Love for Sale

This series gets better and better. I so enjoy all the historical background, especially that of the building of the Hoover Dam and the election of FDR. Churchill's writing style is a pleasure to read.

Siblings Lily and Robert Brewster have inherited their Great Uncle's estate and mansion , Grace and Favor Cottage. In order to support themselves in 1932 upstate New York, they have decided to take in boarders. A mysterious man comes to the door and rents rooms for the weekend for an outrageously large amount of money. Lily couldn't afford to waste the opportunity. With trepidation the siblings decide to agree on the mysterious renters. Meanwhile the local school principal is in desperate need of a substitute teacher, as her 5/6 grade show more teacher needed to leave for an appendix operation. Lily and Robert agree to split the teaching position until the teacher returns, as it is a paying position. However, the mysterious weekend renter is found stabbed to death in the bathtub. Chief of Police Howard Walker sets out to find the murderer with the help of Lily. show less

I was a bit disappointed in this one. It was the last one in the series that I needed to read (although it's not the last in the series...) Even so, it was still full of great substance---much unlike many cozies I've read. The historical detail was great---Depression shown from the political side, as well as religious fanaticism side. The mystery wasn't super "mysterious" though and seemed sort of hastily wrapped up.

It’s 1932, and siblings Lily and Robert have little to their name except for the mansion left to them by a relative. But there are strings attached to their inheritance. They must live in the mansion, and take in borders to make ends meet. When a badly disguised man wants to rent some rooms for a few days for some meetings, and offers a goodly amount of cash, they agree. But then one of the visitors is murdered, and now, the police must find the right motive to catch the killer. It’s a rather slow paced mystery, with much of the time taken up with character development and descriptions of the time and place. With historical aspects of the depression included, readers will see what life was like for these once affluent but now poor show more siblings. We see them finding odd jobs, helping others in even worse straits, and working with others in a spirit of community. It’s not a page turner, but still a worthwhile story. show less

The book continues to look into the depression but also into the political atmosphere of the times. It might make some uncomfortable to realize that many thought a Hitler like figure was a very good alternative to Roosevelt and Hoover. It's well researched and the mystery was interesting looking at Religion, Religious Fanatics and what might occur behind the scenes esp when interlaced with the 1930s when roles were all important.

My only complaint was the mystery was a bit quickly patched at the end even tho it was plausible and would have been better if it had been a bit more in the entire plot instead of focusing on it as a setting subplot.

Lily is approached by a mysterious man wearing a hat, dark glasses, muffler, and a very bad wig... He wants to rent out a few rooms of Grace & Favor for a private meeting and he gives her $500 cash.

In the meantime the local schoolteacher has gone home for removal of her appendix and both Lily & Robert are hired to fill-in for her.

The mysterious guest turns out to be a well known Evangelical Faith-Healing Preacher w/ a proclivity towards sexual harassment & abuse of his female employees.... When he turns up both stabbed & drowned in his tub at Grace & Favor Manor, there is no lacking of suspects.

I'm not sure what the title has to do with anything, as the women involved were not "selling" anything...

But it was a fast & easy interesting show more read. show less

Lily and Robert Brewster inherited a mansion from their great uncle but they have to live in it for 10 years before inheriting it so to make money they rent rooms. A mysterious man wearing a bad wig rents room for a group for the weekend right before the big election between Hoover and Roosevelt. Then the mysterious man is murdered and Lily and Robert are once again thrust into the investigation. meanwhile a local teacher has disappeared and Lily and Robert are teaching her classes and Mr. Prinney is trying to figure out whether a local man actually died while helping build the Hoover dam or if there has been a clerical error. There isn't a huge mystery here more spending time with characters with a bit of investigation thrown in. It show more was nice to revisit the series though this isn't the strongest entry in the series. show less

A nice cozy mystery. The series was new to me, and I will be looking for more just like it!