Customer Reviews

In the Still of the Night (Grace & Favor Mysteries, No. 2)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had never read any of Jill Churchill's books, as I am usually a fan of British mysteries. However, I was intrigued by the premise of an American series set in what has always been known as the Golden Age of British Mysteries, the late 20's and 30's. I enjoyed ANYTHING GOES and was delighted by IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT. Lily and Robert Brewster, a high society brother and sister who have been wiped out in the Crash have inherited a slightly down at the heels mansion in the Hudson Valley and a huge fortune-if they can live in the house with very few financial resources for ten years. Their solution is to take in paying guests to help keep afloat. This sets up a perfect scenario for the "Country House Murder" so beloved by the golden age writers. It's a great read for fans of Agatha Christie who aren't fond of the modern tendency for graphic detail.

As she did in her first Grace and Favor novel, Anything Goes, Jill Churchill has written another wonderful addition to this mystery series with the publication of In the Still of the Night.

Brother and sister, Lily and Robert Brewster, are now living in the mansion they inherited from their Uncle Horatio. Getting used to small town life on the Hudson has proved to be pleasant but these two young people must now begin earning an income. Athough they live as wealthy people in the year 1932, according to the terms of Horatio's will they won't inherit anything for almost ten years. Lily and Robert come up with an idea to provide some income by hosting a weekend of paying guests and a celebrity who will entertain all. The assortment of people who gather for their weekend, though, have links to one another from previous days and suddenly there's been a murder and it seems as though almost everyone has a motive.

This book was very charming and evoked an era and style which is now forever gone. And Ms. Churchill also includes just enough historical information about the times to further set the mood. Unfortunately, I gulped down this book much too quickly and now I'm wondering how long I will have to wait for the next book from this author.

Another great story about Lily & Robert Brewster, who are inhabiting the Grace & Favor Cottage in order to inherit their uncles fortune. When they invite paying guests to stay for a weekend to mingle with a famous writer, one is murdered, and they learn plenty about their guests and their pasts. I truly enjoy Jill Churchills Jane Jeffrey series, and this new series is turning out just as good!

For Robert and Lily Brewster, the planned gathering at Grace and Favor Cottage held the possibility of a living. For the guests, both honored and paying, it turned into something gelse entirely. Lily's hopes for the literary gathering featuring author, Julian West, are thwarted when one of their guests turns up dead and the much-valued manuscript of another disappears. When it appeals the two incidents might be linked, the brother and sister duo find themselves on the hunt for another killer in order to preserve their aspirations for their inherited cottage.

Jill Churchill displays a stunning ability to integrate the history of the 1930's with the fiction she writes. This is perhaps the story's greatest recommendation. The mystery itself is thin and while suspenseful, it also becomes somewhat predictable. What the mystery has to recommend itself are the strongly drawn characters with interesting quirks of credible motives. I did enjoy Lily's guests, but perhaps the most entertaining of them all was Robert's "idiot", Mad Henry, whose skill, or lack thereof, as an inventor, proves to be a constant source of irritation and bafflement for Lily though it ends up paying off in the end.

Jill Churchill is as always a great read. I've been a fan of Ms. Churchill for years and was so thrilled that she started another series. One book a year is not enough for me. This one set in the 1930's gives it a difference that makes it very fun. You go Jill, keep those books a coming!

As a fan of Jill Churchill, I have read all of her Jane Jeffry titles. When I saw a new series, I doubted it could live up to my expectations based in the other series. I found the Grace and Favor series, if which this is the first, to be a totally fresh kind of mystery for me. The era of the Depression in a fascinating time of contrasts between the haves and have-nots. Lily and Robert are both. They seem to have inherited a line back to the good life, but making ends meet continues to be a challenge for them.
The idea of a house party with paying guests was certainly a new one to me. It was written with a lot of character development necessary to the future of the series, but with here-and-now action. A great read, as well as a great send-off for a new series.

Learning how to make lemonade when life hands you lemons is one of the more important lessons one can learn. A sterling example of this is in this second book of the new Grace and Favor series. The first book ANYTHING GOES introduced Lily and Robert Brewster, whose once-wealthy broker father committed suicide after the big crash of 1929, rather than face up to his greed-prompted mistakes, leaving them impoverished orphans.

Their struggles to survive with something of dignity intact is greatly enhanced by the will of their great-uncle, who leaves them a huge mansion along the Hudson, and the fortune to go with it--but only after they've proved they didn't need the money on which to live for the required ten years in the run-down mansion.

