Publisher: Ballantine Books

Length: 304 pages printed

Publication Date: January 4, 2022

I bought this book to read for book club.

Molly is a maid. Her job at the Regency Grand Hotel is her happiness. Molly loves cleanliness and order, she does her job with pride. She also likes the anonymity of being a maid. Being part of the background means that people can’t tease her or laugh at her. Molly struggles with social cues. She doesn’t understand sarcasm and smirks. She sees a smile as happy when it isn’t always happy. Every day she would come home and ask her Gran about things that happened to her that day. Gran would explain to Molly what to do or say next time. Since her Gran died, no one has helped Molly to make sense of her world. As the story unfolds, we learn that Molly has long been the source of bullying in school and now even at the job that makes her happy. People think Molly doesn’t understand their slights but she can tell the remark is not meant kindly. They are laughing at her, not with her.

On a perfectly normal workday, Molly finishes cleaning up a suite when she discovers a dead body. This suite is occupied by a very wealthy man and his much younger trophy wife. The police question all the staff and are interested in Molly because her answers and actions are so out of the ordinary. The lead detective is completely baffled by Molly. In Molly’s view, this person is dead but I still need to do my job. She is trying to continue providing superior service (the hotel’s service motto) when things suddenly change. The police visit her asking more questions. Who can give her good advice? Molly asks the hotel bartender for help. She believes he is much more worldly than her and will provide good insight. She is now the person of interest in the murder of this person. Molly maintains her innocence but is she lying? Who is the real killer?

Molly is a most unusual character. She was abandoned by her mother, raised by her Gran, and struggles with the subtleties of communication that many of us don’t even think about. Molly believes in the good in people. The murder at the hotel and the subsequent investigation force Molly out of her comfort zone. The investigation provides Molly with life experience she hasn’t had before. Her “street smarts” are improving and she learns that people aren’t always what they seem. Nita Prose uses Molly as an excellent reminder of the strength we have when embracing our differences.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻/5