5 stars out of 5
Gotta admit to getting a little teary-eyed at this one, sometimes happily, sometimes bittersweet. As the infamous Molly the Maid, head maid at the swanky Regency Grand Hotel, prepares to marry her fiance and Regency chef Juan Manuel, she gets up-close-and-personal insights of her ancestors by way of a diary written by her beloved Gran.More surprisingly, though, is that Molly has noticeably morphed from a socially inept neat freak with OCD to a loving partner and beloved co-worker (well, most of the neat freakiness is still there). I haven't quite preferring the original version - but it works for this story, since the focus is on Molly's family history. As she and Juan try to plan their wedding with very little money to spare, Molly decides to take a box of her Gran's things she's saved and cherished over the years to the airing of a popular TV program similar to "Antiques Road Show" that's to be filmed at the hotel. Maybe, she thinks, one of them might be worth a little something.
As it turns out, one of them is worth far, far more than a little. But right after the winning bid is announced, it's discovered that the prized possession has somehow disappeared - making Molly a 5-minute millionnaire and dashing all hopes for a halfway decent wedding. But when Molly discovers that an old key unlocks her Gran's diary, family secrets Molly never knew - and clues as to who's behind the theft - are unlocked as well. And not a minute too soon; whoever is behind the theft has made it clear that Molly's life is in danger.
All the rest is the thrill of the chase, and it's another engaging and entertaining journey. Now, I eagerly await the fourth installment - and once again thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. Well done!
The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose (Ballantine Books, April 2025); 336 pp.