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Grace & Favor #2
In the Still of the Night
Lily Brewster and her brother Robert have all the appearances of being filthy rich, even though the family fortune went out the window with the crash of 1929. But thanks to great-uncle Horatio, who left them Grace and Favor Cottage, a huge mansion on the Hudson not far from Franklin Roosevelt's Hyde Park, the Brewsters live in the style to which they had become accustomed--with a few troublesome limitations.
To make sure Lily and Robert didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest--and a penny-pinching attorney to manage the funds. Now the poor Brewsters have to actually work for money to survive, and Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme. They can turn a profit while they hobnob with their society friends, luring them to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend with the promise of big-name celebrities as guests.
If Sinclair Lewis hadn't been working on a new book, he might have joined the party; if Amelia Earhart hadn't been busy planning her cross-Atlantic flight, history might not have its own unsolved mystery. And if the Brewsters' celebrity/society bash hadn't been short on luminaries and long on snide barbs and open hostility among the guests, the glittering, glamorous affair might not have turned into a whodunit with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer who is ready to strike again.
To make sure Lily and Robert didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest--and a penny-pinching attorney to manage the funds. Now the poor Brewsters have to actually work for money to survive, and Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme. They can turn a profit while they hobnob with their society friends, luring them to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend with the promise of big-name celebrities as guests.
If Sinclair Lewis hadn't been working on a new book, he might have joined the party; if Amelia Earhart hadn't been busy planning her cross-Atlantic flight, history might not have its own unsolved mystery. And if the Brewsters' celebrity/society bash hadn't been short on luminaries and long on snide barbs and open hostility among the guests, the glittering, glamorous affair might not have turned into a whodunit with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer who is ready to strike again.
242 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Jill Churchill
41 books199 followersA pseudonym used by Janice Young Brooks.
Jill Churchill, winner of the Agatha and Macavity Mystery Readers Awards, and nominated for an Anthony for her best-selling Jane Jeffry series, lives as Jane does, in a midwestern suburb. On purpose! She says writing this series and the Grace and Favor series is the best treat she can have without a knife and fork.
Under her real name, Janice Young Brooks, and various pseudonyms, she's written historical novels, a gothic novel, and a history textbook as well as many articles for newspapers and magazines. When she's not writing, she's avidly doing genealogy which she says is a lot like mysteries with all the red herrings, clues, speculations, and surprises.
She gardens enthusiastically, needlepoints superbly, and plays a mean game of gin against the computer. She has a son and daughter and two granddaughters, Rose Louise and Emma. Janice is currently in a battle of supremacy with her cat Max.
Jill Churchill, winner of the Agatha and Macavity Mystery Readers Awards, and nominated for an Anthony for her best-selling Jane Jeffry series, lives as Jane does, in a midwestern suburb. On purpose! She says writing this series and the Grace and Favor series is the best treat she can have without a knife and fork.
Under her real name, Janice Young Brooks, and various pseudonyms, she's written historical novels, a gothic novel, and a history textbook as well as many articles for newspapers and magazines. When she's not writing, she's avidly doing genealogy which she says is a lot like mysteries with all the red herrings, clues, speculations, and surprises.
She gardens enthusiastically, needlepoints superbly, and plays a mean game of gin against the computer. She has a son and daughter and two granddaughters, Rose Louise and Emma. Janice is currently in a battle of supremacy with her cat Max.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
June 19, 2022
4.5 stars
April 27, 2022
It took me a little time to get into this series. The first book took me 50 or 60 pages to be hooked.
This one was much better. I already knew the main characters and the little town in which they are living in upstate New York, set during the Great Depression.
Robert and his sister, Lily, inherited a mansion and the money to keep it up from a relative they barely remembered. The inheritance is hooked with a few complications. They are required to live there for 10 years before it is freely theirs. The uncle's lawyer and his wife are allowed to live there the entire ten years. They aren't given any allowance or money for themselves. That was in the first book.
In order to try to raise money to live on, Robert and Lily invite their friends who still have money. They require them to pay, but they get to meet a famous writer and have private times with him for a weekend. This goes great, except a lady finds out who the author is and invites herself.
