Julie Hyzy, Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure

Julie Hyzy

Berkley, Jun 2010, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425235218

After years in the big city, Grace Wheaton came home to take care of her dying mother Olivia. After her mother died, Grace remains in the house willed to her while taking in two borders who have become close friends. Grace works as the assistant curator at Marshfield Manor, a place she and her late mom cherish. The estate contains all kinds of artifacts of historical values, a museum, a hotel, and secret passageways.

One day a giant man arrives creating a disturbance that Grace deals with while at the same time in another part of the estate, a brouhaha occurs. Her boss Abe, a close friend of the owner billionaire Bennett Marshfield, is murdered. Grace assumes the job of curator though not formally named even temporarily. Bennett lets her keep it through inertia. Unsatisfied with the pace of the police investigation, Grace starts an inquiry that stuns her with Ponzi schemes, greedy relatives, secret assignations, and an unwanted date with the killer.

Allowing the White House Chef is given a respite, Julie Hyzy opens her newest amateur sleuth with a magnificent whodunit. Using her curator skills, Grace asks questions and gathers data as she has with her late mom's missing papers that Olivia described a priceless treasures. Although a map of the overall obviously enormous estate and a room layout of the manor house would help readers know where the actions is, sub-genre fans will thoroughly enjoy the first Manor House mystery.

Harriet Klausner