25 year old Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She loves her job plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests who pass through, restoring the rooms to a state of perfection. After her shift she goes home to a flat that has become very lonely since her grandmother passed away after an illness, where she cleans some more and dreams about the possibility of romance with a certain member of bar staff at the hotel.

Molly knows that maids are - and should be - invisible, but she finds herself thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up, and Molly soon becomes embroiled in a hunt for the truth, learning who to trust as she navigates the secret underbelly of the Regency Grand Hotel.

The Maid is a gentle, entertaining, Cozy Crime type of novel, and whilst it is an easy read and zips along with gusto (aided by its defining 1 week time frame), it isn't to be dismissed as a superficial and light read. Far from it. This is a mystery novel which follows all of the Cozy Crime conventions, whilst featuring a neuro-divergent main character, and also has much to say about difference, and acceptance, as well as exploring a number of moral and ethical arguments around guilt and justice. Achieving lightness and depth in such a perfect balance is hard to pull off successfully, but Nita Prose manages to do so beautifully, and it is very easy to see why many reviewers have drawn comparison with Gail Honeyman's Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine

The characters are skilfully drawn and developed, and far from one dimensional, especially the character of Molly which is a triumph. She is lovable, she is memorable and the author's portrayal of a character on the autistic spectrum is clearly well researched, sure footed and brilliantly executed.

There are plot twists, there is humour, there is pathos and sadness, there is light and a bit if shade but nothing to frighten the horses.

All in all, The Maid is heart warming novel, which, to use a Molly word, is "delightful"!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this thriller, Especially Molly. Liked the setting of the hotel and its guests too. Was well written and ref story was good too.

I really enjoyed this book , I won't ruin it with any spoilers with thanks to netgalley and publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this review

‘Hello, I’m Molly, the Maid. You don’t see me, I’m invisible but I see you and all you leave behind.’

Molly Gray is an excellent maid at The Regency Grand, she takes her job seriously, indeed she loves it and likes to leave a room in a state of perfection and then disappear from view. Molly is most certainly on the autistic spectrum and has the most wonderful way old fashioned with words. One day, she finds client Mr Black as dead as a dodo on his bed in Suite 401, she notices other things as well......

Molly Gray, you maid my day!! She is absolutely fantastic, so much so that I fall in love with her character. This is a brilliant character driven mystery debut from Nita Prose who, if this is anything to go by, has an amazing future ahead of her. The portrayal of Molly, is sensitively and deftly done as she is guided by her wonderful deceased Gran in all things we take for granted. She’s an innocent and naive principally because of her condition but also because she’s just so nice and it makes you angry that some of her co-workers take advantage of her. She has the most positive outlook on the world and I wish I could erase my mind to a state of perfection as she does. The backstory of the Blacks with his second wife Giselle, who seems kind to Molly, is a good one especially as you try to weigh up Giselle. The story is funny, immersive and very compelling with the author using some original descriptions to convey Molly’s innocent faux pas. I love how an honourable little team emerges to outsmart those who think they’re super smart but who lack even a smidgen of morality. It has a great ending which is also surprising. The storyline is well paced, has several layers to it such as identity, acceptance, how people judge frequently erroneously, it’s also about love, friendship and strength of character. It’s joyful, unique, uplifting, heartwarming and a sheer pleasure to read.

Highly recommended to anyone who just wants a darned good read! I have no doubt this will be a smash hit in 2022. I hope the author has another joyous read in the pipeline as I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Oh my goodness this book!!!!! I absolutely loved it!!! You literally get sucked in straight away and I can absolutely see this as a film!! Molly is a fantastic character and I really felt for her! She goes from a nobody to being thrown into all this frenzy! I absolutely loved it

A delightful and breezy read centered around the rather lonely life of Molly, a young woman employed as a maid in a very posh hotel. A dedicated worker, scrupulously clean (she hates dirt) and very fussy when it comes to following all the rules at work, Molly is also very naive and not too bright. A nice and boring person whose life will be turned totally upside down when she will inadvertently and stupidly get enmeshed with the mysterious death of a shady client and the dubious shenanigans involving some of her colleagues in the hotel.
Elegantly written and blessed with a marvellous cast of colorful characters, this delicious comedy deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to read this terrific ARC

This book is as close as it comes to ‘a state of perfection.’
This is not a typical mystery/thriller book, it has heart, warmth and a few unexpected but lovely plot twists.
Molly is a maid at a fancy hotel, she is very different to her peers and often perceives the world very differently. She finds herself unwittingly tied up in a murder investigation and has to reevaluate the way she sees things to get herself out of it.
This story is engaging, enjoyable and has such a satisfying ending. It is also very well written.

