Two in one review! Honestly, I probably would have never bothered with reading these sequels to Nita Prose’s The Maid if I had not come across them on Book Outlet. As it is, I did not read the novella set between The Mystery Guest and The Maid’s Secret. Both of these novels are as cutesy as the first novel in the series, but I do not think they are good mystery novels.

Spoilers ahead for The Maid in case you plan on reading it.

The Mystery Guest

Book two of The Maid series involves yet another murder at the Regency Grand Hotel, where Molly the Maid has been promoted to Head Maid after the events in book one. This time the murder victim is a famous mystery author named J. D. Grimthorpe, who dies after drinking tea laced with antifreeze. Molly and another maid in the hotel become Detective Stark’s prime suspects, only because the detective has it out for maids for some reason. Little does Detective Stark know, though, Molly knew Grimthorpe when she was a child when her beloved Gran worked as his maid.

The Mystery Guest alternates between the investigation into Grimthorpe’s murder and Molly’s recollections of the weeks she spent at the Grimthorpe’s mansion polishing silver and being berated by Grimthorpe’s wife after her Gran pulled her out of school because her teacher did not realize that she’s neurodivergent (as an aside, I cannot figure out when these novels are supposed to be set. There are cellphones and modern references, but there is a lot of anachronistic ideas and behaviour that does not jibe). Molly’s experience at Grimthorpe’s mansion is the more interesting part of the story, to the point that the revelation of Grimthorpe’s murderer is underwhelming.

Molly has come a long way from book one and is better able to read people and understand social nuances. Because of this, she realizes the truth about certain events from her past, such as her Gran being the victim of sexual assault by Grimthorpe. But the novel, like Molly, does not dwell on this and it is only obliquely referred to. Molly is given one last happy surprise at the end of the novel and everyone moves on. Maybe I’m just a cynical bitch, but these novels are a tad too saccharine for my taste.

If you plan on reading The Mystery Guest, come back once you are finished to read my review of The Maid’s Secret because there are more spoilers ahead.

The Maid’s Secret

Fortunately for the Regency Grand Hotel, it will not develop the same reputation for murder as the White Lotus. Instead, book three of The Maid series involves the heist of a rare artifact.

At the end of The Mystery Guest, Grimthorpe’s gardener gifts Molly the seemingly worthless jewelled egg that she was besotted with as a child. When an Antiques Roadshow type of show comes to the Regency Grant, Molly brings the egg to be valued. It turns out the egg really is a Fabergé egg, and Molly the Maid suddenly becomes famous for her rags to riches story. Except that before Molly can collect her millions after auctioning off the egg, it is stolen in a brazen heist right before everyone’s eyes.

Who stole the egg, and why would they threaten to kill Molly if she comes looking for it? The secret to that lies in Gran’s diary, which Molly’s Gran-dad has been hanging onto under instructions to give it to Molly at the right time. Gran’s diary reads like a fairy tale come to life: She once was a beautiful young woman who came from an extremely rich family, until her father started losing money and decided to marry her off to the son of his wealthy rival.

There is nothing original about Gran’s story, but it ties in better with the present mystery of the stolen egg than Molly’s childhood recollections did with Grimthorpe’s murder in The Mystery Guest. But I think Gran did Molly a disservice in teaching her to be a humble person. There is nothing wrong with having money, it is what you do with it or how you let it affect you that’s the problem. Molly and her soon-to-be-husband deserve better than to not be able to buy their own home with two full time salaries, so I was pretty pissed when Molly was robbed of that egg money.

Anyway, like the other novels, The Maid’s Secret gives Molly a happy ending, but this is supposed to be the last novel in the series, and I am unsatisfied with some of the loose ends that Nita Prose left behind, especially concerning Molly’s drug addict mother. I kind of feeling like why did I bother reading these books? I don’t think “cozy” mystery books are meant for me. Give me (fictional) trauma please.