The Maid's Secret - Nita Prose

 

Description

Molly the Maid is used to being invisible. But it's time for her to shine in a brand new mystery…

**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**

*THE SPARKLING NEW MYSTERY FROM THE NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MAID*

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Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets…

She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through.

But one secret lies much closer to home.

An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace.

Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past.

For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…

Review

This is the third book (there was a novella too) in the Molly the Maid series. I enjoyed the first one, loved the second one and this one I felt didn't quite hit the mark for me.

When the hotel where Molly works hosts a TV programme that values antiques, Molly decides to take a few of her late Grandmothers trinkets to be valued. When one of them is found to be a rare antique and extremely valuable, it seems Molly's life is about to change.

The book flip flops between the present, with Molly getting married, and the past, through her Grandmother's old diary. We get to read the diary before Molly does, and so the pieces of the mystery of the trinket begin to be uncovered. I really liked the parts of the diary, but then felt annoyed when I had to get back to the present day. 

Molly didn't seem to have the same voice as she had previously, but that could have been due to all the mayhem being caused by the antique being valuable, and the changes it will bring to her life. The character of Molly really came back true to form towards the end of the book. She began to take control over the situation with the antique, and I thought it was more like the first two books.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars because I did find it hard going at times. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 10 April 2025.

Fair Play - Louise Hegarty

 

Description

This is a murder mystery. This is a story about love. Or is it? . . .

Fair Play is the puzzle-box story of two competing tales that brilliantly lay bare the real truth of life - the terrifying mystery of grief.

'A treat – clever, confident, and always surprising, a mystery story that ingeniously escapes the locked room of the genre to take on the biggest questions of life and death' Paul Murray, author of THE BEE STING

'Dazzling, formally subversive, brimming with compassion' Colin Walsh, author of KALA

Abigail and her brother Benjamin have always been close. To celebrate his birthday, Abigail hires a grand old house and gathers their friends together for a murder mystery party. As the night goes on, they drink too much and play games. Relationships are forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses someone they shouldn’t, someone else’s heart is broken.

In the morning, everyone wakes up – except Benjamin.

Suddenly everything is not quite what it seems. An eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin’s killer. The house now has a butler, a gardener and a housekeeper. This is a locked-room mystery, and everyone is a suspect.

As Abigail attempts to fathom her brother’s unexpected death in a world that has been turned upside down, she begins to wonder whether perhaps the true mystery might have been his life . . .

Review

At first I wasn't sure what I had just finished reading, I needed time to digest it.

The book opens with Abigail preparing an Air BNB for the yearly NY party/her Brother's birthday. So far so good. The guests begin to arrive, rather a lot to keep track of for me.

The next day is Benjamin's (her brother) birthday. But he never wakes up to celebrate. He is found in a locked bedroom. A fictional detective and his sidekick turn up to investigate and it appears the house the guests are in, is not a Air BNB, but a grand house that Abigail and her brother own. They even have their own servants. It would seem we are also transported back to the 1930s judging by the dialogue. Strange I thought, reading on and deciding to stick with it.

I actually enjoyed the fictional detective and his powers of deduction ala Monsieur Poirot. The plot became a little like the "Sliding Doors" film. It got a tedious when there was a lot of repeated dialogue, which I scan read. Maybe italics might have been good at this point to distinguish the prose just read. 

Then came the ending. Which at first floored me, I had no idea what had happened. Mulling it over for some time after finishing I think I can reconcile what Abigail was doing and the reason for the ending, but that would be a spoiler.

Most important to mention is that this is not an Agatha Christie clone, or a mystery per se. The trope is used to convey much more than that, so you may be disappointed, or confused if you are expecting it to be purely a murder mystery.

The more I mull, the more I realise how clever the writing is, but it won't be for everyone. So I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book is published 3 April 2025. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) - Jesse Sutanto

 

Description

The follow-up to the bestselling Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice to Murderers

Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Vera Wong is perfectly content as a teashop owner. She is definitely not seeking opportunities for amateur sleuthing. But what else is she to do when a distressed woman called Millie asks for her help?

Okay, perhaps Vera wheedled the story out of her. And maybe the case file for Millie’s missing friend Thomas didn’t exactly fall into her lap. Everyone knows a locked briefcase is just asking to be opened by someone handy with a hairpin.

Not even the aroma of chrysanthemum tea can stop Vera from catching the scent of this mystery. However dangerous it is, Vera intends to uncover the truth in the only way that this Chinese mother knows how: by spilling the tea.

‘I thoroughly loved it. With a Vera in your life nothing bad can ever happen!’ J. M. Hall, bestselling author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt’ Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

‘A dazzling debut full of humour and love. A comedy caper, doused in black humour, comical references, mixed with romance – fans of Crazy Rich Asians will love it’ My Weekly

‘Brilliant, wicked and dead, dead funny’ Andi Osho, Asking For A Friend

Review

I loved it.

We met Vera in Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice to Murderers and it was so good to catch up with her again. This book seemed a little more serious than the first book, but that's not to say it was still funny. Whilst this is a standalone I think you would enjoy it more after reading the first book. There is some recapping, which was useful for me, but maybe not enough to flesh out the background and the characters for a first time reader.

In this book we see Vera become a Tik Tok sensation and of course add more people to those she is now counting as family. She really is an incredible and endearing character. There were a couple of sensational scenes with Vera sticking up for her new found friends. Although I feared for Vera this time, as she does hit home with her snooping regarding a very serious undercover crime. 

Winifred in the next door shop is also back with the gentle feuding between her and Vera. This time with new pastries that sounded incredible and made me ache to visit her and Vera. I guess we will just have to hope there is a another book.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 10 April 2025.