IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT
A Grace and Favor Mystery

by Jill Churchill
Avon – June 2000
ISBN: 0380802457 – Paperback

Mystery / Historical / 1930s - Hudson Bay

Reviewed by: Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com
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Back for a second Grace and Favor adventure is the sleuth team of siblings Robert and Lily and their dog Agatha. They inherited their late great uncle Horatio’s home with some stipulations, no cash for so many years. Although named the Grace and Favor Cottage, it is really a mansion, and Lily tired of trying to make ends meet, has an idea how to use the cottage to earn a living. She wants to turn it in to a Bed and Breakfast of sorts, invite a famous person, and surround him or her with fans. The first blessed or cursed soul, depending on which side you are looking at, is the famous fiction war writer, Julian West. With him comes his helper, a young man that has been with him and his cousin for years. Also on the list of paying guests are Addie Jonson, a teacher; professor, and critic Cecil Hoornart; siblings and old Brewster acquaintances, Raymond and Rachel Cameron; Mad Henry, invited by Robert, and one self-invited guest who gets permanently uninvited. Support characters back again are, the estate lawyer, Mr. Prinny, the cook Mrs. Prinny, the maid Mimi, the police chief Howard Walker, and news editor Jack Summer. Life goes on for these recurring characters and the reader has the pleasure of joining in.

It’s a fun mystery, full of wonderful characters. The storyline repeats some of the Brewster duos past, and there are some small spoilers, so if you haven’t read the first Grace and Favor Mystery, Anything Goes, you may want to. It took me a little longer to solve this mystery than the last. The plot was pretty basic, but what makes the read so fascinating is the atmosphere, with the jargon and historical facts sprinkled through out, it really brought the thirties era to life. It’s a series I plan to continue following.

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