Caffeinated Reviewer

I listened while reading along to the narration by Lauren Ambrose and what a quirky, suspenseful and intriguing tale Nita Prose delivered with The Maid. Grab a cuppa before curling up with this delightful, cozy mystery. Molly Harper earned a spot as one of my favorite characters.

A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut.

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Told from the perspective of twenty-five-year-old Molly Harper, I quickly found myself pulled into the story. Molly is unique and clearly on the spectrum. She struggles in social situations and misreads intentions. We learn her grandmother has recently passed and that her former boyfriend cleaned out their nest egg.

However, Molly loves her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She loves returning each room to a state of perfection. A few guests are regulars and a few have befriended her. The other staff see her as odd. The head of the Maids frequently steals their tips and Molly has recently begun stealing food left on the discarded trays of guests.

I adored Molly from her chipper outlook to the way she treats everyone she meets. I also felt sorry for this lonely young woman. Things become quite interesting when Molly finds the body of Mr. Black.

Police begin an investigation suspecting foul play. As the investigation begins and Molly is questioned, we learn about the daily happens at the hotel. All is not what it seems, and poor Molly doesn’t have a clue. Her unusual demeanor soon has the police detective in charge, eyeing her as a suspect. Being inside Molly’s head as she is interviewed had me sweating!

The tale that unfolds was clever with an interesting locked-in mystery. It was combined with a heartwarming tale as Molly discovers she isn’t truly alone. Secondary characters added depth and intrigue as the author touched on different topics from immigration to marriage prenups.

The author’s writing pulls the reader in from the details to the pacing. However, the audiobook was outstanding. The narration performed by Lauren Ambrose brought Molly and the story to life. Ambrose did a brilliant job with the voice and tone of Molly. You could feel her emotions as the narration enhanced the story.

Fans of character driven mysteries and unique characters will want to add The Maid to their reading/listening shelf. I loved the ARC so much I order a copy for my bookshelf.

Amazon | Audible

About Nita Prose

Nita Prose is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean.

Website | Twitter | Instagram

About Lauren Ambrose

Lauren Ambrose is an actress known for her work on television, in film, and on the Broadway stage. She has been nominated for a Tony® award and two Emmy® awards, and her television roles include performances as Claire Fisher in Six Feet Under and Jilly Kitzinger in Torchwood: Miracle Day.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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