What an excellent book. From her obvious OCD tendencies to her literal use if the English language, this book was an absolute TRIUMPH. I was sad to turn the last page. It had everything you could ever wish for and more. Absolutely brilliant.

The Maid by Nita Prose is a stunning debut novel about a murder that takes place in a luxury boutique hotel, and the maid who finds the body. However this is so much more than a murder mystery.

Molly Gray, the eponymous heroine of the story is such a wonderfully quirky character. She views the world in a different way and constantly struggles to understand people and and their facial expressions. Her work as a maid enables her to observe people whilst being invisible to pretty much everyone.

Being invisible does not bother her. She likes the anonymity it gives her and it enables her to concentrate on cleaning and returning rooms to a ‘state of perfection’.

Having grown up in the care of her wonderful Gran, who guided her and helped her understand the world in which she struggles, the story begins several months after the death of her Gran. Molly feels lonely and unable to navigate social complexities without her Gran.

Following the death of a hotel guest, Molly’s otherness and her inability to answer questions in a ‘normal’ way puts her under suspicion, and things begin to spiral out of control. There are some wonderful characters in the story but there are also some ‘bad eggs’, and being able to work out who the ‘good eggs’ are is a struggle for Molly who has spent her entire life being bullied for being perceived as a ‘weirdo’. When Molly discovers who her true friends are, things finally begin to improve for her.

The Maid is going to be made into a movie starring Florence Pugh as Molly, which I think is going to be amazing, but you really need to make sure you read the book first!

I think that if you loved ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman, or ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul’ by Rónán Hession you will absolutely love this gentle murder mystery.

The Maid by Nita Prose is such a beautifully gentle story with an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery thrown in for good measure. This is my absolutely favourite read of the year so far.

The Maid is published by Harper Collins in the UK in January 2022.

Ooh Harper Collins this is why you are my go to publication house every time I go to a bookstore!!
This story was a page turner!!!

I am not one for thrillers but everyone was raving about this book so I just had to read it. And I am so happy I did. This novel, which takes place over the span of a week is just brilliant. Told through the eyes of Molly the Maid, we learn so much about what really goes on behind closed doors at hotels.

I read this in a day and I was completely glued to it! Could not recommend it more.

𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆?

Synopsis:
Molly the Maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And so Molly becomes embroiled in a hunt for the truth, learning who to trust as she navigates the secret underbelly of the Regency Grand Hotel.

Thoughts 💭

Oh Molly 🥺💔
"Freak. Weird. Awkward. Robot. Roomba" - some of the words her colleagues use to describe her. She struggles with reading others and social skills which is why she loves her job as a maid. She feels useful and invisible and relishes in returning rooms to a "state of perfection". This is one of the reasons she becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation.

Molly is an absolutely delightful narrator. She speaks beautifully and is hilarious without meaning to be. Because of her innocence and lack of interpretive skills, she's easy to trust people and be manipulated.

There's a diverse cast of lovable characters who help Molly and see her difference as something that makes Molly "Molly" and not someone to be scared of. I especially loved Mr Preston and Juan Manuel.

This is not only a murder mystery, it's a heart warming tale of friendship, loneliness and identity.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁.

💯 Recommend this!!

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Molly is a maid at Regency Grand Hotel. She has lived with the Gran the whole of her life until a few months ago when her Gran passed away. Molly loves her job and is so proud of it. She loves to return everything to a state of PERFECTION. It wasn't mentioned anywhere but I felt she had OCD or maybe autism. Molly is one of the most unique characters I have ever read. She can't read expressions and meaning beyond words that made her a laughable stock in her workplace. She is raised by her Gran and doesn't have any friends. So her social skills are quite strange for modern people as she is overly polite, talk in old English and don't forget her manners in any situation. 

