The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel

“You think my job is lowly, that it’s a position meriting shame not pride. Far be it from me to tell you what to think, but IMHO (meaning: In My Humble Opinion,) you are dead wrong.”

In this passage, Molly speaks directly to the reader with typical unwavering optimism, speaking against what she thinks is a popular opinion about The Value of Unnoticed Work. Unlike most characters, Molly values her job and delights in each task despite the dismissive attitudes of others. This quote also demonstrates one of Molly’s character quirks: the habit of defining words for anyone who will listen.

“But here’s the interesting thing: she’s dead, yet I still hear her voice in my head. Isn’t it interesting how a person can be as present after death as they were in real life?”

Molly isn’t exaggerating; Gran’s aphorisms appear constantly in her memory and in her speech to others. Gran’s influence on her does indeed manifest as a voice in her head, this novel also features key flashbacks that indirectly illuminate the character of the victim and the details of the crime.

“There she was, the Regency Grand, sublimely timeless amongst an urban eyesore of crass neon billboards and stout, modern office blocks. Red carpet graced the short flight of stairs to the hotel’s majestic portico. Dazzling brass railings framed the entrance leading to gleaming revolving doors. The lobby was teeming with chatty guests, luggage in tow, as well as reporters and podcasters lugging equipment through the revolving front doors.”

This quote shows Molly’s love of the hotel and her job and emphasizes The Struggle to Belong, as the hotel is a place where Molly feels confident that she fits. Here she has friends like Angela and Mr. Preston, and she is respected for her hard work. The hotel’s old-fashioned beauty is also reminiscent of Molly and her gran’s verbal style and character. Because of this, the hotel is one of the only places in which Molly does not feel the struggle to belong.

“‘It was so filled with detritus, boxes, and file folder,’ I said, ‘that it looked like a rat’s nest…’

‘The bottles weren’t even in the shower,’ I said. ‘They were on top of the minibar beside a bunch of snack foods and a big jar of peanut butter sitting open with a stainless-steel spoon sticking out the top.’”

In this passage, the author invokes the imagery of the rat and spoon to imply that there is something not quite right about this particular guest; ultimately, the description stands as a subtle clue that the murderer is in this particular room. However, at this early stage of the novel, Nita Prose does not definitively reveal any secrets; she only creates a general impression that will be reinforced as Molly closes in on the details of the mystery.

“‘My dear girl,’ I replied. ‘You’re a treasure.’”

This quote shows how deep Gran’s influence is on Molly’s life and how she is now moving into the role of the mentor. Addressing Lily in this way mirrors how Gran and Mr. Preston speak to Molly. This passage therefore shows how important Lily is to the protagonist and suggests that Molly is maturing. It also emphasizes how important Gran’s lessons about life are to Molly. After four years, Gran words still echo in her granddaughter’s voice.

“She’s a unique girl. But have you ever noticed, Ms. Cripps, how despite our differences, fundamentally, we are all the same?”

This conversation between Gran and Molly’s principal, Ms. Cripps, demonstrates the series’ overarching philosophy that acceptance is an essential virtue. During her life, Gran always made it a point to see past people’s quirks and differences, and she has instilled this mindset in Molly, who also tries to pass it on. This trend also becomes apparent when Molly quotes Gran to Detective Stark, who realizes that Molly is much more extraordinary than she originally believed (235). The book features many characters who accept this theme, and those who reject it remain closed-minded and morally lacking.

“And finally, on the mantel above the dark mouth of the fireplace, set dead center, is the most striking object I have ever seen. Resting on an intricate tarnished pedestal, encrusted in diamonds and other fine jewels, sits a glowing, pearlescent ornamental egg. It is not large. It would fit in the palm of my hand. It’s so hypnotically beautiful I cannot look away.”

This passage reveals the origin of the symbolic Fabergé egg that appears in the first two novels in the series; it is in lush detail in order to emphasize its significance. Molly’s attraction to the egg directs the idea that it is a symbol of power in addition to being a treasured object. The tarnish symbolizes the fact that the current owners are using their power in a negative way, and when Molly cleans the egg, this act symbolizes her eventual success in exposing and cleaning up after the damage that their abuse of power will cause.

“He scratches his head, pauses. ‘I write to prove that I can, and to exorcise my demons. My name will live in infamy the way the names of all those writers in my library do—in perpetuum.’”

