a modern-day magi for molly the maid

Molly Gray has worked hard at the Regency Grand Hotel, and now she is not only head maid, she is also dating one of the pastry chefs, Juan Manual. They don’t have much money, but they have love for each other and they use their creative thinking skills to create holiday magic. They get a small, Charlie Brown Christmas tree to decorate in their apartment and fill it with homemade ornaments and popcorn garlands.

Molly first learned to love Christmas when she was living with her grandmother. Aside from decorating their tree and baking cookies, her grandmother had bought a small chest that had 25 drawers. Throughout the year, she would fill the drawers with special gifts she knew Molly would like, and at the beginning of December, it would become a homemade Advent calendar that Molly could enjoy throughout the month.

Now, Juan has filled the drawers with small gifts and trinkets for Molly as part of their holiday celebration, but Molly feels like something is of this year. She’s heard rumors at work about Juan’s friendliness to hotel guests. She thought she saw him deliver flowers to a hotel room when he was supposed to be in the kitchen baking. And at their apartment, a pretty neighbor expected him to unclog her toilet for her instead of going to the building super.

On the other hand, it is the holiday season, and people are more generous. It may not mean anything that Juan is being helpful. And Molly does sometimes misread a situation. Being neurodivergent means she doesn’t always pick up on the subtext of a situation. Still, she feels uneasy, like Juan is keeping something from her.

But with the busyness of the hotel during the holiday season and the employee Secret Santa gift exchange at the holiday party, Molly has plenty keeping her occupied right now. All she wants is a happy holiday for herself and for those she loves. Is that too much to ask for?

The Mistletoe Mystery is a holiday novella about the beloved hotel maid we first met in the popular novel The Maid. Even though she isn’t like other maids, she is able to see through things faster than some, and her insights have already helped her get promoted at the hotel and solve two murder mysteries. She is smart and hard-working, and while she may not understand the subtleties that neurotypical people can, she has her own way of seeing the world that adds a special magic to her life.

This is a fun read that celebrates Christmas, love, and family in a quick, warming nutshell of a story. It brings the mystery of Nita Prose’s full-length novels as well as the chocolatey warmth of Christmas with just a touch of the bitterness of loss. The Mistletoe Mystery is a not-to-miss holiday story for fans of Molly the Maid, or a quick introduction for those who haven’t leapt into her universe yet. It’s also a great gift for those in your life who are neurodivergent and feeling a little discombobulated or isolated this holiday season, or for your Secret Santa gift exchange.

Egalleys for The Mistletoe Mystery were provided by Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.