Review: "The Maid's Secret," Nita Prose

 

By Liz Soares

The hit TV show “Hidden Treasures” is headed for the Regency Grand Hotel, and Molly Gray, Head Maid and Special Events Manager, is beyond excited.

She picks a few of her Gran’s treasures—souvenir spoons, a Swarovski swan and an antique key—for appraisal. Her fiancé, hotel pastry chef Juan Manuel, urges her to also bring a bejeweled ornamental egg. Molly tells him it’s just a worthless trinket, but packs it in her box.

The egg turns out to be a Fabergé, and the gems adorning it are very real. Molly faints on air during the taping of the show when she hears the news and becomes an instant celebrity. The world is charmed by the kind, unworldly woman whose flat pronouncements always get to the heart of the matter.

Molly’s late Gran, Flora, loomed large in her life. It takes a while for Molly to realize the antique key opens a diary that Flora wrote specifically for her. It tells the story of Flora’s life before Molly’s birth.

Readers, however, get an inside look at Flora’s diary from the start of the novel, in chapters that alternate with the current—crazy—events of Molly’s life. It’s evident that the two storylines are going to collide.

In the present day, Molly is plunged into a media frenzy that she wants no part of. The egg could be worth half a million dollars. What will Molly and Juan Manual do with it all? Before they can make too many plans, the egg is stolen—during the auction, no less, right under the noses of a large crowd.

Further mayhem ensues.

When Molly finally reads the diary, she learns the story of the Fabergé egg, how Gran went from riches to rags, and how she met the man who would become Molly’s grandfather.

The Maid, the first book in the series, was one of my favorite books of 2022. Molly was a fresh and original character, and I enjoyed how the novel melded subtle humor and gentle pathos. The sequel, The Mystery Guest, was enjoyable but, I felt, not exceptional. The Maid’s Secret lies somewhere in between. At times, I wished for more Molly and less Gran; yet, I found Flora’s narrative to be interesting and moving.

A visit to the Regency Grand Hotel always is a treat, however, especially when a wedding is involved. (No spoilers!) I’m already looking forward to my next “stay.”