Pun Salad

For some reason, I got hooked on this series, the continuing adventures of Molly Gray, a maid at a posh Manhattan hotel. She's neurodivergent, which has caused her problems in the past, but that seems to have been toned down a bit for this entry. She's worked her way to the top of her department, she's assembled a team of loyal colleagues and friends, and she's about to marry the hotel's gifted pastry chef, Juan. (They're "living in sin", a little surprising, but OK.)

And the hotel is about to host an episode of the "Hidden Treasures" TV series, where a couple of charismatic gay appraisers evaluate objects brought before them. On a lark, Molly contributes some knickknacks she and her late, beloved, grandmother Flora accumulated, including a prominent object from the previous novel. And the revelation of its true provenance shocks everyone, especially Molly. Even more shocking: (book flap spoiler a-coming) a daring and mysterious heist is perpetrated during its auction!

Molly's narrative is interspersed with chapters from Flora's discovered diary, in which her riches-to-rags story is detailed. (The author, Nita Prose, is pretty skilled at giving Flora her own "voice", very flowery, and distinct from Molly's.) It's pretty lurid, with an eventual murder.

Not my usual cup of tea, not even when served up in my favorite china cup. But, as I said, I'm hooked.