September 30, 2024
Molly Gray, head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, returns in Edgar winner Prose’s charmingly low-key sequel to The Mystery Guest. As a child, Molly and her grandmother had little money, but Gran made every Christmas special by creating an annual Advent calendar filled with “upcycled” trinkets. Now Molly and her boyfriend, pastry chef Juan Manuel, follow the same thrifty pattern. The couple are deep in the honeymoon phase, doting on each other, turning their bathtub into a makeshift spa, and admiring their “misfit” Charlie Brown tree with its macaroni star topper. But Molly starts to doubt Juan’s faithfulness when he begins withholding details about his whereabouts and grows evasive about the hotel staff’s annual Secret Santa exchange. Eschewing violence altogether, Prose focuses instead on the mysteries of romantic relationships, which brings the stakes way down from the previous Maid novels. Still, breezy prose, appealing characters, and sitcomesque storytelling propel the entertaining plot to its sweet, albeit predictable, conclusion. This is sure to put readers in the holiday spirit. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary.