The Maid's Secret

I loved that Prose's writing style for Molly had a wonderfully quirky style that celebrated her individuality and uniqueness and her way of seeing the world. Exciting, original, inviting, and utterly delightful it was pure pleasure watching Molly grow and explore who she is and follow her developing her strength and confidence through this book. This books was the perfect way to wrap up the series, not only did we get to see a Happily Ever After Moment for Molly, but so many reunions and resolutions to the dramatic points that have been developing throughout the series. Questions about Gran's past with Molly and before have been resolved and all with the authors signature style and a humor as well as the deep emotional connection to the show more characters that moves these books from simple cozy style beach reading to a series I will long keep on my shelves. There are surprises and twists, as always, and good tugs on my heartstrings as in the story that is half told in Grans's voice about her past thought the secret diary and half from Molly who is solving the mystery that connects these two amazing women together forever. show less

Had this book not been chosen for book club, I would not have finished it. I found it insipid and overly sentimental and clichéd. I enjoyed the first book, The Maid, because Molly, the narrator and protagonist, offers an interesting neurodivergent perspective. In this novel, I found her less charming and really the focus is on Flora, Molly’s Gran, who is the maid in the title.

At an Antiques Roadshow-like event at the Regency Grand, Molly and her fiancé Juan Manuel learn that Gran’s ornamental egg is a Fabergé worth millions. Molly decides to sell it, but at the auction, it is stolen. The present-day chapters detail the search for the egg but these alternate with lengthy diary entries addressed to Molly in which Gran tells her show more life story and, indirectly, that of the Fabergé egg.

The book ends with Gran’s comments that “life is a fairy tale” and this story actually reads like one. Though marketed as a “spirited heist caper” and a “spellbinding whodunit,” it is not. The focus, as stated in the prologue, is love. Much of the book reads like a historical romance, and that is not a genre I enjoy. Since much of Gran’s story, especially her relationship with John Preston, is discussed in the earlier books in the series, there’s not much suspense either.

The characters are caricatures which had me rolling my eyes. Gran’s parents and the Braun family are just arrogant rich people; focused on money, they have only contempt for those not of their social class. They get away with robbery, rape and murder?! Servants like Margaret Mead and Uncle Willy, on the other hand, tend to be saintly and capable. We are expected to believe that a dishwasher works his way up to the position of pastry chef in a 5-star hotel?

I had several issues with the book. There are problems with setting. Gran is a teenager in the mid-20th century, but she and her family behave like characters from Downton Abbey. The curtseying seems anachronistic, as does the attitude towards girls’ education. The novel is vague about the country in which it is set, though references suggest a North American city; for instance, Molly and Juan Manuel live in an apartment, not a flat. So what’s with the references to manor houses and barons?

I have other questions. Gran didn’t recognize the egg when it made its way into her home? If she did, wouldn’t she have taken advantage of its value to ease their financial situation? Molly and Juan Manuel’s landlord makes an instant decision to convert the apartments to condos? Magnus Braun has decided to purchase Gray Investments but then tells Reginald Gray, “’you’ve got nothing I want’”? The police department needs Speedy’s help to set up proper surveillance? Angela is “accepted into the local police academy, prerequisites waived on account of ‘experience in the field’’? A reality show about antiques has rabid groupies who pursue Molly for autographs?

Dedicated fans of the series might enjoy the book, and it will certainly appeal to readers who like cozy, feel-good fiction. Unfortunately, I found it predictable and tedious, lacking the originality of the first book. I hope this is the last book in the series; if not, I will not be reading any further installments.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/). show less

The third full-length mystery in the Maid series finds Molly's life turned upside-down. Just as she's about to marry Juan, the love of her life, an antiques show films an episode at the hotel where they work. When she brings in a few personal treasures to be appraised, one of them turns out to be a rare find: a Faberge egg with a unique history, one that had been hunted for years in vain. Because the audience is entranced both with the find and with Molly's unusual response to it, she becomes a viral celebrity. And she hates every minute of it. And then the egg is stolen.

In alternating chapters, we learn about Molly's beloved grandmother and how she became the person we know from previous books. It fills out Molly's backstory and show more provides a compelling story of its own.

I admit I'm growing just a tad weary of some of Molly's chirpy sayings, though her quirky character remains compelling. The flavor of the book is a bit different due to the duet of voices, but I enjoyed finding out what happened to the egg as well as the more compelling mystery of how it came to play a role in Molly and her grandmother's lives, and how they came to be the people they became. show less

“Life is a mystery. Try as we might to solve it, a new puzzle always presents itself.”
The Maid’s Secret is the third book in Nita Prose’s series set about an year after The Mystery Guest.
As the Regency Grand’s Head Maid and Special Events Manager, Molly is determined that the fine arts and collectibles event being filmed for the hit TV show ‘Hidden Treasures’ in the ballroom will go smoothly. She’s prepared for just about anything…except learning that one of her late Gran’s trinkets is worth millions, only for it to then be stolen and a message left in its place, Find the egg and you die.
The mystery of who stole the Fabergé Egg, and who is threatening Molly, alternates with the story of how Molly came to be in show more possession of it through entries in her Gran’s hidden diary. Followers of the series should appreciate the insight into Gran’s past which fills in some gaps from previous novels and though there are no big surprises it’s nice to have some suspicions confirmed.
Similarly the mystery doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises. How the thief stole the egg from the crowded room Is quickly determined, and though there is a red herring or two, it’s not difficult to work out with whom the responsibility lies. I did enjoy the drama of the sting operation though.
Molly’s friends at the Grand quickly rally round her, determined to protect and help her. The regular cast are all in play, and I liked the addition of Speedy. The comeuppance of sorts for Cheryl was satisfying.
Molly is a delight as always. She’s very uncomfortable with all of the attention she’s getting due to the Faberge Egg, and she’s reluctant for anything to change, though she does dream of spending some of the money on a fancier wedding than the city hall affair she and Juan have planned, and possibly a bed and breakfast for the two of them to run.
As a finale I felt the The Maid’s Secret was a satisfying end to the Molly the Maid series with Molly getting her well-deserved happy ending, and although Prose never quite recaptured the magic of the first book it’s been an engaging series. show less

The Maid delights with the Secrets of Gran
A review of the NetGalley Kindle ARC (downloaded January 27, 2025) of the upcoming Penguin Random House Canada hardcover/ebook/audiobook (April 8, 2025).

This latest in the Molly the Maid series from Canadian author Nita Prose does have a current heist mystery. The heart of it though is the backstory of Molly Gray's grandmother which we read in excerpts between chapters of the present day adventure. The scenes between the elder and younger maids were always my favourites in the earlier books, particularly with Gran passing on her common sense words of wisdom to Molly.

I actually found myself more engrossed by Gran's story, little of which had previously been revealed to us, aside from her past show more relationship with the Regency Grand Hotel's retired doorman. We now learn that she had actually been born into wealth and that reduced family circumstances led her to become a maid in later life. Discussing more about that would be a spoiler.

The present day case finds Molly preparing for her upcoming wedding with boyfriend Juan, when they discover that one of Gran's family heirlooms may in fact be a historical rare and immensely valuable treasure. As an "antiques roadshow" type of TV show is filming at Molly's hotel, the item is put up for valuation and then auction, but it is then stolen in front of everyone's eyes!

As always, Molly has to solve the case while she also uncovers the secrets of Gran's past. The two plot threads come together satisfactorily in the end. This was yet another winner from Nita Prose and Molly fans are sure to enjoy it.

My thanks to the author, the publisher Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this preview ARC, in exchange for which I provide this honest review.

Trivia and Link
There does not appear to be any further progress on the film adaptation of the first book in the series The Maid (2022), but Florence Pugh is still attached to produce and star in it. Look for future updates at IMDb here. show less

In a Nutshell: The grand finale of the ‘Molly the Maid’ series, and sadly, the weakest book of the set, even counting that disappointing novella. Molly’s story is interesting, but her Gran’s story, which gets greater focus, is too typical. The mystery is also quite lacklustre. Recommended only to staunch Molly fans. Not to be read as a standalone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: This review might contain minor spoilers from the earlier books of the series.

Plot Preview:

Still working at the Regency Grand as the Head Maid and also the Special Events Manager, Molly is looking forward to her nuptials with Juan Manuel. When a TV crew comes to the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show ‘Hidden Treasures’, starring art appraisers

show more

Brown and Beagle evaluating ordinary belongings in hopes of finding a priceless treasure, Molly never expects that her life would change overnight after one of her Gran’s heirlooms turns out to be a rare artefact. But with great fame comes great peril, and Molly’s heirloom soon vanishes. The clue might lie in Gran’s old diary, through which Molly finally learns of her Gran’s past.
The story comes to us in the usual first-person perspective of Molly, and also in Gran’s first-person POV through her diary entries.

