Move over, Detective Monk. Molly the Maid is dusting your doors on her way past.
Set at the fabulous Art Deco Regency Grand Hotel, a five star boutique establishment, this is an early-body mystery, in which a award-winning and famously irascible mystery author drops dead during his special appearance in the hotel's tea room. The maid-in-training who prepared his tea is the chief suspect.
But our new head maid, Molly, is not having it. She was once accused of murder in this very hotel and rose above to clear her name with the help of Charlotte, the brilliant daughter of the hotel’s doorman. She's determined to protect her underling by finding the real killer.
It’ll be an uphill struggle. All she has to go on is the unfinished/rudely interrupted statement by the famous deceased that he was about to reveal a long-held secret to his dedicated fans. And the odd behavior of one unpleasant maid with designs on Molly's job, yet who lacks the cleaning skills or dedication that Molly learned over many years of observing and assisting her now-deceased Gran, whose advice still whispers in her head at opportune times.
Molly’s voice is crisp and engaging. She’s a collector of the lonely, a comforter of the lovelorn, and supremely competent, relied upon by Mr Snow, the manager. He’s not the only supporting character who comes to life with a few well-chosen phrases, but Molly is the deftly created and wholly supportable star of the whole shebang. She's coded convincingly autistic, which adds a few layers of both good and bad to her investigative process.
Good: she is highly observant and remembers a lot of what she sees.
Bad: she frequently alienate police officers and other people who should not be antagonized.
Does she overcome all that, and her own dubious family history, to solve the crime?
Well, this isn't her first swing on the roundabout of murder. But for that history you'll need to read the widely acclaimed 'The Maid' where we first make her acquaintance.