The woman is obnoxious. Then she is dead. Now Robert and Lily must assist the new police chief in finding the murderer.
I found this book to be very entertaining. It kept me in suspense and I did not figure out the murderer until the end.
This one was much better. I already knew the main characters and the little town in which they are living in upstate New York, set during the Great Depression.
Robert and his sister, Lily, inherited a mansion and the money to keep it up from a relative they barely remembered. The inheritance is hooked with a few complications. They are required to live there for 10 years before it is freely theirs. The uncle's lawyer and his wife are allowed to live there the entire ten years. They aren't given any allowance or money for themselves. That was in the first book.
In order to try to raise money to live on, Robert and Lily invite their friends who still have money. They require them to pay, but they get to meet a famous writer and have private times with him for a weekend. This goes great, except a lady finds out who the author is and invites herself.
The woman is obnoxious. Then she is dead. Now Robert and Lily must assist the new police chief in finding the murderer.
I found this book to be very entertaining. It kept me in suspense and I did not figure out the murderer until the end.
August 6, 2015
Jill Churchill writes a mystery with humor and such clever dialog that it keeps the reader turning pages. This is one of her vintage mysteries in the Grace and Favor series.
Lily and Robert were once wealthy people. They lived in NYC and lived a life that most people could only imagine. Then the stock market crashed, their father took his own life and Lily and Robert became paupers. Then they inherited a mansion in upstate New York and life became something completely different once again.
Grace and Favor is the mansion and Lily and Robert have figured a way to help create income. If an invited celebrity comes to stay, others will come to spend a weekend to rub shoulders with that celebrity. Their house party brings much more than a celebrity author and some paying guests. It also brings murder.
The victim of the murder is a woman who seems to be a most insincere person. Most people can see why her murder would apparently make someone very happy. In fact, there are many someones who would not be sad to see her dead.
The plot is a pretty straight forward one. I had figured out who and why before the book provided the solution. But, even with that, I enjoyed the book. Ms Churchill has always given the reader a good story to follow, and this is no exception.
Her characters are well developed. Lily and Robert are easy people to like. They make the reader cheer for their hard work trying to make a new life for themselves. The regular members of the village are each ongoing characters in the series and each of them add much to the story. The new characters introduced for this book add to the depth of the story. Some are more likable than others, but all of them are interesting.
If you are a fan of mysteries written with a light touch and a great deal of humor, this is a book you will enjoy. In fact, nearly anything by Ms Churchill will be a book you enjoy.
Lily and Robert were once wealthy people. They lived in NYC and lived a life that most people could only imagine. Then the stock market crashed, their father took his own life and Lily and Robert became paupers. Then they inherited a mansion in upstate New York and life became something completely different once again.
Grace and Favor is the mansion and Lily and Robert have figured a way to help create income. If an invited celebrity comes to stay, others will come to spend a weekend to rub shoulders with that celebrity. Their house party brings much more than a celebrity author and some paying guests. It also brings murder.
The victim of the murder is a woman who seems to be a most insincere person. Most people can see why her murder would apparently make someone very happy. In fact, there are many someones who would not be sad to see her dead.
The plot is a pretty straight forward one. I had figured out who and why before the book provided the solution. But, even with that, I enjoyed the book. Ms Churchill has always given the reader a good story to follow, and this is no exception.
Her characters are well developed. Lily and Robert are easy people to like. They make the reader cheer for their hard work trying to make a new life for themselves. The regular members of the village are each ongoing characters in the series and each of them add much to the story. The new characters introduced for this book add to the depth of the story. Some are more likable than others, but all of them are interesting.
If you are a fan of mysteries written with a light touch and a great deal of humor, this is a book you will enjoy. In fact, nearly anything by Ms Churchill will be a book you enjoy.
