Book Club Questions for The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Book club questions for The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose examines all the key plot points in this cozy mystery. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first.

I quite enjoyed revisiting the world of Molly the maid in The Mystery Guest! It did feel a little more low stakes compared to the first one, and I think that’s to be expected of a sequel. But I do feel the author gave even more depth to Molly and Gran.

Let me know your thoughts about book in the comments section below!

The Synopsis

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

Book Club Questions for The Mystery Guest

1. Why are your thoughts about Molly as a protagonist? Let’s talk about her growth journey from the first book to the second one.
2. The hotel is abuzz about the upcoming event for the hugely successful author, J. D. Grimthorpe. Why do you think Molly didn’t let anyone know about her past with him, until much later?
3. Who did you initially suspect was the murderer? Did that change as the book went on?
4. The book switches from the past to the present. The past takes a look at when Molly was a child when her and Gran worked side by side at the Grimthorpe mansion. What were some of the key things we learned about Molly and Gran with this look at the past?
5. Molly’s school teachers and classmates are cruel and bully her. How did this impact Molly as an adult?
6. We learn J. D. Grimthorpe is an evil man, and even attacked Gran before. And in addition, he’s a literary fraud and his personal secretary is the one who wrote all the content. What were your thoughts about all this?
7. Once again, Detective Stark is back on the case. She’s the one who was convinced Molly was the murderer in the first book, and she’s still somewhat suspicious of Molly this go-around at first. When did Detective Stark’s attitude toward Molly began to change?
8. They eventually figure out the killer—it was Beluah, a woman who is part of his fan club. She tried everything to write an authorized biography of him, however, he wouldn’t comply and showed his cruel ways. As an act of revenge, she poisoned him. What did you think about this reveal?
9. Detective Stark mentions to Molly that she has the instincts to be a detective. Will Molly remain a maid? Or will she try her hand at the detective life?
10. And one last big reveal: Mr. Peterson is in fact Molly’s grandfather. Why do you think it took so long for him to tell her?
11. Do you think there will be a third book in the trilogy? If so, will Molly’s real mother make an appearance?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Mystery Guest! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes–especially after what happened last time.

Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher–but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her despair, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed” (Shelf Awareness).

Happy reading!