The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

 

First Line: My gran loved all holidays, but her favorite by far was Christmas.

 

The first few Christmases without her beloved grandmother were tough for Molly Gray. Her grandmother went to great lengths to make the season merry, bright, and filled with cherished traditions. Now Molly has her boyfriend to bring the joy back to Christmas, and that's exactly what Juan Manuel is determined to do.

 

When a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Gran Hotel makes Molly wonder whom she can and cannot trust, she immediately goes to work to answer her nagging questions.

 

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The Mistletoe Mystery is a perfect Christmas story, filled with traditions and more than a bit of magic. I loved the Advent calendar Molly's grandmother made from a discarded library card catalog and the handmade vest that is Molly's favorite piece of clothing. This story is guaranteed to remind readers of their own special holiday traditions.

 

Molly's grandmother always helped Molly with her social ineptness and inability to read facial expressions, and Molly could certainly use her help in The Mistletoe Mystery. Molly is such a special character whom I first met in Nita Prose's The Maid. She's a character who stays with you, and as I read, I not only felt compassion for her as she misinterprets Juan Manuel's behavior but joy as well because I could interpret the signs Molly couldn't.

This is a nice little mystery filled with holiday spirit. I love spending time with Molly.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

eISBN: 9780593875452

Ballantine Books © 2024

eBook, 128 pages

 

Short Story, #2.5 Molly Gray

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Maid by Nita Prose

 

First Line: I am your maid.

 

Since her beloved grandmother's death, hotel maid Molly Gray has had no one to help her interpret the facial expressions and intentions of others, no one to help her with social skills. Her gran used to decipher all of that for her and codify it into simple rules for Molly to live by.

Molly has thrown herself into her work. With her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette as well as her unique worldview, she's perfect for the job of a hotel maid. She delights in her crisp uniform, her fully stocked housekeeping cart, and-- especially-- in returning the guest rooms of the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's world is turned upside down when she enters the suite of wealthy Charles Black to discover the rooms in a mess and Black himself dead in bed. Molly's unusual behavior has the police targeting her as their prime suspect, and things rapidly turn from bad to worse. Fortunately, Molly has friends she never knew she had. Will they be able to help her unmask the real killer?

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The Maid is a wonderful character study that had me cheering on twenty-five-year-old hotel maid Molly Gray almost from the very first page. Daughter of a "fly by night" father and a drug addict mother, Molly was raised by her loving grandmother, herself a maid in a wealthy household. Upset whenever her chosen routine is ignored by others, Molly clings to the simple rules her grandmother gave her to navigate through a world she feels like an outsider in-- no matter how much she wants to belong.

Molly's special blend of observation and naivete easily gets her into trouble, and several times I found myself mentally trying to steer her away from the people she's placing her trust in as well as trying to steer her toward the people she should trust. Unfortunately, my mental powers aren't very good and she seldom paid attention to me-- which means that The Maid is a much better book as a result.

One of the best things about this book is the fact that, as I read, I became uncertain about Molly. Is she telling me everything? Can I trust her? My indecision made me read more carefully. Even though I only saw all the other characters through Molly's eyes, each one was vivid in my mind's eye, a testament to the author's skill. And, although this is a mystery, it's as a character study that The Maid shines brightly. I am so glad I met Molly and got to see the world through her eyes.

The Maid by Nita Prose

eISBN: 9780593356166

Ballantine Books © 2022

eBook, 320 pages

 

Standalone, Amateur Sleuth

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.