diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
index 35dc35d66..6b3ac83c5 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 
 	private static final List<Class<?>> VALID_ID_TYPES = Arrays.asList(new Class<?>[] { ObjectId.class, String.class,
 			BigInteger.class, byte[].class });
+	private static final TypeInformation<Map> MAP_TYPE_INFORMATION = ClassTypeInformation.from(Map.class);
+	
 	protected static final Log log = LogFactory.getLog(MappingMongoConverter.class);
 
 	protected final MappingContext<? extends MongoPersistentEntity<?>, MongoPersistentProperty> mappingContext;
@@ -174,6 +176,10 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 			}
 			return conversionService.convert(l, rawType);
 		}
+		
+		if (typeToUse.isMap()) {
+			return (S) readMap(typeToUse, dbo);
+		}
 
 		// Retrieve persistent entity info
 		MongoPersistentEntity<S> persistentEntity = (MongoPersistentEntity<S>) mappingContext
@@ -638,6 +644,8 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 	@SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes", "unchecked" })
 	private Object getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(Object value, Class<?> target) {
 		
+		Assert.notNull(target);
+		
 		if (value == null) {
 			return null;
 		}
@@ -761,10 +769,9 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	protected Map<Object, Object> readMap(TypeInformation<?> type, DBObject dbObject) {
 
-		Assert.notNull(type);
-		Assert.isTrue(type.isMap());
 		Assert.notNull(dbObject);
-
+		
+		type = type == null ? MAP_TYPE_INFORMATION : type;
 		Class<?> customMapType = findTypeToBeUsed(dbObject);
 		Class<?> mapType = customMapType == null ? type.getType() : customMapType;
 
@@ -776,19 +783,26 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			Class<?> keyType = type.getComponentType().getType();
-			Object key = conversionService.convert(entry.getKey(), keyType);
+			Object key = entry.getKey();
+			
+			TypeInformation<?> keyTypeInformation = type.getComponentType();
+			if (keyTypeInformation != null) {
+				Class<?> keyType = keyTypeInformation.getType();
+				key = conversionService.convert(entry.getKey(), keyType);
+			}
+			
+			Object value = entry.getValue();
+			TypeInformation<?> valueType = type.getMapValueType();
+			valueType = valueType == null ? MAP_TYPE_INFORMATION : valueType;
 
-			if (null != entry.getValue() && entry.getValue() instanceof DBObject) {
-
-				DBObject valueSource = (DBObject) entry.getValue();
-				TypeInformation<?> valueType = type.getMapValueType();
-
-				Object value = valueType.isMap() ? readMap(valueType, valueSource) : read(valueType, valueSource);
-
-				map.put(key, value);
+			if (value instanceof BasicDBList) {
+				BasicDBList list =(BasicDBList) value;
+				map.put(key, read(valueType, list));
+			} else if (value instanceof DBObject) {
+				DBObject valueSource = (DBObject) value;
+				map.put(key, valueType.isMap() ? readMap(valueType, valueSource) : read(valueType, valueSource));
 			} else {
-				map.put(key, getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(entry.getValue(), type.getMapValueType().getType()));
+				map.put(key, getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(value, valueType.getType()));
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -835,9 +849,13 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 	private <S> TypeInformation<? extends S> getMoreConcreteTargetType(DBObject dbObject, TypeInformation<S> basicType) {
 		Class<?> documentsTargetType = findTypeToBeUsed(dbObject);
 		Class<S> rawType = basicType.getType();
+		
+		if (documentsTargetType == null && Object.class.equals(rawType)) {
+			return (TypeInformation<? extends S>) MAP_TYPE_INFORMATION;
+		}
+		
 		boolean isMoreConcreteCustomType = documentsTargetType != null && rawType.isAssignableFrom(documentsTargetType);
-		return isMoreConcreteCustomType ? (TypeInformation<? extends S>) ClassTypeInformation.from(documentsTargetType)
-				: basicType;
+		return isMoreConcreteCustomType ? (TypeInformation<? extends S>) ClassTypeInformation.from(documentsTargetType) : basicType;
 	}
 
 	protected <T> List<?> unwrapList(BasicDBList dbList, TypeInformation<T> targetType) {
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
index c8f5513d4..c3ed8e872 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
@@ -605,6 +605,24 @@ public class MappingMongoConverterUnitTests {
 		assertThat(result.mapOfObjects, is(not(nullValue())));
 	}
 	
+	/**
+	 * @see DATADOC-245
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void readsMapListNestedValuesCorrectly() {
+
+		BasicDBList list = new BasicDBList();
+		BasicDBObject nested = new BasicDBObject();
+		nested.append("Hello", "World");
+		list.add(nested);
+		DBObject source = new BasicDBObject("mapOfObjects", new BasicDBObject("Foo", list));
+
+		ClassWithMapProperty result = converter.read(ClassWithMapProperty.class, source);
+		Object firstObjectInFoo = ((List<?>) result.mapOfObjects.get("Foo")).get(0);
+		assertThat(firstObjectInFoo, is(instanceOf(Map.class)));
+		assertThat((String)((Map<?,?>) firstObjectInFoo).get("Hello"), is(equalTo("World")));
+	}
+	
 	class GenericType<T> {
 		T content;
 	}