The Mystery Guest

 The Mystery Guest is the second in a maid novel series by Nina Prose.  Following the exploits of Molly Gray now the head maid at the Regency Grand, "a five star boutique hotel."

Once again Molly pushes her well stocked maid's trolley which she calls "a portable sanitation miracle", through the rooms as she brings them all back to clean order.  Molly knows she sees things differently and since her grandmother has passed on, she relies on her boy friend, Juan for giving her a clear perspective.

This time Molly gets involved in the murder of  J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, when he drops dead on the hotel's tea room floor.  In an effort to clear both her name and the name of  Lily, her new maid in training,  she steps in to assist in solving the mystery.  Molly may have more information about the case than she is letting on.  

She works once again with Detective Stark looking at and interviewing the multiple suspects.  Is it Serena the author's secretary, or Mr. Preston, her friend and the hotel's beloved doorman?  With a few misdirections Molly and Detective Stark will uncover the culprit and clean up the mess.

Hercule Poirot's Silent Night

 Hercule Poirot's Silent Night is written by Sophie Hannah.  But you would almost think it really was written by Dame Agatha Christie, herself.   The voices of Poirot and his trusty side kick Inspector Edward Catchpool are almost perfect.  Hannah has captured all of Poirot's eccentricities and his flamboyant manners.  Inspector Catchpool is a perfect foil with his reflective personality and doggedness.  Together they work well trying to get to the bottom of the mystery at hand.

This time they are summoned to thee crumbling mansion,  Frellingsloe House at Mundy-on-Sea.  This is the Laurier family house that has ben in the family for generations, but is now crumbling into the sea from erosion. The timing is fortuitous because the last patriarch of the family Arnold Laurier is dying of a terminal disease and wants to spend the last Christmas of his life in Frellingsloe House.  Then he will be moving into St Walstan’s Cottage Hospital to live out his last days.  

A murder has occurred in the room he will be occupying and Vivienne his wife is distraught that he wil be murdered also if he goes to the hospital.  Poirot and Catchpool are urged by Catchpool's mother to spend Christmas at Mundy-on-Sea and find the answer to the hospital murder and save Laurier's life. 

With any red herrings and misdirections working to confuse the reader Hannah does a powerful job of creating a entertaining mystery that creates tension and suspense as Catchpool tries to move the investigation along so that he can get home to London for Christmas and not celebrate with his mother at the country house.  

The Rye Bread Marriage; How I Found Happiness with a Partner I’ll Never Understand

 The Rye Bread Marriage is an interesting memoir written by Michaele Weissman.  This is the story of her courtship and marriage to John Melngailis.  Michaele describes him as a dashingly handsome Latvian refugee who loves rye bread.  She is an American Jewish young college student looking for adventure.  When they first meet, Michaele is not ready to get married and settle down.  Years later when John is now divorced from his first wife they meet again now ready to begin a life together.

This book tells the story of their marriage, of compromise and learning to adjust to another's behaviors and ideas.  How love if it is strong can keep a marriage together through the day to day disagreements and hurt.

Coming from different backgrounds Michaele works hard to learn about John's difficult Latvian childhood and learn to enjoy the rye bread that he is so passionate about.  They travel many times to Latvia, John returning to his childhood memories and Michaele to learn about the family he came from.  Finally they also travel to Lithuania to learn a little about her Jewish heritage.

This book shows how much we are shaped by our families and our childhood experiences.  They make us the person we are and have a strong impact on the relationships we have.  This is a very open look into the messiness of marriage, learning to tolerate and make concessions to stay in a relationship.

It is also about rye bread the difference between the original Russian bread and the American version.  It is learning to like the dense dark strong taste of a real rye bread.  The book leaves me feeling better about the messiness of my everyday life and also interesting in ordering some of the rye bread from Black Rooster Bakery, John's bakery where he has perfected the Latvian rye of his childhood.  I know my husband will love the taste, it will make him happy.  That is my goal.