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The Maid by Nita Prose
Mystery

The Maid

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Nita Prose, on your first book!

by Nita Prose

Excellent choice

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Quick take

This absolute charmer follows Molly Gray as she tries to solve the murder at her hotel before anyone pins it on her.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Quirky

    Quirky

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Whodunit

    Whodunit

  • Illustrated icon, Icons_Buzzy

    Buzzy

  • Illustrated icon, Icons_Underdog

    Underdog

Synopsis

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.

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Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Maid.
The Maid

Prologue

I am your maid. I’m the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when you’re out gallivanting for the day, no care at all about what you’ve left behind, the mess, or what I might see when you’re gone.

I’m the one who empties your trash, tossing out the receipts you don’t want anyone to discover. I’m the one who changes your sheets, who can tell if you slept in them and if you were alone last night or not. I’m the one who straightens your shoes by the door, who puffs up your pillows and finds stray hairs on them. Yours? Not likely. I’m the one who cleans up after you drink too much and soil the toilet seat, or worse.

When I’m done with my work, I leave your room pristine. Your bed is made perfectly, with four plump pillows, as though no one had ever lain there. The dust and grime you left behind has been vacuumed into oblivion. Your polished mirror reflects your face of innocence back at you. It’s as though you were never here. It’s as though all of your filth, all of your lies and deceits, have been erased.

I am your maid. I know so much about you. But when it comes down to it: what is it that you know about me?

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Why I love it

Over the holidays last year, I was burned out from the pandemic and my reading life was in a rare slump. On a particularly exhausting morning, an envelope arrived at the door from my Canadian publisher and inside was a bound manuscript of The Maid, a debut from a fellow Toronto writer that I’d heard a lot about. I made a cup of tea, put on Netflix for the kids (again), and thought I’d try my best to make it through at least a chapter or two…

Hours later, kids running wild, I’d been completely swept into the life of Molly the Maid, an eccentric and dedicated employee at the luxurious Regency Grand Hotel, who is coping with the loss of her beloved Gran as she quietly goes about her routine—until she discovers a prestigious guest dead in his hotel room and becomes the easy target of everyone’s suspicion. “The truth is,” Molly tells us, “I often have trouble with social situations; it’s as though everyone is playing an elaborate game with complex rules they all know, but I’m always playing for the first time.”

Delightful, charming, endearing, quirky, uplifting—all of these words describe the spirit of this novel and our dear protagonist Molly, one of the most memorable and original characters I’ve read in years. In part, this is a whodunnit cozy mystery, and yes, that’s one good reason to turn the pages. But what makes The Maid so special is the heartbreak and complexity beneath that. This novel will make you examine why we overlook and underappreciate the people we do, what it means for someone to truly feel seen in this world, and how far we’d go for the ones we love. What a treat you have ahead to be opening the doors to the Regency Grand Hotel for the very first time…

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Member ratings (25,355)

  • Angela P.

    Carrollton, TX

    I really enjoyed this “cozy mystery”. It wasn’t the same old, same old, and I really liked the main character Molly. I found myself sneaking in pages whenever I could- a sign it was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ for me

  • Nicole M.

    Chicago, IL

    “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the lovable Molly. A cute whodunnit with a Grand Budapest Hotel vibe. Simply fabulous easy read.

  • Mathea C.

    Vancouver, WA

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A charming, cozy mystery to be enjoyed with the protagonist's favorite - a cup of tea and a raisin-bran muffin. ☺️ A quick and cozy read that I found unique and fun to read. Snuggle up and enjoy!

  • Allison A.

    Prosper, TX

    I didn’t see that coming! I’ve never read a book from the viewpoint of a character like Molly. It was neat to see how a person like Molly thinks and sees the world. Plus the “whodunit” aspect ????????!????

  • Courtney H.

    Saratoga Springs, UT

    This was such an interesting read—it’s different reading a mystery novel where it is completely obvious what’s going on but the character doesn’t understand—only for the ending to completely throw you

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