Grace under Pressure (A Manor House Mystery Series #1)

Hyzy gets better with each book.

I read a lot of mystery series, and became a fan of the somewhat-new White House chef series (3 books) by Ms. Hyzy. So I bought this, her newest book and series, yesterday at BN, read it pretty much straight through, and enjoyed every bit of it. The Manor series looks like it will be more of a typical mystery series than the often-funny White House upstairs/downstairs intrigues, but the characters and setting are as interesting. As always, Ms. Hyzy excels at developing interesting fictional characters who will stick in your brain long after you have finished the book. I think she is truly a promising writer and I hope she will be will be writing both the White House and Manor series for a long time to come.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Beginning!

Grace is working towards her dream job as curator of Marshfield Manor, when her boss is found murdered. Grace decides to begin an investigation that leads to secrets that may have an effect on both her professional and personal life. I couldn't put this book down until the killer was caught and the secrets were fleshed out. I look forward to reading more in this series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Stunning Debut

Being a fan of Hyzy's White House Chef Mysteries, I couldn't wait to try out her Manor House Mystery debut cozy. I was surly NOT disappointed! It started out by throwing you right into the thick of things and unraveling the plot. Being one that hates a dull mystery that spends half a book in setup, I truly appreciated getting hooked from the get go! Ms Hyzy characters are interesting with a depth of influence involving the plot. Grace is a very interesting heroine with a past that has brought her to Manor House, rewardingly but challenging. Good mind, keenly inquisitive, a people person, and surly not a wimp. Grace Under Pressure is full of the wonderful traditional cozy touches. A Grand House with many secrets and I am looking forward to the next visit!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Grace Under Pressure by JULIE HYZY

A MANOR HOUSE MYSTERY
Paperback Release June 1, 2010

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.

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 gift.

To find out more about Julie Hyxy and her books be sure to check out her web site http://www.juliehyzy.com/

Dollycas

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Berkley Publishing Group a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Lackluster mystery

The female protangonist/amateur sleuth is not very likeable and comes across as self-absorbed and self-important, all other characters are pretty one-dimensional. Even though the story is set in a history-filled manor house and museum no real atmosphere is ever achieved. I can't recommend spending time or money on this first installemnt of the manor house mysteries.

Great Read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. When done, I started on the 2nd in the series, Grace under Fire, and am looking forward to when #3 comes out. While I enjoy a variety of cozy mysteries, unlike the others I have read, the main character, Grace, is an intelligent, powerful, career-minded woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind and take charge of situations. The characters and their relationships develop at a nice pace, while the story line develops quickly. This book just draws you in and makes you want to keep reading, with no lulls in the script. Julie Hyzy has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading the White House mysteries she has also written.

A Roller Coaster Ride of a Series

Grace Under Pressure
By: Julie Hyzy
Copyright June 2010
Publisher Berkeley Prime Crime
Grace Wheaton has always been fascinated by Marshfield Manor, and would consider working there as her dream job. She came home from out of state to help her ailing mother and then stayed on to make a life in the town she was born in. Grace gets a job as an assistant curator at Marshfield Manor and is settling in and very happy to be working with Abe, Mr. Marshfield's aged curator. Her position has her learning all the nuts and bolts of the Manor, and getting involved in many of the day to day events that take place there.
The story opens at an afternoon Tea in the Manor. One of the patrons is giving the staff and guests a hard time, and making them all uncomfortable. Grace is trying to settle the man down when he picks up a chair and threatens to toss it through the conservatory's window. It is during this little episode that Mr. Marshfield comes in to see what the ruckus is all about. He approaches the young man and speaks sharply to him. This is when the security people manage to grab him and take him into custody. Just then the staff radios put an alert to go to private channel and report that there have been shots fired on the fourth floor.
Grace and Mr. Marshfield head to the site of this new incident and our real mystery begins. The victim is Grace's boss Abe. How will this affect her job, and how can she help Mr. Marshfield. This and other interesting questions will be answered as you delve into Ms. Hyzie's newest mystery series.
The Manor House Mysteries.
This series is a roller coaster ride of energy, mystery and intrigue from beginning to end, and I'm looking forward to it having a long and successful run. BUY IT, STEAL IT, or GET IT FROM THE LIBRARY but read this book.
FTC Full Disclosure: The author sent this book as a gift and I chose to review it.

Another successful series for Hyzy

For those readers already familiar with Julie Hyzy's White House Chef Mysteries, her latest Manor of Murder series is also a can't miss. Her characters, details and story plot are all well thought out and entertaining. Looking forward to the next adventure in this series.

Great beginning to a new series

A must read for cozy lovers. Love the characters and really like the secrets of the mansion, which remind me of my favorite Nancy Drew book. Really looking forward to book #2.

A fun start to a new cozy mystery series!

Grace Under Pressure was my first exposure to Julie Hyzy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hyzy gives us a detective cozy in the traditional English manor house setting but with less conventional characters. There are plots and subplots -- romances, fraud, petty rivalries and family intrigues.


Well crafted, witty and engrossing, Grace Under Pressure is a book that I'd recommend to cozy lovers everywhere. I look forward to the next installment in the Manor House Mysteries.


ISBN-10: 0425235211 - Mass Market Paperback $7.99
Publisher: Berkley (June 1, 2010), 320 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Marshfield Manor

The book begins a bit abruptly, with a huge disturbance during tea at the Manor. Grace Wheaton, still in her first 90 days of employment at her dream job, manages to smooth things over what winds up being a distraction while murder occurs elsewhere in the Manor. Turns out the owner of Marshfield Manor, millionaire Bennett Marshfield, has been receiving threats. I really liked the characters Hyzy included in this new series, it seems to be in the vein of a very classic cozy. I look forward to reading the next one.

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