Grace Wheaton has her dream job. She's combining her love of history and antiques with her childhood love of Emberstowne, North Carolina's Marshfield Manor. But the job has come at a difficult time. Grace has lost her mother and ended her engagement and, oh, by the way, has just found the body of her boss, Abe, lying in a pool of blood.
Grace now finds herself in the difficult position of moving up the chain of command while under the microscope of suspicion . . . did she kill Abe in order to become head curator? Still on probationary terms - and thin ice- with both her now-assistant Frances and her boss Bennett Marshfield, Grace is certainly under pressure.
Grace is a smart, savvy, and very likable main character and narrator. She's surrounded by a rich cast of characters, as well:
- Roommates Bruce and Scott share an old home with Grace, the home she inherited from her mother that is threatening to fall down around all of their ears.
- Former coworker and current reluctant assistant Frances, a busybody know-it-all who is as excellent at her job as she is sour and difficult.
- Handsome and somewhat mysteriously aloof head gardener Jack Embers.
- Wannabe detective and slightly creepy private investigator Ronny Tooney.
- The grief-stricken and formidable owner of Marshfield Manor, Bennett Marshfield, who just may have a stronger connection to Grace that simply that of employer.
Grace is a reluctant yet effective detective in this first book of the Manor House Mystery series. Plucky, intelligent, and sympathetic enough for a reader to really engage and commit to the series.
Want to keep up with what I'm reading all the time? You can find me on Goodreads!