Lisa P. (FamFatale) -
Wonderful characters in this Grace & Favor mystery
This book is apparently smack in the middle of a series. I really hate coming into the middle of things like that. I felt lost during much of it and didn't understand how or why the brother and sister pair were supposed to be intertwined with the mystery. Most of the time I felt as if I were reading two separate stories. That of the destitute brother and sister trying to make ends meet during the great depression and the other of the murder mystery being solved by other assorted characters. It was light reading but too disjointed for me to truly enjoy or comprehend.
I did find it very interesting to read about the brother & sister pair taking whatever jobs they could find (without complaint and "oh woe is me") and using all of their resources to make it through tough financial times. The mystery was a bit "meh" for me but I'm not a big mystery fan so that's not shocking.
I did find it very interesting to read about the brother & sister pair taking whatever jobs they could find (without complaint and "oh woe is me") and using all of their resources to make it through tough financial times. The mystery was a bit "meh" for me but I'm not a big mystery fan so that's not shocking.
Carol S. (waucondacarol) reviewed It Had to Be You (Grace and Favor, Bk 5) on + 319 more book reviews
I like anything Jill Churchill writes and I wish she were still publishing her books. This is a gentile mystery series set during the Great American Depression and chronicles the trials of a brother and sister who are barely able to eke out a living. Inheriting a distant relative's estate is a blessing even if they must leave New York and live in the house in a small town to reap the monetary benefits. Nice cozy mystery series with likable characters.
This book is apparently smack in the middle of a series. I really hate coming into the middle of things like that. I felt lost during much of it and didn't understand how or why the brother and sister pair were supposed to be intertwined with the mystery. Most of the time I felt as if I were reading two separate stories. That of the destitute brother and sister trying to make ends meet during the great depression and the other of the murder mystery being solved by other assorted characters. It was light reading but too disjointed for me to truly enjoy or comprehend.
I did find it very interesting to read about the brother & sister pair taking whatever jobs they could find (without complaint and "oh woe is me") and using all of their resources to make it through tough financial times. The mystery was a bit "meh" for me but I'm not a big mystery fan so that's not shocking.
I did find it very interesting to read about the brother & sister pair taking whatever jobs they could find (without complaint and "oh woe is me") and using all of their resources to make it through tough financial times. The mystery was a bit "meh" for me but I'm not a big mystery fan so that's not shocking.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
Excellent series, great characters, very likable. Look forward to more.
A pleasant cozy about brother and sister sleuths during the Depression. Quick read, enjoyable down-to-earth characters. I figured out "who dunnit" pretty early but still enjoyed the book.
This is the fifth book in what has become one of my favorite series. I love the time period these are set in. You can't go wrong with this cozy series.
From Booklist:
The plucky siblings Robert and Lily may live in Grace & Favor Cottage, on the Hudson, in 1933, but they must work to keep it. A local woman has turned her own home into a nursing home, and both Robert and Lily are hired to replace a sick nurse. When a difficult and crabby inmate is murdered only days from his expected natural death, the siblings join forces with the local police to try to solve the case. While this installment lacks some of the energy and plotting of earlier whodunits in this series, it is rich in period color: the inauguration of FDR and his first Fireside Chat, the repeal of Prohibition, and a homey subplot chronicling the installation of a dumbwaiter in the three-storied nursing home. A solid entry in a series that effectively merges the historical mystery with the village cozy
reviewd by GraceAnne DeCandido
The plucky siblings Robert and Lily may live in Grace & Favor Cottage, on the Hudson, in 1933, but they must work to keep it. A local woman has turned her own home into a nursing home, and both Robert and Lily are hired to replace a sick nurse. When a difficult and crabby inmate is murdered only days from his expected natural death, the siblings join forces with the local police to try to solve the case. While this installment lacks some of the energy and plotting of earlier whodunits in this series, it is rich in period color: the inauguration of FDR and his first Fireside Chat, the repeal of Prohibition, and a homey subplot chronicling the installation of a dumbwaiter in the three-storied nursing home. A solid entry in a series that effectively merges the historical mystery with the village cozy
reviewd by GraceAnne DeCandido
Book 5 in the Grace and Favor series.
Book 5 of the series.
