Books On Board
series Reading Order

Grace & Favor Mysteries Books in Order

6 Books
1999 – 2005 Published
Jump to reading order
Affiliate links: We may earn a commission on purchases made at no extra cost to you.
Reading order

How to Read the Grace & Favor Mysteries in Order

Written by Jill Churchill, the Grace & Favor Mysteries is a cozy historical mystery series set against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The books follow the Brewster siblings, Lily and Robert, who go from wealthy Manhattanites to scraping by in upstate New York. To experience their story and watch their financial and personal fortunes evolve, you should read the books in order of their publication.

The Published Grace & Favor Books in Order

Below is the recommended reading order for the published books in the series:

  1. Anything Goes (1999): Lily and Robert Brewster lose their family fortune in the 1929 stock market crash. However, they inherit a massive, run-down estate called "Grace and Favor" in the fictional town of Voorburg, New York, from their eccentric Great-Uncle Horatio. The catch is that they must live in the mansion for ten years without selling it. Suspicious that Horatio did not die of natural causes, they begin their first investigation.
  2. In the Still of the Night (2000): Eager to prove they are respectable additions to the local community, the Brewsters host an elegant weekend party at the mansion. The festivities turn dark when one of the guests is found murdered, forcing the siblings to navigate high-society secrets and local rumors to find the killer.
  3. Someone to Watch Over Me (2001): Set in 1932, this entry introduces real-world history as a group of Bonus Army veterans marches through Voorburg on their way to Washington, D.C. When a local resident is murdered, suspicion falls on the veterans. Robert gets involved to clear an innocent man's name while Lily helps investigate.
  4. Love for Sale (2003): With their inheritance funds running low, the siblings decide to open the Grace and Favor estate as a guest house. Lily also takes a job writing an advice column for the local newspaper. Their very first guest brings trouble, and a murder on the property threatens to ruin their new business venture before it even starts.
  5. It Had to Be You (2004): Set in March 1933, just as Franklin D. Roosevelt is about to be inaugurated, Lily and Robert volunteer at a local nursing home. The death of a cantankerous resident named Sean Connor initially looks natural but is soon revealed as murder. As they look into it, the spring thaw reveals the body of a young man who went missing during the winter.
  6. Who's Sorry Now? (2005): Economic cuts lead to the closure of the Voorburg post office, causing massive inconvenience and anger in the small town. When a body is discovered inside the shuttered building, Lily and Robert must navigate the local townspeople's grievances and secrets to identify the killer.

The Mystery of the Seventh Book: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"

Many online cataloging sites, library databases, and booksellers list a seventh entry in the series titled Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (often with a publication date of 2010 or 2013). However, this book was never officially published or released. The manuscript was written and assigned ISBN numbers, but a long-standing dispute between Jill Churchill and her publisher halted its release. As a result, the series effectively ends with the sixth book, Who's Sorry Now?.

Readers should also note that this unpublished work is frequently confused in search results with Caitlin Doughty's popular non-fiction memoir, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, which has no connection to the Brewster siblings.

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into the Brewster siblings' adventures, here are a few elements that make the series unique:

  • The Historical Backdrop: The Great Depression is central to the plots. Churchill incorporates historical events such as the Bonus Army protests, the banking crisis of 1933, and the general economic struggles of rural New York during the era.
  • A Play on Song Titles: Every book in the series is named after a popular jazz standard or hit song from the late 1920s and 1930s, reflecting the cultural atmosphere of the period.
  • The Author Behind the Name: Jill Churchill was the pseudonym of Janice Young Brooks (1943–2023). She chose the last name "Churchill" specifically so her books would sit alphabetically next to Agatha Christie on shelves. She is also well known for her contemporary cozy series, the Jane Jeffry Mysteries.

Frequently Asked

QWhat is the reading order of the Grace & Favor Mysteries?

The series should be read in publication order:
  1. Anything Goes (1999)
  2. In the Still of the Night (2000)
  3. Someone to Watch Over Me (2001)
  4. Love for Sale (2003)
  5. It Had to Be You (2004)
  6. Who's Sorry Now? (2005)

QWas "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Jill Churchill ever published?

No. Although it was assigned ISBN numbers and planned for a 2010 release, a dispute between the author and publisher prevented the seventh book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, from ever being officially published.

QWho wrote the Grace & Favor Mysteries?

The series was written by American author Janice Young Brooks (1943–2023) under the pen name Jill Churchill.

QCan the Grace & Favor books be read as standalones?

While each book contains a self-contained murder mystery, they are best read in order because the overarching story follows the Brewster siblings' ten-year residency requirement and the growth of their guest house business.

QWhere does the Grace & Favor series take place?

The series is set in the fictional town of Voorburg, New York, located in the Hudson River Valley, during the Great Depression of the 1930s.