Grace Under Pressure (Manor House Mysteries, No. 1)

Love this series, and the Characters involved. Can't wait for the next one.

Julie Hyzy is a splendidly talented author who has developed page-turning episodes in her past works. Her newest series is just as fine, or possibly better. The crafter of mystery fiction creates characters about whom the reader cares because they are so human in their seemingly ordinary rounds of life, except for encountering murders. It is not a generalization, but a fact, that the reader is quickly hooked by the situation, and simply cannot stop reading. Interruptions in reading become irritations. Within the manor house, the setting for the new series, one finds such spaces as hidden rooms and secrect staircases, the stuff of youthful imagination. These secret spaces were once staples of the adventures of Charlie Chan or even Sherlock Holmes who so many recall from reading and films of the past century. While these venues are seldom used today, they add much to this story and excite the curious reader as one ventures with focal-character Grace to find out what's going on. Julie Hyzy has reintroduced the JOY of reading; and I look forward, as will many enthusiasts of this genre of fiction, to many more in all her series.

Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy was an impulse buy for me. I had not read any of her other books, but liked the cover and thought I would give this one a try. It was money well spent. Grace Wheaton has always loved Marshfield Manor, the 150-room mansion in her hometown of Emberstowne. After returning home to take care of her ill mother, she takes a job at the assistant curator at the Manor. The story opens with a wild man rampaging through the tearoom in search of a hamburger. Grace handles this situation with, well quiet grace, but she is soon rattled by the shooting death of the curator. Was the crazed hamburger man, just a coincidence or a distraction to give the murderer his opportunity to kill? With the curator gone and everything in an uproar, Grace steps up to the plate to keep everything running smoothly and help the authorities solve the case. Grace must deal with a staff that is not sure they can trust her, including an assistant who is not only convinced she can do better than Grace, but is also a top busybody. There's a crazy private investigator who keeps sneaking in and out of the manor and a hotel guest who is not only out to stick the manor for an expensive hotel stay, but is intent on scamming Grace's two roommates who own the local wine shop. There is a great deal going on in this book. Grace not only has to figure the secrets of Marshfield Manor but must solve some family secrets as well. Some reviewers have complained that the pacing in this book was too slow. I believe it is just right. It's not an on the edge of your seat thriller, but it is a very nice cozy read. Things move along at just the right pace to keep the reader interested without moving so quickly that details get lost. I'm looking forward to learning more about Grace, Bennett Marshfield - owner of Marshfield Manor and the other residents of Emberstowne.

Having read the first book of the White House mysteries, I was familiar with Hyzy's writing and was wanting to see what else she had to offer. I'm glad I did! I thought the White House book was OK, but this new series totally ups the ante. Grace is smart and efficient, the mystery was solid, the setting and scenes grabbed me from the first pages. It's almost always hard for me to get into a new series, so for me this is a huge compliment. I had tried the last two White House books but never really got into them. I tend to "shop" for new authors/series at the library so I don't get too burned financially, and I'd say that I do not finish around 75% of the books I pick up. This book, however, was a pleasant surprise, I had trouble putting it down, and I read it in two days. Since I got it at the library, I will have to order a copy as a keeper. Grace's roommates have a lot of potential after their first introduction, I hope Hyzy brings out their personalities more in the next book. I was surprised that the 2-star reviewer said that they didn't seem to have a role. Also, it is true that Grace doesn't seem to have friends, but she had lived away from the town for many years, so it will take some time to make friends, and develop the relationships that we have been given a glimpse of. This would be a fun book to take out on the beach!

I loved this book. What pace. What a terrific protagonist. What a satisfying ending. I've read Hyzy's other books in the White House Chef series and hoped I could expect another "thrill-zy" [a cozy with thriller pace]. I was so pleased. Grace cares about Marshfield Manor. She has fabulous friends and an intriguing employer. It's not easy being the curator at Marshfield Manor, but Grace brings passion and, yes, grace, to her job while investigating a crime that could upend her world. Well done, Julie Hyzy. I can't wait for the next.

This is the first book in a brand new series by July Hyzy who is also the author of the White House Chef Mysteries. Grace Wheaton moves back home to nurse her mother in her last days and inherits the family home, which is a Victorian Painted Lady that needs a lot of work. She ends up living there and finds two roommates, Bruce and Scott, who own a little wine shoppe in downtown Emberstowne. She also lands her dream job as Assistant Curator at the famous Marshfield Manor. Her family was always drawn to the manor and she had visited many times as a child. Her mettle as Assistant Curator is tested as an intruder causes a disturbance at a very important tea being held in the Birdcage Room of the manor. Security arrives and after a mad chase through the tables, chairs and attendees, the man is apprehended, the staff puts the room back in order and the tea continues. Grace feels the situation was handled as well as could be expected, but within minutes she learns that the man in the tea room was just a diversion for the real crime that took place elsewhere in the manor. Her boss, the Head Curator, Abe, a lifelong friend of the manor's owner, Bennett Marshfield, is found dead in the private residence, and the killer as disappeared into thin air. Grace then finds out Bennett has been receiving threatening letters, and he is the primary witness against one of his former friends who was running a complicated Ponzi scheme that was responsible for many people to loose their family fortunes. Grace starts to think that the real target was Bennett and Abe was killed by mistake. Grace steps into Abe's shoes to run the manor and begins to investigate the murder as she has no real confidence in the overworked Emberstowne police force. She also has to deal with a very unreasonable customer and the roof of her "Painted Lady" is leaking. 5 stars!!!! I absolutely loved this book! The story has more twists and turns than any ride in a amusement park! The story was told so well I felt like I was a bird on Grace's shoulder taking the entire trip right along with her. The character descriptions were ideal, they came to life right off the page. The hint of romance, a secondary plot that will continue as the series develops, and a mystery that kept you guessing until almost the final page all make this book a definite MUST READ! I usually don't like to give my highest praise to the first book in a series, as it sets the bar pretty high for subsequent editions, but this book was excellent!! I can't wait to see what comes next!! I always say it takes a very special person to be an author, someone who can tell a story so well that you can forget the world around you and escape into the pages of their book. Since starting this blog I have cyber-met some wonderful authors, that have the true gift of being great storytellers. Today I am adding one more author to that list and I hope I am lucky enough to cyber-meet Julie Hyzy soon. She definitely has the g