that it is a very high watermark. And because she has had difficulties and more, she is perfectly attuned to others and their faults, problems and struggles. I love this character, unabashed adoration. Prose has advanced Molly’s character in the four years since her debut in the original installment. Molly makes us aware that she started at the bottom and is on the ascendency. Yay Molly. She is “an employee who sustains an attitude of gratitude.” She is better at reading people which she does by noticing things differently than most. Her awareness of her deficiencies and attributes is breathtaking in its simplicity.

There were so many great twisty little turns that advanced the story and allowed you to keep understanding Molly’s character development. I am so looking forward to the next Molly the Maid Installment but until then I will hear Molly reciting Gran’s advice:
“Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
We’re all the same in different ways.
Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

4-1/2 brilliantly shining stars. So Many thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy of Molly the Maid’s latest adventure. ( )

Molly Gray is the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a 5-star boutique hotel. They are hosting a revelation by a famous mystery author, J.D. Grimthorpe. As he begins his talk, he drinks a cup of tea with lots of honey and falls down dead. That begins Molly's reminiscing about her early life with her Gran, a maid in the home of Grimthorpe. One day Gran has to speak with Molly's teacher and finds that she is to be held back in school, although it is not because of lack of intelligence--it is because she has poor social skills. She is on the autism scale and requires a different style of learning while her Grandmother supplies as she is able. She takes Molly with her to the mansion where Molly ends up polishing silver, reading in the library, and meeting Mr. Grimthorpe. The only people in the house are Grimthorpe and his wife, a gardener, Mr. Jenkins, a guard, Mr. Preston, and the person who types Grimthorpe's novels. Molly reveres her grandmother and can still hear her maxims for conducting life in her head. The police suspect Lily, a new maid, or Molly since they are the ones who prepared the tea tray. There is also a group of lady fans of Grimthorpe who follow him around, write about him, and collect his artifacts called the LAMBS. Angela, the bartender, at The Social, a bar at the hotel fancies herself as an amateur detective and begins investigating. Molly being on the autism scale is able to put single happenings together to come up with some answers to what might have happened. Detective Sharp find her very helpful and offers her a job in her investigative unit if Molly is willing. However, Molly has grown up always believing her destiny was to me a maid. Mr. Preston, now the door man at this hotel, has befriended her over the years and has Sunday dinner with her and her live-in boyfriend each week. Then there is Cheryl, a slovenly maid, out to make a killing selling stolen artifacts online. ( )