By Melissa Khan
Molly loves her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Every day she takes pride in restoring rooms to a state of perfection, even when those around her have no trouble expressing that they find her more than a bit odd. The only person in her life she knows she can trust is her Gran, but in the months after her death Molly has had difficulty navigating the rules and intentions of those around her. Then one morning, while going in to clean the hotel’s wealthiest guest’s suite, Molly stumbles across a crime scene and suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.
The investigators dismiss Molly at first, but soon her unusual behavior makes her their lead suspect. They just can’t figure out if Molly is as naïve as she seems or if her innocence is a practiced facade. Molly becomes tangled between friends and foes, and while some try to use her trusting nature against her, others prove themselves to be faithful allies.
I personally found Molly as a character to be sweet and endearing, but I also understand how frustrating one may find her. There were instances during the story when characters were clearly manipulating her and Molly was completely oblivious to their motives, and although I would cringe while reading, I actually appreciated these little moments of characterization. Molly learns throughout the story how to recognize when characters are lying to her and I liked seeing this growth.
Not every character had negative intentions, and those who cared about Molly were easily the best part of the story. After the death of her Gran, Molly was able to create her found family, who were genuinely there to support and love her. The complex grief Molly felt from losing her grandmother was also beautifully shown in small moments throughout the story. Readers could tell how devastating her loss felt, and how unsure Molly was with how to deal with it. Which is what made me wonder why Gran, knowing how naïve Molly was, didn’t do more to ensure Molly’s security. She could have paid more attention to the nest egg she left for her, or not have kept so many secrets. But honestly, the discovery of these little secrets gave more to an otherwise simple story.
The mystery itself wasn’t complex, and the ending was resolved in a neat little package. The writing style was easy to follow which made for a light read—as light as a murder mystery can be—and leaves the reader feeling good. I found that although the resolution to the mystery was predictable, the part that kept me reading was Molly’s relationships with the other characters. I wanted to find out what happened to them and make sure they were all okay. Much like the friendships made in the novel, this story was comfortable and reliable.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.