The Mystery Guest - Nita Prose

 

Description

*The sparkling new novel from the award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of The Maid*

‘Witty, joyful and utterly unique’ A J FINN
‘Captivates from page one’ JANICE HALLETT
‘A flawless and brilliant read’ LIZ NUGENT
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A new mess.
A new mystery.
Molly the maid returns . . .

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.

But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .

Review

When I read The Maid by the same author, the ending was so neatly tied up that I never expected to see a sequel. It's been a delight to read about Molly the maid once more.

It seems Molly has matured a lot since the last book, and whilst she still is a little unworldly wise, her reasoning seems spot on. She's even hiring a new maid, but will her character assessment of the new maid be found to be lacking?

I was intrigued to know how Molly knew the famous mystery writer who has since died in her hotel. An unfortunate coincidence based on the death in the last book, and one which the police are keen to pick up on. I fear for Molly but she took it all in her stride and even became a sleuth herself. The book goes to "before" to show us Molly's early life, which is when she met the writer. What a great insight it was, not only into her character but that of her beloved and wise Gran. 

It's always a worry that a sequel will not do justice to the original, but this is even better in my opinion.

I just loved reading this book. If you enjoyed the first book, then I think you will also enjoy this one too. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. The book is published on 18 January 2024. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Secrets Between Us - Laura Madeleine

 

Description

A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war.

‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House

High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.

Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains.

Review

This is a dual timeline novel set in 1943 and 1993. I found that I was getting into the story in 1943 and then pulled to 1993, where not so much seemed to be happening. The character Annie in the 90s was a little boring to me. There was so much more action and vigour in the 1943 characters.

The second world war timeline was different than anything I have read about this period before. It certainly opened my eyes to a world in a small village in France I was not aware of. Although not totally historic the author did base the writing on a real village.

I thought that the first half of this book dragged a little. But once the two timelines met I found it much more intriguing and couldn't put it down. This resulted in a satisfying ending which has had me replaying parts of the book to make sense of it all.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the review copy.