Lovely contemporary cozy mystery.

I love the literal and no-nonsense Molly the Maid. She reminds me of the main character in a much-loved children's book series, Amelia Bedelia, with how she perceives and interacts with the world.

When a famous author collapses and dies right in front of her in the Regency Grand Hotel Tearoom at a special VIP event, Molly is shocked to hear that it was a homicide. She teams up with her cohort of colleagues at the boutique hotel and joins forces with Detective Stark to find out who killed the author JD Grimthorpe. There is no way that Molly is going to let this scandal besmirch the reputation of her beloved hotel, especially not now since she became Head Maid.

Told in a past and present shifting timeline, the reader learns that Molly had actually met and known JD Grimthorpe when she, as a child, went to his mansion to help her grandmother who was working there as a maid. Some of the details Molly recalls help her while assisting in the investigation.

Love all the characters in this series and I enjoyed this second book as much as I did the first. I do look forward to more installments with Molly and her fellow workers, friends, and partner, Juan. I like the hotel setting and all the descriptions of the place.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I really enjoyed the narrator, Lauran Ambrose, who brought such quality to the production and enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. Definitely recommend this series. ( )

Not as good as her first book, but still interesting to read. We learn more about her grandmother's experiences as a maid for writer, Mr Grimthorpe. We learn that he had a drinking problem that her grandmother helped him through, but that he also sexually abused her. Molly worked in the mansion polishing silver and reading in the library. She came to get a sense of what took place. Years later Mr Grimthorpe is poisoned at an event where Molly is Head Maid. He drank tea that he sweetened unknowlingly with honey laced with antifreeze. We also learn that Mr. Preston is Molly's grandfather. Before he was able to try to marry her grandmother, her grandmother's family sent her away to have this child away from the prying eyes of her parents' friends. It turns out that Mr. Grimthorpe did not write the books that became famous, but his typist created the novels herself somewhat based on some Mr. Grimthorpe's ideas. The person who killfed the author was one of the ladies from his fan club who stated she was his "official" biographer. She was upset that he dismissed her attempts to chat with him and was quite rude and hateful. ( )

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. ( )