In this gentle cozy, Robert and Lily are working in a convalescent home. They must earn their keep to comply with their uncle’s will. When a cantankerous patient dies, not one was surprised. They all knew he had been at death’s door. But when an examination proved he had been murdered, everyone wondered why the killer just didn’t wait for the old man to die. The charm of this book isn’t so much with the mystery but rather with the characters. Robert and Lily are quite delightful, as are the secondary characters who people the story. The setting in the 1930’s is quite entertaining, as the people go about living their quiet lives, making do and just surviving the hard times. ( )

Brother and sister, Robert and Lily Brewster, are living in the Grace and Favor mansion they have inherited from their Great Uncle Horatio Brewster. It may be elegant, but times are hard as it is the Depression. The farmers, who’d bought land from Uncle Horatio, were having a hard time paying their mortgages due to the economy and bad weather conditions. This has led Robert and Lily to taking odd jobs to bring in money.

They were approached by a nearby nursing home to lend a hand due to some staff shortages. They wound up finding themselves in the midst of a murder investigation, when one of the patients was found dead in his bed. The patient wasn’t well liked by his family or people he’d dealt with.

Further complications developed when the spring thaw revealed another dead body. The possibility of a relationship between the two deaths turns out to be quite strong. The question is who is the killer and what is the motive?

This is a fun cozy read with busy characters and a good amount of twists and turns. ( )

This is another great addition to the Grace and Favor Mystery series. Siblings Lily and Robert Brewster are helping out at a nursing home, until one of the workers starts feeling better. The first day there, one of the residents is found dead, smothered with a pillow. The odd thing was that he would probably have died later that day due to a severe infection. chief of Police Howard Walker is called upon to investigate. The new widow, a statuesque strong woman, was furious that her husband died before planting season could get underway. Howard was investigating several other suspects. Meanwhile, Robert decided that the nursing home needed a dumb waiter, to lessen the workload in the large 2 story house. An interesting tale of greed, hate, and dysfunctional families. I am very sad that there is only one morr published book in the series. ( )

I had read several of the authors Jane Jeffrey's series, but this was the first book in the Grace and Favor series that I have read. I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but this book was pretty good. I liked the brother and sister characters Robert and Lily. They both seemed nice and kind hearted, which I appreciate in a story. Reading unlikable characters gets tiring after awhile. ( )

historical-fiction, historical-places-events, cozy-mystery, series, murder, law-enforcement

The series is set in New York state during the Depression. In this one it is March of 1933, and the incidental history facts check out. The town sheriff is tasked with solving a murder of a terminally ill man in a care home where the main protagonists are temporarily working. He is also helping out a neighboring department with some unusual issues. There are twists and surprises in the investigation as well as some interesting things at the care home. A short but very interesting story! ( )