I was a huge fan of the first Molly book, ‘The Maid’, falling instantly in love with the quirky titular character. The second book, ‘The Mystery Guest’, was also very good, even if the mystery itself wasn’t satisfying. The third entry of the series, a Christmas novella titled ‘The Mistletoe Mystery’, was a mixed bag, as it failed to do justice to Molly. I was hoping that this fourth book, which is known to be the last of the series, would end on a high note. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.

By now, I have learnt not to read this series as a mystery, even though every book contains some or the other enigma. The novels work far better as character-oriented dramas than as crime stories. But even with this altered expectation, this final book fails to impress beyond a level.

Unlike in the first two novels, there’s no murder or death in this book. The suspense is connected to a theft. It is not so difficult to narrow down the possible suspects, and the reveal is also not that impressive. So it would be better not to expect any mystery from this novel. Rather, read it for Molly and Flora (Molly’s Gran.)

A great chunk of the book comes from Flora’s perspective. In fact, the titular ‘maid’ character this time isn't Molly but Flora. At first, I was thrilled to be finally able to learn Flora’s backstory. These chapters started off quite well, with the content written exactly how a diary would be penned, with personal notes, observations, recollections, and confessions. However, after a point, the diary lost its identity and felt more like a typical novel full of back-and-forth conversations and scene-by-scene detailing. This is one of my pet peeves in fiction: a diary not written as a diary. Once the “diary” feel disappeared from Flora’s POV, the appeal of her confession was lost. Moreover, the content of this tell-all was mostly straightforward (with only one major surprise), feeling like a historical romantic drama. It might work for those who enjoy women’s fiction, but I didn’t expect this kind of storyline while reading a Molly the Maid book.

Further, because of the earlier books in the series, we are aware of Flora’s end, her doomed relationship with Mr. Preston, and her failed connection with her estranged daughter Margaret. As such, the backstory doesn’t hold much suspense. We already know the destination; we just have to wait to see how Flora reached that destination, which isn’t that tricky to guess.

More disappointing to me is the fact that Flora’s younger personality isn’t exactly in continuation with what we’ve learnt about her so far. Some of her reveals are disappointing, even though I accept that her youthful mistakes probably helped in making her the beloved Gran whose wise aphorisms made the first Molly book extra-special.

As about half of the book comes from Flora’s perspective, Molly’s POV doesn’t get as much focus as in the previous books. What little we get of Molly still matches her established persona, and I was delighted to see her settled in her profession, comfortable with Juan Manuel, and looking forward to the next phase of her life. While I would have loved reading more about Molly, I still enjoyed the little glimpses I saw of her life. I am glad her story comes to a satisfactory finish.

One of the things I most appreciated about Molly’s arc is how she read Flora’s entire diary in one go, unlike in most other novels where characters read a page or a chapter at a time when they find a secret/long-lost diary. A binge-reading session is so much more realistic and believable!

Molly’s first-person is still filled with her “Molly-isms”, her Gran’s morals, and her formal vocabulary. But she has also incorporated some of Juan Manuel’s modern lingo into her speech. So it is quite funny to see that her linguistic struggles still persist, thanks to new hotel recruit Speedy, whose utterances are limited to GenZ phrases.

Speedy is the best of the new characters in the book. There are a few other new characters, thanks to the TV crew and Flora’s confessions. But as this is the final book of the series, I enjoyed seeing the old favourites – especially Angela who finally gets her due – making their presence felt even in their limited appearance.

All in all, I loved Molly’s arc, had mixed feelings about the “mystery” in the contemporary timeline (decently intriguing but poor resolution) and was somewhat bored by Flora’s arc. I don’t regret reading this book, but I do wish the overall novel had lived up to the standards set by the first two Molly books and that it had much more of Molly and at least a little more (and better) mystery.

Recommended only to those who have read the earlier novels, and want to know Flora’s life story and to see Molly settled. This book wouldn’t be effective as a standalone.

3 stars. (Mostly for Molly’s story.)

My thanks to HarperCollins UK and HarperFiction for providing the DRC of “The Maid's Secret” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook || show less

This was my favorite Molly the Maid story as it gave the background of Molly's grandmother. As Molly prepares to wed her love, Juan, a pastry chef, she is reminiscing about her Gran. Before Gran died, she gave Molly a skeleton key, promising it held the answers to everything. Molly doesn't understand that, but after she discovers Gran's diary, she realizes the key opens it.
When the TV show, Hidden Treasures, comes to The Grand Hotel, Molly brings some items for appraisal. One of these is a Fabergé egg! Molly isn't aware of its value, nor its history, nor the story of how Gran was involved with its provenance.
A good story of secrets, love, betrayal, and more. I really enjoyed this one!