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Lily and Robert Brewster live at Grave and Favor in Voorburgon-Hudson. Their family had a fortune before the Great Depression, but the crash destroyed it. Upon their great-uncle's death, they inherited Grave and Favor on the condition that they reside there with Mr Prinney, their uncle's lawyer. Both Lily and Robert readily agreed to these conditions since it would allow them to have a roof over their heads. They are also attempting to make money on their own by lending out rooms and doing small favors throughout the village. This book takes place right before Roosevelt's election and there are high hopes that he will be able to change the standards of living for everyone. Out of the blue, an obviously disguised man requests the use of a large meeting room and several smaller rooms for the weekend. He refuses to provide Lily with any names, but is willing to pay a more than reasonable fee. Lily discusses the situation with her brother and other boarders, but they decide the money would be welcome. Things quickly get out of hand as one of these new guests is murdered. It turns out that they have been housing Charles Pottinger and several of his men. Pottinger is more generally known as Brother Mark Luke Goodheart, a radio preacher who can be difficult to stomach. Lily quickly realizes that numerous people wanted Pottinger dead and the police have their hands full. In addition, a local schoolteacher has disappeared and the school is worried about her. Lily cooperates with the police as they attempt to track down a murderer. LOVE FOR SALE is a village cozy; yet, the police are actively involved in all investigations. The unusual element to this book is that the police actively include Lily in their investigation. Some of this stems from the fact that they do not have to pay her and with the depression the department is severely under-staffed and under-funded. In addition, the police chief, Howard Walker, is honestly interested in the opinions of those around him. Like all village cozies, this book features a wide variety of interesting characters trying to survive within village life. LOVE FOR SALE is also interesting in that the book features a brother and sister rather than a husband and wife team. Lily seems slightly soft on the police chief and Robert is interested in the local librarian. Neither of them are currently involved with anyone; yet, this book hints that future relationships might develop. Lily is truly the detective of the pair, while Robert is the useful handy man to have around. LOVE FOR SALE is the fourth book in the Grace and Favor mystery series.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, March 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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