Synopsis
When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this intriguing and heartwarming novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest
A wedding. A heist. A secret.
Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away.
But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone’s surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.
The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well….
Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.
A spirited heist caper and an epic love story, The Maid’s Secret is a spellbinding whodunnit that will capture and warm your heart.
Audiobook Review
4 stars for the plot and 5 stars for the narrator Lauren Ambrose.
I think this book is the last of the Maid series and it confirms Molly as one of my favorite characters ever.
In The Maid’s Secret, a reality TV show Hidden Treasure, that looks suspiciously like the Antique Roadshow, comes shooting at the Regency Grand. Every staff member can bring objects for appraisal and Molly, after much convincing from Juan Manuel, will bring what will end up being the first prototype of all the Fabergé eggs!
The value of that object is exceptional and its auction will make Molly extremely rich.
Even if Molly has no grand or extravagant plans, having more money would help finance her and Juan Manuel’s marriage and secure them a home of their own.
But on the day of the auction, the egg disappear!
And the key to solving that mystery might well be found in Molly’s grandmother’s past.
I have really adored the other books in the series yet sadly this book wasn’t so much a murder mystery as it was a family saga. Gran took center stage and if learning about her youth (she was a snotty girl, surprisingly) was very interesting, I missed Molly going all amateur sleuth and solving the crime or mystery.
Don’t get me wrong, Molly will astutely find “who did it” but even if the crime was the alibi to delve into Gran’s past, it still felt like an afterthought as Molly becoming an internet sensation weakened the investigation part even more.
It took me some time to adjust to the new trajectory and appreciate learning all the secrets around Gran’s past. Even if we already knew the conclusion and some key elements, that part of the book was often heartbreaking and I wished Gran had longer and better life.
Knowing all she went through, it’s even more admirable how she has raised Molly to be such a caring, honest, loyal and devoted human being.
Reading Molly’s chapters was a treat as always as she is an endearing and quirky young woman who had to raise above the pettiness of others and forge her own path in life. She is a bright and kind soul and it’s been a pleasure and a privilege walking alongside her in her adventures.
I don’t know if we’ll have other books in that series but if we do get more of them, I hope to read about her married life and to see her be the center of the story again, solving other puzzling crimes and mysteries.
Thanks for reading.
Sophie
I just finished this recently and I think I’ll be rating it 4 stars as well. It was a pretty predictable though fun story, and Molly is as charming as always and I loved learning more about gran!
That is an interesting direction for the story to take. I wonder if Prose is trying set us up for something? I have a hold for this book, so I will be thinking about this when I get to read it.
I haven’t read any of the Maid books. Good to hear that the series continues to be good.
Too bad this didn’t focus more on Molly and the mystery. But I’m glad you still enjoyed it
Love Molly! I didn’t really like Gran when she was younger. I found it hard to believe it was the same person!