Anything Goes (Hardcover)

"Grace and Favor" refers to the house that they have renamed. Although, rather than a true "Grace and Favor Trust" - which allows tenants the use of an estate during their lifetime only -Lily and Robert will inherit the mansion and the estate if they adhere to the stipulations in their Uncle Horatio's will and reside in the small town for 10 years.

Although, on the surface this may sound hokey - "down and out kids inherit from long-lost relative" - it truly works and is believable.

It opens with Lily Brewster, hot and miserable from her bank teller's job, looking back at the lifestyle that she used to live. It is upbeat, but rather than glibbly glossing over their depression-era life, Churchill lets the reader know how Lily has nothing in common with the other tellers; how Robert's job is akin to socializing with the gang rather than confronting the reality that he now has to work as a waiter and escort to make a living; how the apartment is small with no bath tub and thin walls; and how all their family's possessions have been sold.

Churchill also doesn't tritely make life wonderful when the characters go to the Grace and Favor mansion. She depicts the sacrifices for social butterfly Robert in leaving the excitement of New York behind. It also reveals his thrill in discovering the Dusenberg Model J car that with his attention will soon be in excellent condition.

Churchill not only makes this a spiffy little mystery - she makes her characters believable in the 1930's setting.

When they arrive at the mansion, they find the area populated by the usual "cast of strange characters" that comes along with most whodunits: people with various reasons for hostility toward each other - or, more importantly, hostility toward the recently deceased great uncle. It soon becomes clear that there was something not quite convincing about the official explanation of the great uncle's death (surprise, surprise) and Lily and Robert begin to investigate.

So, the plot outline is standard stuff for mysteries of this kind. Therefore the quality of the book depends on the characterizations, the atmosphere, and the plausibility of the plot. I'm happy to report that Churchill handles all three of those things wonderfully. Lily is the no-nonsense, responsible member of the pair of sleuths, and Robert is the carefree, slightly irresponsible, fun-loving one (and he's delightful). The atmosphere of the depression is vivid and rings true, but on the other hand it doesn't weigh the book down with gloom. The plot is completely believable, and I wasn't able to guess the guilty party until almost at the very end. (Not that I tried very hard; I read these books for the atmosphere and the satisfaction of a conclusive ending, rather than as a puzzle to be figured out before the end of the book.)

At any rate, if you're a fan of the cozy Agatha Christie type of mystery, then this should be on your list. This is the first Jill Churchill book I have read, and I look forward to the others.