Molly takes great pride and enjoyment in her abilities to return rooms to perfection at the Regency Hotel. Every day, she works hard, cleaning off the fingerprints and dirt and smudges to create gleaming rooms for the next set of guests. Generally speaking, she does everything by the book, though she will bend the rules a bit for those who are kind to her, particularly hotel dishwasher Juan Manuel (who lost his home and now stays in unreserved hotel rooms with keys provided by Molly), frequent guest Giselle (whose wealthy husband is not at all kind to her), and hotel bartender Rodney, who helped arrange the sleeping situation for Juan Manuel. But when Molly discovers Giselle's husband dead in his suite, her fastidiousness and socially awkward ways place her at the head of the list of suspects, and the neat and orderly world she's created for herself begins to crumble.
Many of the mysteries that surround Molly are obvious to the reader (and to the other characters in the book), but it's equally obvious that Molly is autistic (though undiagnosed, and nobody seems to be willing to offer that possibility to her). I'm a bit conflicted about the way Molly is handled and manipulated by not only those who wish her harm but also those who care about her — she's obviously an intelligent and capable woman, but she's treated almost like a child by those around her. The Maid has received plenty of acclaim, has a recently published sequel (The Mystery Guest), and it's well-written and presented, so this discomfort is definitely a "me thing." I'm curious how the sequel (and future books, if they come) treats Molly's autism.
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