This charming pair of siblings blend well with the town folks of Voorburg-on-Hudson, having no more ready cash than any of the natives. However, they still have to live, so in the spring of 1932, Lily hatches the plan to convert Grace and Favor Cottage into an exclusive guest house, at which the drawing card will be a celebrity of some sort, who is offered a week-long stay in exchange for mingling with the other guests. Who pay to stay.

Julian West, a best-selling author is the first of these guests, accompanied by his 'man' Bud, who idolized his hero-employer so much that he accompanied him to France, and fought beside him in WWI.

Period detail is wonderfully mixed in with this assorted cast of characters, the whole reminding one immensely of the traditional English County House mystery. The puzzle is a good one (I figured out the why, but not the who) and the writing smooth. You'll enjoy your visit, and most likely, look forward to the next occasion, as well. I suspect you'll find a few old friends when you return. Hope it's soon!

I really enjoyed this second edition to the Grace and Favor Mysteries series. Lily and Robert are fun and smart characters. There was also good character develpement with the supporting characters. Chuchill gives a vivid picture of Depression era New York. Most importantly the mystery is very captivating.

After inhaling the contemporary Jane Jeffrey series, it is refreshing to enter the historical period of the Great Depression in the vicinity of the Roosevelt's of Hyde Park. The luxuries on a budget managed by the brother and sister Brewster duo smack of favorite Christie mysteries set in a similar time in Great Britain. Lily and Robert accept their challenge to fulfill their Uncle Horatio's will and seek paying guests to their inherited domain. Their cleverness in luring a popular author of the times, fictional Julian West and his man Bud Carpenter, draws a nice mix of eccentric paying customers.

Of course, their best laid plans result in an unplanned murder and the who-done-it is on in the most suspenseful of fashions. An inveterate mystery reader may well figure things out ahead of the end, but it seems that Churchill excells in making the reader wait to unravel the answers.

There are poignant moments in the interaction of characters, and Churchill lets the reader into the background connections of the characters just enough to develop them as well-rounded and believable. The desires, jealousies, deceits, and manipulations the characters employ draw the reader in until the end.

Historical data, i. e. the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, Hoover's misbegotten administration, Governor Franklin Roosevelt's presumed candidacy for President, the poverty of out-of-work, homeless, depression era people, puts everything into perspective. Churchill has done her homework. Even the menus prepared by Mrs. Prinney entice the reader with the details of Dutch cooking appropriate to the historical settlement of the Hudson River Valley. Churchill's descriptions are so good that one wishes to get a real taste of the Prinney cuisine.

One can only guess what the next books in the series will bring for Lily and Robert Brewster as they fulfill the ten year trial demanded by their deceased uncle's attorney, Mr. Prinney. There already appears to be possible romance for Lily with either the new town sheriff or the new town newspaper editor. And Phoebe Twinkle, Grace and Favor's new lodger has her own prospects to consider, in addition to maintaining her millinary business in Voorburg-on-the-Hudson. Robert may be in for a settling down as well as he acclimates to this quieter lifestyle in coming books. Anticipating where Churchill will lead the reader in further Brewster sleuthing makes one anxious to read her next volume.

Jill Churchill only gets better with the second book of her "Grace and Favor" mystery series. "In the Still of the Night" adds a little more mystery to the plot and a few additional characters as well.

"In the Still of the Night" continues the saga where Lily and her brother, Robert Brewster are contemplating various ways to add to their income. Their relative's will stipulates that they must earn their living expenses (minus the upkeep of the house, etc.) for 10 years - before inheriting the estate.

Hesitantly, they embark on the venture to invite a famous novelist for the weekend and invite various wealthy friends as paying guests. They know many who will pay for the priviledge of spending the weekend at the manor in his company. A murder takes place and in order to earn any type of profit at all - they must solve the mystery. (As well as knowing that one amongst them is a murderer.)

I especially enjoyed how the plot and characters were so believable. Also, Churchill does a wonderful job of incorporating various historical facts of the time into the story. It is interesting to read that Phoebe makes hats for Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt whose husband is the governor in a nearby city! When Lily invites Phoebe as a boarder to their mansion, Churchill gives a very sound reasoning for Phoebe's decision. This type of detail makes the characters very multi-faceted with a great deal of depth.

Excellent book; wonderful series!