In this quote, Grimthorpe articulates specific aspects of The Struggle to Belong, for his declaration stands as a grandiose goal to create art and to be accepted into the literary cannon of geniuses. However, rather than striving for artistic excellence, Grimthorpe wants to be famous, accepted, and respected at any cost. He is less interested in noble pursuit to create great literature and would rather pursue the attendant prestige that such an accomplishment would provide. Because he knows himself to be a fraud who cannot reach this goal on his own merits, Grimthorpe does terrible things to others, and his misdeeds ultimately incite the resentment that leads to his murder.

“‘J.D. is—was—reticent to reveal certain sensitive details about himself,’ Beulah says. ‘That’s understandable. We’ve had exchanges over the years, you know.’

‘Have you?’ Birdy asks. ‘Have you really?’

‘One day, the truth will come out,’ Beulah replies.”

In this quote, two themes are at play: The Struggle to Belong and The Value of Unnoticed Work. Despite being a group with common enthusiasms, the relationship between the LAMBS members is less than supportive. Their squabbling highlights a rivalry with Beulah, which results in her being dismissed and disrespected. Her grasping attempts to work on Grimthorpe’s biography can be interpreted as a struggle to belong and to become valued by the man himself and by her own group, for the LAMBS members do not regard her with the respect she feels she deserves.

“‘He was ill?’

‘He was,’ she replies. ‘Terribly so. And his affliction turned him into a monster for a time. But we survived all that. We made it through.’”

This is one of the first implications that Mr. Grimthorpe is even more of a monster than the troll that Molly first imagines him to be. This exchange also foreshadows the moment when Molly walks in on him assaulting Gran. The scene also highlights Gran’s resilience and sacrifice, as well as her capacity to face an abusive situation in order to provide Molly with a stable home.

“As I look at Lily, it’s like seeing my old self in a mirror. When I started at the hotel, I trusted no one, and there are times to this day when that unsettling feeling returns.”

While Molly often misses social cues, she is extremely empathetic and can easily perceive the suffering of others. As Lily grapples with The Struggle to Belong, the young maid’s predicament makes Molly remember her own experience, and she wants to help the girl even more. It is also a reminder that even though Molly is now secure and has a circle of trusted people, the trauma of bullying and misunderstanding in her past is never truly gone. This dynamic adds to her capacity for empathy and makes her the perfect mentor for Lily.

“‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be off. Hotel rooms don’t clean themselves.’

‘Especially Beulah’s,’ Gladys says. ‘Her hotel room looks like a pack rat moved in.’”

This is the second reference to a specific room being a rat’s nest. Now, however, the identity of the occupant and the murderer has been announced. Since it has been 12 chapters since the last rat-related reference, the greater significance of this stylistic choice is easily missed and is designed to seem like a minor coincidence. However, the description is really a way for the author to deliver a small hint that something is important, without revealing the full scope of the novel’s hidden aspects.

“‘Am I a good person? Am I a good egg?’ He was silent for a moment on the other end of the line.

‘Mi amor, what are you talking about? You’re more than a good egg. Molly, you’re my Fabergé.’”

The symbolism of eggs, specifically the Fabergé egg, runs throughout the series. For Molly, the egg is a symbol of her positive power, but when it is used by others, the symbol’s meaning shifts. People are often compared to good or bad eggs, and in this particular scene the Fabergé egg represents Gran’s most treasured person.

“‘Cheryl,’ Lily says with finality. ‘She’s your rat.’”

In this passage, Prose employs a red herring, delivering a misleading clue to confuse the chain of logic that will eventually reveal the true killer. Throughout the novel, rats have been used as symbols to indicate badly behaved people, and whenever the narrative associates someone with the animal, this is a clue pointing to the murderer. While Cheryl is indeed a rat, she is not the metaphorical rat with the spoon, so she does not fit the exact criteria laid out by the Prologue. Molly has not yet put together the full facts of the mystery, so she wastes time pursuing this line of inquiry.

“She had an infinite capacity to light hope in the dark. And for the most part, she was successful. She certainly convinced me that all was well in our cloistered little world, that our future was impossibly bright. Everything she did was so I would not just survive but thrive. Only now do I know just how much she suffered in the dark, how she carried her burden alone.”

This passage demonstrates Gran’s sacrifice and struggle, but the young Molly misunderstands the significance of the moment. When the mature Molly looks back and states her newfound understanding of Gran’s sacrifice, this moment adds to the pathos of the memory. Gran has already passed away, and Molly is left grateful but unable to tell her grandmother in person that she sees and understands yet another example of The Value of Unnoticed Work.