December 30, 2013
3.5 stars. I actually found the story of this second installment more enjoyable than the first, but it honestly suffered for lack of a different/better editor. These types of cozy mysteries are my escapist "mind-candy" reads so I usually overlook typical editorial problems like misspelled or left-out words, misnaming a character, etc. But the first third of this book had a LOT of repetitious information. The author introduced some character backstory through little asides during dialogue which seems the natural way. But then Lily goes to sit in the library at one point, lost in thought, and there's this huge information dump that recaps the whole first book and characters. That's not atypical for this type of series and fine, but she kept also repeating the info in other places. In less than 20 pages we're told three times verbatim that Jack is a former reporter turned editor of a paper he thinks Lily and Robert own but they don't really and that Mr Prinney is assisting in the subterfuge. Verbatim ac literatim. This is one example of a few.
So just to forewarn. Once the first third of the book gets over this hump and the story starts rolling along, it's a lot of fun. But I found it pretty annoying and distracting. I also read this in hard to find hardcover (Goodreads doesn't even have the ISBN for the H/C edition registered), so maybe some of this was cleaned up in paperback edition?
So just to forewarn. Once the first third of the book gets over this hump and the story starts rolling along, it's a lot of fun. But I found it pretty annoying and distracting. I also read this in hard to find hardcover (Goodreads doesn't even have the ISBN for the H/C edition registered), so maybe some of this was cleaned up in paperback edition?
March 22, 2009
This is the next book in the series after Anything Goes and, like the previous book, it features Lily and Robert Brewster, a brother and sister who have inherited a large house in the middle of the Great Depression, but not the money to keep it going and live in the style to which they used to be accustomed.
This time around, they hit on the idea of trying to make some cash by inviting well-known people to stay and then getting other people to pay to spend the weekend with them. After a couple of disappointments, the Brewsters manage to snag the services of a bad-tempered writer whose books draw strongly on the horrors of the Great War - their scheme seems to be paying off, till one of the guests is found dead and then another disappears.
In the Still of the Night is another well-written story that makes you want to know what's going on, and though I figured out some of the overall mystery from the hints that are dropped quite early on, it's not as clear-cut as all that. The series continues in Someone to Watch Over Me, for which I shall be keeping an eye out.
This time around, they hit on the idea of trying to make some cash by inviting well-known people to stay and then getting other people to pay to spend the weekend with them. After a couple of disappointments, the Brewsters manage to snag the services of a bad-tempered writer whose books draw strongly on the horrors of the Great War - their scheme seems to be paying off, till one of the guests is found dead and then another disappears.
In the Still of the Night is another well-written story that makes you want to know what's going on, and though I figured out some of the overall mystery from the hints that are dropped quite early on, it's not as clear-cut as all that. The series continues in Someone to Watch Over Me, for which I shall be keeping an eye out.
July 29, 2008
This is the first I read of the Grace and Favor books, book 2 I believe. It was the only one at the nearest library they had (the other one had most of the others). This one got me hooked, but it isn't my favorite, Someone To Watch Over Me is my favorite.
The plot of this one, if I remember (being a few months ago that I read the one's I've read) was pretty good. It wasn't the easiest one I've read, so that's good.
Again, as with the other Grace and Favor books, you get a bit of a history lesson with your read.
Blurb from Author's site:
In the Still of the Night
Lily Brewster and her brother Robert have all the appearances of being rich even though the family fortune went out the window with the crash of 1929. But thanks to great-uncle Horatio who left them Grace and Favor Cottage, a huge mansion, the Brewsters live in the style which they had become accustomed. To make sure they didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest–the poor Brewsters have to work for money to survive When Lily came up with the ideas to turn a profit by luring their society friends to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend, she didn't plan on a who-dun-it with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer.
The plot of this one, if I remember (being a few months ago that I read the one's I've read) was pretty good. It wasn't the easiest one I've read, so that's good.
Again, as with the other Grace and Favor books, you get a bit of a history lesson with your read.
Blurb from Author's site:
In the Still of the Night
Lily Brewster and her brother Robert have all the appearances of being rich even though the family fortune went out the window with the crash of 1929. But thanks to great-uncle Horatio who left them Grace and Favor Cottage, a huge mansion, the Brewsters live in the style which they had become accustomed. To make sure they didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest–the poor Brewsters have to work for money to survive When Lily came up with the ideas to turn a profit by luring their society friends to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend, she didn't plan on a who-dun-it with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer.