One day, she found the body of a guest in the suite. And ended up being a person of interest. As the investigation progressed there is more and more proof against her. The Question is that if Molly is capable of murder?. I loved Molly and Gran's relationship. Molly is such a delightful character who doesn't lose her temper which made her a usable character. Her love life annoyed me, sometimes, But all the other times I felt for her. The Pace of the book is just perfect. I loved the world the author build from Hotel to her Apartment was perfect. I was happy to get to know some kind and good people throughout the book. Though I couldn't digest some scenes in the ending. Except that this cosy mystery was Delightful.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a heartwarming read of innocence, trust, love and loss. It shows the mind of Molly, the maid, someone who struggles with the idiosyncrasies of communication and who takes things at face value - signs of a neodivergent mind. She is so trusting and has such a big heart you want to befriend her and help guide her.
Molly found the body of a guest in the room she is cleaning and becomes a suspect in his murder. She then tries to expose the killer. A clever story with great writing. A must read.

Molly, the heroine of Nita Prose's new book, The Maid, is a character you probably won't forget in a hurry. She's socially awkward, very 'literal', and rather a loner. She mistakes manipulation by others for friendship and doesn't have a suspicious bone in her body. All of this leaves her open to being taken advantage of. in some terrible ways.

As the book progresses, Molly goes through some terrible things only to find real friends and supporters along the way. Molly learns to trust and value friendship, evolving from being lonely and socially awkward to opening her very controlled and contained life up to new experiences. For a 'whodunnit' with plenty of threats of violence and peril, it's a surprisingly feel-good novel with plenty of 'good triumphing over evil' themes. As canny readers, we can read all the signals that Molly can't; can see that she's being set up and taken for a fool. But we need to trust her to get there in the end.

I love a good book with a non-neurotypical lead character. I like protagonists who think differently, can't spot nuance, and can't 'read' emotions. I'm reminded a lot of Eleanor Oliphant. If you hated her, this one probably won't suit you but if - like me - you loved her, it's a good bet that Molly will be right up your street. This is a lovely book and that's not something I'd normally say with death, murder, drugs, violence and exploitation all wrapped up inside it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers. I've read this is going to be made into a film. I hope it goes well.

I couldn’t put down The Maid and read it in a day! Huge thanks to Netgalley to making it available to me.

Molly works as a maid in a fancy hotel and was brought up my her grandmother who recently died leaving Molly completely alone. Molly is quite simply a delightful character. She loves her job and just tries to do the best job possible and be nice to everyone. Then one day she discovers a dead body in the hotel…. The murder mystery is told from Molly’s perspective.

I suspect Molly is on the spectrum - she discloses how she was bullied at school for being “different’ and many of her co-workers also call her names and a few manipulate her without her even realising. I had to read finish the book in a day just to make sure that Molly would be okay. There are twists and turns that keep you guessing up until the end.

For some reason I expected an atmospheric, gothic thriller but what I got was a slapstick, lighthearted version. It simply didn’t work for me. I found the narrator very irritating at times and I could not take it as seriously as I wanted to.

The idea of using a maid in a big hotel as a detective type character is a really good one and I imagine ideal for TV and film adaptation. This is a very well written, nicely plotted example of cosy crime. However the character of Molly didn't work for me, I found her to have an unusual combination of innocence and awareness of her difference which didn't ring true.

3.5

That was enjoyable yet I find myself skipping some of Molly's monologues. I wasn't expecting such a lighthearted thriller and it was a pleasant surprise. I found myself oddly invested in the mystery and started to guess the outcome. I laughed and enjoyed my reading experience for most part. But I am not sure I agree with some of the choices the characters/author made in the end, but it kind of worked.

A quirky read that intrigued me from start with it's odd ball leading lady - Molly the maid. Sadly, in my opinion, the storyline became much more tongue in cheek and slap stick as it progressed, which bothered and distracted me enough to alter my overall enjoyment. I understand it is to be turned into a film and maybe that was always the intention, as it read more like a script than a novel. Amusing but not exactly my cup of tea.