“‘Molly, why on earth would you do such a thing? Why would you want to steal the Fabergé?’

I don’t answer because it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that Mr. Grimthorpe will never lay a hand on my gran ever again.”

Gran does not see the nobler implications behind Molly’s theft because she is not used to seeing Molly break the rules. For her part, Molly also cannot explain her reasoning to Gran; all she understands is the outcome. This is an early example of a trait that Molly exhibits throughout the series: the inclination to be an executor of justice and morality even if doing so means breaking the rules.

“I begged her to ask for proper compensation and a share of J.D.’s royalties, but she was a single mother terrified of her boss and of losing a stable job. She knew she deserved more, but she could never bring herself to confront him or his wife. She didn’t want to face their wrath.”

When Serena explains the abusive terms by which her mother, Abigail, was forced to abide while working as a ghostwriter for Mr. Grimthorpe, her words resonate with Molly because Gran went through a very similar process. However, whereas Gran had Molly there to do something drastic and get her away from a bad situation, Abigail’s daughter Serena was never able to rescue her mother. While Abigail’s unnoticed work is eventually valued by fans and worth millions of dollars, she cannot free herself from her employer’s influence during her lifetime.

“‘Damaged and powerful,’ I say. ‘He had a way of making you feel special and yet small at the very same time.’”

Molly sums up the nature of the predator when she speaks of her own experience with Mr. Grimthorpe. His treatment of Beulah also fits this description, for he made her feel small, and while she was the character who finally snapped at the abuse and took violent revenge, the description of his behavior suggests that many people harbored similar levels of resentment over his egregious behavior.

“‘This is disgusting,’ Stark says. ‘It looks like a rat moved in. Don’t the maids clean this room every day?’”

In this quote, Stark is the one to invoke the now-infamous imagery of the rat. From the beginning of the novel, various references have been made equating villainous people with rats, and every time the word is used, it indicates a guilty person. This final reference makes it clear Beulah is the killer. No amount of tidying from the maids can clean up the moral filth that she has accumulated.

“I’ve dedicated much of my life to that man, and my efforts were underappreciated.”

Beulah expresses her twisted version of The Value of Unnoticed Work, using her underappreciated talents as a justification for murder. Grimthorpe’s rude rejection of her hard work is yet another way in which he abuses the people around him, and this treatment proves to be too much for Beulah to take. As with the other characters in the book who are denied belonging, her emotional reaction is to lash out and take revenge.

“‘I know the sound of a Regency Grand teaspoon against a Regency Grand teacup,’ I explain. ‘That high-pitched tinkle—music to my ears. But the sound that day was all wrong—a dull clank.’”

In this passage, Molly demonstrates her deep attention to detail: the trait that makes her a good investigator and impresses Detective Stark. The scene is also the culmination of many clues provided in the beginning of the book, at which point Molly was seen noting the sound of the spoons in the cups. Prose plants seemingly insignificant details throughout the novel so that when Molly reveals her reasoning at the end, all of the subtle clues are available in the text for closer review.

“I am who I am. Molly. Molly with all my weaknesses and foibles. And all my strengths, too. Maybe it’s time I accept myself, because there’s not a thing I can do to change it. Am I a maid or am I just employed as one? Is that something I want to change? Is it something I can change? Moreover, do I have the wisdom to know the difference?”

Detective Stark’s offer to Molly to become a detective throws Molly into a small identity crisis. However, the climactic moments are moving too quickly to allow her to process a potential response, and Stark has to reiterate the offer with the added bonus of a badge and uniform in order to entice Molly further. This development suggests that Prose might alter the structure of the series in the next installment, rendering Stark a far stronger ally than she has been to date.

“Mr. Preston shakes his head. ‘Loneliness and emptiness, hoarding to fill the void. A terrible affliction with a simple cure.’

‘Which is?’ I ask.

‘Kindness. A patient ear. A loving arm. If she’d had any of those things, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.’”

In this passage, Mr. Preston identifies one of the primary lessons for the series: The Struggle to Belong. Those who find belonging and acceptance find ways to deal with rejection and sadness, but those like Beulah and Cheryl, who lose key opportunities, sometimes deal with their disappointment in less positive ways. Mr. Preston implies that if Beulah had received even a little kindness from the people around her, she may never have been incited to cause Mr. Grimthorpe’s murder.