August 13, 2016
This second installment of the Grace and Favor mystery series, featuring Lily and Robert Brewster, socially elite siblings fallen on hard times, was as pleasant as the first. Lily and Robert have inherited a mansion on the Hudson, but must reside in the home for 10 years in order to qualify for the remaining estate...cash. With a lack of funds for personal expenses, Lily hits upon the idea of hosting social gatherings where guests pay for a weekend with a celebrity.
Lily's first celebrity is reclusive author Julian West, writer of war novels, whose works have taken a dark turn after his experiences in the Great War. Other guests include friends of the Brewsters and one acquaintance who invites herself, Lorna Ethridge. When Lorna turns up dead in her room, secrets involving the dead woman and the other guests make everyone a suspect.
The mystery itself is fairly thin, but the appeal of the novel is the authors' sprinkling historical characters and social commentary on the times throughout the book. The rich aren't villified and the poor are treated with respect. The characters are the strength of this series and I look forward to reading the next volume.
Lily's first celebrity is reclusive author Julian West, writer of war novels, whose works have taken a dark turn after his experiences in the Great War. Other guests include friends of the Brewsters and one acquaintance who invites herself, Lorna Ethridge. When Lorna turns up dead in her room, secrets involving the dead woman and the other guests make everyone a suspect.
The mystery itself is fairly thin, but the appeal of the novel is the authors' sprinkling historical characters and social commentary on the times throughout the book. The rich aren't villified and the poor are treated with respect. The characters are the strength of this series and I look forward to reading the next volume.
November 3, 2009
Robert and Lily have a great idea for earning some money. They've invited a special guest to Grace and Favor, a reclusive author, and then invited paying guests who wish to attend his lectures, share meals with him and, in general, get to know him better. This book was filled with interesting characters and plot twists and turns. I'd say this is the best of Jill Churchill's that I have read. The characters are better drawn and more interesting. Lily's idea for the " resident author" weekend seemed great to me. I'd love to spend a weekend with some of my favorite authors in a relaxed setting like Grace and Favor!
August 11, 2017
This is the 2nd in the series (which I thought I had & went crazy looking for) which I purchased:
Lily & Robert have decided to make a go of their inheritance by turning Grace & Favor Cottage (Manor) into a B&B where paying guests can meet & spend time w/ famous personages.
Their first famous guest is a well known author (who went to war & came back a very changed man) & his Aide de Camp. Their other guests consist of a young man Lily broke off with, his sister, a friend of Lily's who is also a school mistress, a friend of Robert's who is only interested in his inventions, and a particularly nasty/nice conniving woman whose most every word was a lie.
When the nasty/nice woman is found strangled in her bedroom, there are no end of suspects, for almost every guest knew & loathed her...
This was a light & entertaining story with interesting back political history of WW I & Hoover Politics.
Lily & Robert have decided to make a go of their inheritance by turning Grace & Favor Cottage (Manor) into a B&B where paying guests can meet & spend time w/ famous personages.
Their first famous guest is a well known author (who went to war & came back a very changed man) & his Aide de Camp. Their other guests consist of a young man Lily broke off with, his sister, a friend of Lily's who is also a school mistress, a friend of Robert's who is only interested in his inventions, and a particularly nasty/nice conniving woman whose most every word was a lie.
When the nasty/nice woman is found strangled in her bedroom, there are no end of suspects, for almost every guest knew & loathed her...
This was a light & entertaining story with interesting back political history of WW I & Hoover Politics.
March 25, 2021
This is a nice little mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie in that there is a gathering of a small group of people in a country home where a murder takes place. Each of the "guests" have some personality quirks and some have, more than a bit, of background "history" that is not generally known. The residence seems like it would be a wonderful place to visit and the owners draw the reader into the story. I would not rate this as one of the great mysteries of all time, but it is well written and enjoyable. I would note that there are several glaring grammatical errors in the copy I read, which relates more to the publisher/proof reader than to the author.
I donated this book to a Little Free Library in my neighborhood.
I donated this book to a Little Free Library in my neighborhood.
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March 6, 2022Fun murder mystery set during The Depression and featuring once wealthy brother and sister still trying to lead “the good life” with fashionable friends and associates. Clever banter, amusing foibles, and generally funny lighthearted prose. This is a quick reading and good entertainment especially if you’ve just finished a long or serious book. This will give you a nice break in a weekend.
