THE MAID'S SECRET
NITA PROSE
*****
Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets…
She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through.
But one secret lies much closer to home.
An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace.
Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past.
For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…
MY REVIEW
*****
I have really enjoyed each of the Molly the Maid books (review here)- with the previous two novels getting five star reviews from me. I was excited to read book three in the series – The Maid’s Secret.
When Molly gets a box of knick-knacks appraised on a live TV auction show, she is stunned to learn that one of the items is worth a lot of money. But when a daring heist takes it all away, she is left with more answers than questions and her carefully curated routine is turned upside down. Can she uncover the secrets of the past?
The Maid’s Secret uses a narrative technique that I’ve seen used quite a lot in my 2025 reading – present day narrative interspliced with diary entries from the past. Sometimes I find this hard to suspend my disbelief on, as if the character had read the diary faster, then the whole rest of the plot is rendered useless. Nita Prose turns this trope on it’s head by starting the diary entries before Molly discovers the diary, so when the item appears in the present-day narrative, we already know all of the background to the story, and it’s just the last few, important chapters which are revealed. This really helps to keep the pace high throughout and the diary entries are exciting enough to make sure there is no abrupt change of pace.
In terms of the characters we all know and love from The Molly the Maid series, this is a nice development. Molly is about to be married, and we find out more about her Gran and her relationship with Molly’s grandfather. The end of the book almost ties things up too well, with some characters going on a completely different journey by the end. This makes the end of the book feel like it might be the end of the series which would be sad, but at the same time it’s a good ending so would be satisfying either way.
Overall, The Maid’s Secret is the third five-star read in the brilliant Molly the Maid series, and highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – HarperFiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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