Grace Under Pressure

This book was a lot of fun! I like Julie Hyzy's White House chef series and I believe I will be loving this series just as much.

Grace has gotten a job at her dream location, she is the assistant curator for a fancy manor house in her home town that her mother used to bring to her visit on a regular basis. When the curator is found dead Grace has to step up to the plate and try and run the house while trying to find the killer, keep her own house from falling apart, keep her renters solvent and recover from the abandonment of her former fiance.

This books just moves right along, I read it in two days which translates to two evenings during the work week.

I'm looking forward to the next in the series. ( )

I loved 'Grace Under Pressure" by Julie Hyzy! It reminds me of when I used to go up to the attic when I was a kid and look for whatever I could find. I appreciated Grace Wheaton's love for love for the history and architectural richness of old buildings.

The other characters were a delight too. Bennett Marshfield, the last male of a long line of Marshfields was very old school but also very understanding. One character by the name of Rooney Tooney was very quirky and bothersome but also very sensitive.

A murder leads in the mansion leads to an investigation by two very incompetent investigators. Sometimes you wonder how they got their jobs. Grace realizes that they will not make any progress in the case in the manner that they were investigating and she wants to find the murder. She finds out that her family secrets, the Mansifield secrets and even the mansions secrets must be revealed. Which set of secrets are most useful to detect the murderer?

I will soon be reading the next installment in this series, "Grace Interrupted" and really want to read her other series, "The White House Chef Series.

I recommend this book to all cozy lovers. ( )

In Hyzy’s mystery novel, Bennett Marshfield is wealthy and in demand—by everyone wanting a piece of his assets. Owner of the Marshfield Manor, he trusts no one. When his friend and associate, Abe is murdered things take a turn for the worst.

Grace Wheaton has spent her life wanting to work at the Manor and now she is finally following in the footsteps of her grandmother who originally introduced her to the Manor, sparking her interest to begin with. In the wake of Abe’s murder, she steps up to the challenge of assuming his role and duties. When a stalker enters the picture, Grace and groundskeeper Jack Embers do their best to protect the place and the people they love.

Grace is a strong heroine and very refreshing. A Manor House Mystery is a delight for lovers of mystery. ( )

This was overall a very pleasant cozy mystery. I enjoyed my time reading it, but after I finished, very little sticks with me.Hmm.I liked Grace, the story's lead character. I particularly enjoyed her interest/obsession with the Marshfield Manor. On the other hand, I have mixed feelings about her family's history with the Manor and its inhabitants. I can't even say why, just that it didn't settle well.Grace's gung-ho approach to her job and the murder investigation were what made the book work, both as far as moving the story along and making i fun to read.None of the characters really popped to life for me. Grace had some texture and interest as a , but the rest of the characters seemed flat, amusing but not quite funny enough to be caricatures. The two gay roommates, the nosy office secretary, the good looking gardener (I mean landscape designer), the overworked detectives, the overzealous private eye... Everything fit together to make this a pleasant read. I'm interested in the way the pieces fit together to set up for future books, so I'll probably pick up the next one, and see how it goes. ( )

The book begins abruptly, with a huge disturbance during tea time at Marshfield Manor. Grace Wheaton, still in her first 90 days of employment at her dream job, manages to smooth things over what winds up being a distraction while murder occurs elsewhere in the Manor. Turns out the owner of Marshfield Manor, millionaire Bennett Marshfield, has been receiving threats. I really liked the characters Hyzy included in this new series, it seems to be in the vein of a very classic cozy. I look forward to this summer, when the next one comes out! ( )