Rating: 
Summary: Very Enjoyable Read!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. The author was very true to the time period and dropping the vernacular of the day and other bits social commentary added to the book. I hope she writes more of these kind of books. I am a big S. S. Van Dine fan, and I know Philo Vance would like her very much.
Rating: 
Summary: A charming cozy
Review: It is the summer of 1931 and New York socialite Lily Brewster has resorted to a miserable job as a bank clerk while her brother Robert earns money as a bartender/escort/dancing partner in the elegant clubs he formerly frequented as a paying customer. Lily and Robert are barely scraping by in their stuffy, two-room apartment, so a mysterious bequest from their great-uncle Horatio leaves them little alternative but to accept the ten-year grace and favor arrangement in rural Voorburg-on-Hudson.The Brewster siblings are just settling into their new home, a neglected mansion with a spectacular view of the Hudson River, when they learn that Uncle Horatio died under suspicious circumstances-and that their scheming cousin Claude is trying to implicate them so that he can gain control of Uncle Horatio's estate. What else can Lily and Robert do but solve the mystery of their uncle's death? The premise is intriguing, the period atmosphere well-done, and the characters charming. But the mystery proves to be, well, a little on the boring side. Just a few well-put questions would have cleared the matter up right away, so it's frustrating to watch the pair follow up on obvious red herrings while you know perfectly well who the villain is. Taken as a whole, however, Anything Goes is a pleasant cozy, and I am willing to read further in the series on the strength of just the characters and Churchill's style. (adapted from a "Skullduggery" review)
Rating: 
Summary: Another historical mystery series to enjoy
Review: It takes place at the Hudson River during the 1930s and is the first title in her new Grace and Favor Mystery series. Lily Brewster and brother Robert find themselves poor and destitute like so many families after the 1929 stock market crash. In 1931 while working jobs and struggling to make ends meet, they find their lives changed when they inherit a piece of property from a rich uncle they don't remember. Along with the inheritance comes a mystery they feel they must solve. I admit the mystery was easy to solve, but the historical aspects of the storyline were so interesting, I just kept reading. Jill has successfully pleased her fans and publisher by writing another enjoyable mystery with memorable characters.
Rating:
Summary: Depression Era Mysteries
Review: Jill Churchill's, "Anything Goes," is the first of the "Grace and Favor" series. It is light, but it is MAGNIFICENT. Charmingly, the books in the series are named after various hit songs from the period. The series chronicles the adventures of Lily Brewster and her brother Robert as they make the transition from high-living lifestyle of the idle rich to the depths of the stockmarket ruin and father's subsequent suicide to their miraculous inheritance of the Grace and Favor mansion from a distant relative. "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.
Rating:
Summary: Depression Era Mysteries
Review: Jill Churchill's, "Anything Goes," is the first of the "Grace and Favor" series. It is light, but it is MAGNIFICENT. Charmingly, the books in the series are named after various hit songs from the period. The series chronicles the adventures of Lily Brewster and her brother Robert as they make the transition from high-living lifestyle of the idle rich to the depths of the stockmarket ruin and father's subsequent suicide to their miraculous inheritance of the Grace and Favor mansion from a distant relative. "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.
Rating:
Summary: Depression Era Mysteries
Review: Jill Churchill's, "Anything Goes," is the first of the "Grace and Favor" series. It is light, but it is MAGNIFICENT. Charmingly, the books in the series are named after various hit songs from the period. The series chronicles the adventures of Lily Brewster and her brother Robert as they make the transition from high-living lifestyle of the idle rich to the depths of the stockmarket ruin and father's subsequent suicide to their miraculous inheritance of the Grace and Favor mansion from a distant relative. "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.
Rating:
Summary: Just what fans of American "cozies" are looking for
Review: Lily and Robert Brewster (sister and brother) are formerly upper-middle-class young adults who have been thrown into poverty by the Depression. Suddenly they find themselves the owners of an upstate New York mansion, bequeathed to them by an almost-forgotten, rich, great uncle. The bequest comes along with the requirement that they live in the mansion for 10 years. 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.
Rating:
Summary: Just what fans of American "cozies" are looking for
Review: Lily and Robert Brewster (sister and brother) are formerly upper-middle-class young adults who have been thrown into poverty by the Depression. Suddenly they find themselves the owners of an upstate New York mansion, bequeathed to them by an almost-forgotten, rich, great uncle. The bequest comes along with the requirement that they live in the mansion for 10 years. 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.
Rating:
Summary: The crash of 1929 deprived them of everything
Review: Lily Brewster and her brother, Robert, had lived among the idle rich until the crash of 1929. Since the onset of the Depression, both Robert and Lily have barely been eking out a living. When they receive an unexpected summons in the paper, the two journey to the property of their deceased great-uncle Horatio Brewster only to discover they have inherited his entire estate complete with stipulations. Having agreed to the conditions of the will, Robert and Lily relocate to the mansion they now call Grace and Favor cottage only to gradually find themselves embroiled in gossip surrounding Uncle Horatio's death. When it is suspected that he was murdered and another dead body is found in their home, Lily and Robert find themselves connecting the two deaths and on the hunt for the murderer. Better known for her contemporary surburbia mysteries, Jill Churchill has struck out admirably upon a new series set in the thirties. With Robert and Lily Brewster, she has created a somewhat off-center yet engaging duo. What makes these protagonists unusual to both readers and characters in the book itself, is that Lily is clearly the brain of this outfit while Robert is deceptively indifferent. Though he does manage to surprise his sister and the other characters with his occasional insight, it is Lily who gathers the information and does most of the sleuthing. Her help, and sources, lie in the characters that live in the area and will likely recur. They include Uncle Horatio's attorney and his wife as well as Jack Summer, a struggling and earnest reporter. Anything Goes is a tightly drawn mystery that interweaves the misery of the Depression with the desperation of people struggling with its aftermath. In the ten years Robert and Lily must remain at the cottage, it can be anticipated that this team of brother and sister will come across more strange occurrences that must be solved. I look forward to joining them again.
Rating:
Summary: Characters and place are a delightful combination!
Review: Prior to Anything Goes, the first book in the Grace and Favor series, Jill Churchill, was well known for her Jane Jeffrey mysteries. While I moderately enjoyed titles like Grime and Punishment or Silence of the Hams which featured a suburban mother of three turned detective, I found the blurbs for Antything Goes quite intriguing. And now that I've read it, I must say Anything Goes, is a delightful and fun read even if you don't always favor murder mysteries. Lily Brewser and her brother, Robert, are unfortunate vitims of the Depression. Born to wealthy parents they lived a life of luxury until that fateful day when the market crashed and their father committed suicide. Working at tiresome jobs and sharing a small apartment in Manhattan, they experience great difficulties in making ends meet. Then they are informed that their great-uncle died recently and left them his large home on the Hudson. On their first visit, not only do they meet a cast of characters that either come with the house or live nearby, but they also learn the terms of the inheritance of this Grace and Favor home. Grace and Favor is an English term which refers to living in a home and maintaining it for a period of time after which you totally inherit the house. And as the Brewsters feared they cannot sell the house for a very long time if ever. There is the requisite murder which involves their great uncle and a growing affection for Lily on the part of an area newspaperman. Just the other day I came across the second book in this series called, In the Still of the Night, which was recently published. Now I can't decide whether to gulp it down immediately or wait for a lazy summer's day.
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