It
Had to Be You
A
Grace & Favor Mystery
Jill
Churchill
William
Morrow (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-052843-5 (0060528435)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-052843-0 (9780060528430)
Publication Date: March 2004
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): March 3, 1933, the day before Franklin Roosevelt's
inauguration. While Robert Brewster heads to Washington, D.C., to
witness the historic event, his sister, Lily, travels to a nursing home
near Grace & Favor. The owner, Miss Twibell, has lost an
assistant nurse, and the siblings have agreed to help out.
The home is full of colorful characters, including a cantankerous old
man named Sean Connor, the only patient who is seriously ill. The very
day the Brewsters arrive, he slips into a coma and passes away. Though
saddened, no one is surprised by his death — until it's
revealed that he's been murdered. The old man wasn't well liked, but
who would bother to murder him when he had so little time left? Several
people had visited his room that morning, and there are plenty of
suspects. Good motives, on the other hand, are thin on the ground.
And Mr. Connor isn't the only victim in town. Over the winter, a young
man went missing and was presumed dead, though no body was found. Now
that the spring sun has melted the ice, a body has surfaced. Is this
the missing man or has a third crime been committed?
With multiple murders plaguing the community, the Brewster siblings are
more committed than ever to helping the police find a cold-blooded
criminal before he strikes again.
Review: It
Had to Be You is the 5th
mystery in the Grace & Favor series by Jill Churchill featuring
siblings Robert and Lily Brewster.
It's always a puzzle when an author goes to great lengths to set up a
conundrum in a mystery they have written, then do nothing to resolve
it. Such is the case with It Had to
Be You.
On the dust jacket, this query: "... who would bother to murder [the
old man] when he had so little time left?". The Chief of Police ponders
on numerous occassions the same perplexing aspect of this crime. Yet,
in the final chapter of the book when the culprit is identified, no
mention is made of why the murder was committed so close to the man's
natural death.
Fans of cozy mysteries will undoubtedly appreciate It Had to Be You
as it is a rather enjoyable book. Churchill does a wonderful job with
setting, dialog, and characterization. But other than the curiosity of
the timing of the murder, there's not much intrigue here.
Unfortunately, the real mystery of It
Had to Be You
is why Churchill didn't follow through on answering a key question
raised during the murder investigation.
Special thanks to for providing of It Had to Be You for this review.
Review Copyright © 2004 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read It Had to Be You? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Anything
Goes
Avon Books (Hardcover), June 1999
ISBN-10: 0-380-80244-9 (0380802449)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-80244-9 (9780380802449)
In
the Still of the Night
Avon Books (Hardcover), May 2000
ISBN-10: 0-380-80245-7 (0380802457)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-80245-6 (9780380802456)
Someone
to Watch Over Me
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), December 2001
ISBN-10: 0-06-019941-5 (0060199415)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-019941-8 (9780060199418)
Love
For Sale
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), June 2003
ISBN-10: 0-06-019942-3 (0060199423)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-019942-5 (9780060199425)
It Had to Be You
William Morrow (Hardcover), March 2004
ISBN-10: 0-06-052843-5 (0060528435)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-052843-0 (9780060528430)
Who’s
Sorry Now
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), November 2005
ISBN-10: 0-06-073459-0 (0060734590)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-073459-6 (9780060734596)
Omnimystery
keywords for It Had to Be You
...
Location(s) referenced: New York State.