July 15, 2017
This was a fun read. It was like reading one of the Miss Marple Books. The. main characters live in a mansion they have inherited. They invite paying guests to meet a great author. It is then that the fun begins. Jill Churchill has given us great characters in a fun setting.
May 12, 2017
Very good, I will read the next one!
November 29, 2020
I liked this book very much and now have a new author to catch up on🥰
May 19, 2021
Fun mystery
August 23, 2021
I knew who the murderer was almost from the very beginning, but I didn't suspect a couple of the plot
twists until near the end and the last couple of chapters were very exciting. Great book!
twists until near the end and the last couple of chapters were very exciting. Great book!
January 24, 2022
Not as good as the first book, but still worth reading. The ending is certainly not expected. The series is only 5 books, and I intend to read all of five of them this year.
May 8, 2023
I'm right in line with 3.7 overall rating, so rounded to 4.
October 22, 2014
Lily Brewster and her brother Robert have all the appearances of being filthy rich, even though the family fortune went out the window with the crash of 1929. But thanks to great-uncle Horatio, who left them Grace and Favor Cottage, a huge mansion on the Hudson not far from Franklin Roosevelt's Hyde Park, the Brewsters live in the style to which they had become accustomed--with a few troublesome limitations.
To make sure Lily and Robert didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest--and a penny-pinching attorney to manage the funds. Now the poor Brewsters have to actually work for money to survive, and Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme. They can turn a profit while they hobnob with their society friends, luring them to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend with the promise of big-name celebrities as guests.
If Sinclair Lewis hadn't been working on a new book, he might have joined the party; if Amelia Earhart hadn't been busy planning her cross-Atlantic flight, history might not have its own unsolved mystery. And if the Brewsters' celebrity/society bash hadn't been short on luminaries and long on snide barbs and open hostility among the guests, the glittering, glamorous affair might not have turned into a whodunit with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer who is ready to strike again.
To make sure Lily and Robert didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest--and a penny-pinching attorney to manage the funds. Now the poor Brewsters have to actually work for money to survive, and Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme. They can turn a profit while they hobnob with their society friends, luring them to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend with the promise of big-name celebrities as guests.
If Sinclair Lewis hadn't been working on a new book, he might have joined the party; if Amelia Earhart hadn't been busy planning her cross-Atlantic flight, history might not have its own unsolved mystery. And if the Brewsters' celebrity/society bash hadn't been short on luminaries and long on snide barbs and open hostility among the guests, the glittering, glamorous affair might not have turned into a whodunit with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer who is ready to strike again.
August 27, 2015
This was a fairly fun book to read, good prose and interesting characters, unfortunately the ending was a let down. The murder mystery had to be the easiest to solve I've ever seen in a book for adults, and it relied mainly on the interpretation of a word with two meanings - and that word was repeated again and again and again, as if the author were holding the readers' hands. On top of which, the murder happened just as a friend of the protagonists was installing intercoms throughout the house, letting them get clues by eavesdropping... which is pretty over the top coincidence! Was there no better way to introduce the information? And the end fate of the murderer was a tidy cliche...
Again, the book was generally interesting, but it felt like the author was selling the readers short, and couldn't do anything with the ending that hadn't been done a hundred times before. Really hoping to see more imagination with future books, if I try them!
Again, the book was generally interesting, but it felt like the author was selling the readers short, and couldn't do anything with the ending that hadn't been done a hundred times before. Really hoping to see more imagination with future books, if I try them!
Read
May 20, 2016First attempt at reading this author and I have already fallen in love with the characters. Brother and sister have gone from super rich to super poor; a result of the stock market crash and their father committing suicide. The series is set in 1930s. A rich uncle has left them his entire estate and businesses on the condition that they actually work for their living for 10 years. They can live in the mansion but cannot sit on their laurels. They decide to have a celebrity weekend, charging people to meet a certain famous writer. Things obviously don't go to plan and there is undercurrents not known at the beginning. A death occurs and almost all of the guests have a reason for killing the victim.
