The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Hello everyone.  I hope you have been enjoying a nice holiday season.

We had a little Christmas miracle here; prime rib or standing rib roast, went on sale for $6.99 a pound.  Now before you gasp, I'll do it for you.  Prices are ridiculous, but not for this cut.  Usually, it goes on sale for $8 a pound.  This year's price was the cheapest I've ever seen it.  What made me gasp is realizing that hamburger costs darn near close to that every day. HAMBURGER!  It is outrageous.  Hamburger is usually ground from scraps or a cheaper cut like a chuck roast, to have it be approaching what the current cost of prime rib is just shows you how out of whack things are.  I should have bought loads of prime ribs and ground my own hamburger!  If only it wasn't so much work and I'm fairly lazy.  Before you mention it, I am aware I have turned into my dad, complaining about prices.  By the way, name brand butter here is $7.79 a pound.  Butter!  Again, more than prime rib.  I'll just let that sink in...

I recently read The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose.  This is the follow up novel to The Maid, which I read and reviewed last year.  This book follows the same characters in the same settings.  While it is helpful to have read this first book it is not necessary.  Again, we follow the socially inept Molly Gray, the maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.  She has worked hard in the four years that have passed and life has changed.   Currently, she is preparing for the famous author J. D. Grimthorpe to hold a meeting in the Regency's tearoom.  He is about to make some bold announcement when he suddenly drops dead after taking several sips of tea which Molly helped prepare.  As this mystery is solved, we are treated to two timelines, both the present and the past, when Molly was a schoolgirl.  Of course, both timelines are related, the happenings of years ago shedding light on the current death.  

This book was so much fun.  I have lots of affection for Molly and several of the other characters after reading the first novel and I loved seeing them again.  This story is even better than the first.  They mystery is richer and more interesting.  The book is well written and reads quickly.  Although the ending was wonderful, I still want more.  I hope there is yet another volume to come.

I hope all my holiday grocery discussions haven't grossed out all you vegetarians.  Next year I'll try and discuss Brussels sprouts and how they are good for.... well...absolutely nothing!