July 2, 2016
This is #2 in Grace and Favor Series. It would be considered a historical cozy.
I enjoyed this one, but it seemed to go on and on for me. I sort of had this one figured out about mid way, however there was a twist that I wasn't expecting.
I like the characters of Lily and Robert and feel they have a bunch of stories to tell. The setting is beautiful and I can see how something of this nature could happen in a small town. I would think it would be very difficult to go from being very wealthy to worrying where your next meal would come from even though Lily and Robert seem to be well educated and could probably find work somewhere. Now, whether they would like it or nor would be another story.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars and will read the next in the series.
I enjoyed this one, but it seemed to go on and on for me. I sort of had this one figured out about mid way, however there was a twist that I wasn't expecting.
I like the characters of Lily and Robert and feel they have a bunch of stories to tell. The setting is beautiful and I can see how something of this nature could happen in a small town. I would think it would be very difficult to go from being very wealthy to worrying where your next meal would come from even though Lily and Robert seem to be well educated and could probably find work somewhere. Now, whether they would like it or nor would be another story.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars and will read the next in the series.
December 24, 2016
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
October 15, 2008
Hudson River Valley mystery at the start of the Great Depression. Young Lily and Robert Brewster, sister and brother, used to be wealthy until their family's fortune was lost in the stock market crash. After barely making ends meet for a couple of years, they inherit a Hudson River mansion from an uncle. The inheritance comes with a lot of strings so they have to continue making their way in the world. Lily decides to use the home as a site for inviting paying guests for themed activities to earn money. Their first one is interrupted by a murder, strained relations between guests, and other problems.
October 26, 2010
I really enjoyed the first Grace and Favor mystery, a mixture of historical fiction and a suspenseful mystery. So when I found this second book in the series, I decided to read it right away. I thoroughly enjoyed the motley characters in this second book and I will definitely look for more stories in this series. The depression-era background and the inclusion of events that occurred at the time (like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping) lend a note of authenticity to the tales. I enjoy learning more about that period of American history and eagerly anticipate the next tale.
December 22, 2011
The facts or clues were told over and over again, sometimes from different view points,sometimes by Lily who just went around, met someone told them all she knew, moved on and met someone else and told them all she knew again. It was just frustrating, because as a reader, you think, yes i know that already. I think the killer and motive were quite obvious. I like the setting and it has promise, but this one was a box of boring to me.
September 16, 2015
Lily and her brother Robert, have inherited a mansion and enough money to keep it up, but nothing extra. In order to make money for themselves so that they can one day actually have the money and the house, they bring in a special, famous guest (a writer by the name of Julian West) and paying customers, their former, wealthy friends. But things go wrong from the first and a series of unfortunate events happen.
October 14, 2012
This is the second book in the Grace and Favor series.
Lily and her brother Robert decide that they need to find a source of income. They decide to host a weekend with a famous author and invite guests who will pay for the pleasure of spending the weekend with an author.
This is your classic "drawing room mystery" formula.
Though it was predictable and I guessed what was going on very early in the book, I still really enjoyed it and thought it was well done.
Lily and her brother Robert decide that they need to find a source of income. They decide to host a weekend with a famous author and invite guests who will pay for the pleasure of spending the weekend with an author.
This is your classic "drawing room mystery" formula.
Though it was predictable and I guessed what was going on very early in the book, I still really enjoyed it and thought it was well done.
March 4, 2015
Second book is this cozy mystery series. Brother and sister inherent a fortune, including a mansion in rural New York State but they have to live in it for 10 years and can only leave it for a few days each year. They also have to provide an income to support themselves which is tricky since they were brought up in richness until the crash of 1929 when they found they had no working skills. Funny, quirky and a good read! Can't wait to start the next one.
August 19, 2015
2nd in series. Lily Brewster and brother Robert have inherited an estate in New York State with conditions. To make money for upkeep they start a paying weekend houseparty for society people who want to get together with celebrities. But one of the guests is murdered and another is missing. Another mystery to solve in the finance-strapped 1930s.
A fun and fast read. Interesting and rarely-visited time setting.
A fun and fast read. Interesting and rarely-visited time setting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews