BOOK REVIEW – Eaves of Destruction

4 out of 5 stars.

Eaves of Destruction is the fifth book in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle. I enjoyed this book, but I think the fourth book, Deck the Hallways is still my favorite.

EavesOfDestruction

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Synopsis

At the annual Victorian Home and Garden Tour, Lighthouse Cove, California’s premier contractor, Shannon Hammer, realizes that the competition is about to turn deadly….

Shannon is in high demand among rival homeowners, who will do anything to win Best in Show. One-upmanship and even espionage break out among neighbors, construction crews, decorators, and landscapers. Thanks to several new hires, Shannon is sure she can handle the extra load–until murder throws a wrench in the works.

The small town’s corrupt building inspector is found dead on one of Shannon’s jobsites, and soon plenty of suspects are coming out of the woodwork. When another body is discovered, Shannon calls on her team of close friends and devilishly astute thriller writer Mac to help her nail down the details and build a case against the killer before the door shuts on someone else–for good.

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Review

Generally, when you think of a Home and Garden tour, murder is NOT the first thing that comes to mind, but we’ve got plenty of it in Lighthouse Cove this time around! It’ll take serious sleuthing by Shannon, Mac, and their friends to find the culprit this time around. Villains abound where you least expect them.

Well-written, interesting characters are what keep me reading a series and the characters in this series are great. I enjoy Shannon and Mac tremendously. Shannon’s crew are also great. I’m looking forward to getting to know the newest member more as well.

While I had wondered about the actual villain, I really didn’t focus on them until closer to the end. There were plenty of red herrings in this book to keep you guessing on who the villain really was. However, the book still moved along at a decent pace and wasn’t too slow, even with all those extra misleading clues.

I can’t wait for the next one in the series next year! I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series if you want to read the series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone but you’ll understand the interpersonal dynamics a little better if you read from the beginning, starting with A High-End Finish.

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This Old Homicide – REVIEW

4 out of 5 stars

This Old Homicide book cover - Light house with attached house on a cliff in the background, broken white fence in the foreground

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Synopsis

Valentine’s Day is approaching, and while Shannon is delighted to be friends with not one but two handsome men, not everyone in town is feeling the love. After her elderly neighbor Jesse Hennessey fails to make his daily appearance at the local diner, Shannon swings by his place to check on him. Not only does she find Jesse dead—of an apparent heart attack—but she also realizes that his home has been ransacked.

Someone suggests that a thief was searching for a priceless necklace Jesse claimed to have retrieved from a capsized sailing ship, but Shannon doesn’t believe it. Everyone knows Jesse had a penchant for constructing tall tales—like the one about him having a hot new girlfriend. But his death is soon ruled a homicide, and shady suspects begin popping out of the woodwork. When another victim turns up dead, Shannon is convinced she must find the killer before someone else gets nailed…. (Source: Goodreads)

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Review

This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle is the second book in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series. I’m really enjoying the series. I’ve been a long-time fan of Ms. Carlisle’s Bibliophile series and her writing style in general. This series hasn’t disappointed either.

Ms. Carlisle brings us a batch of realistic, lovable characters, including Shannon, our heroine. So far, I’ve been able to at least guess on who the killer was. In the first book, I knew long before the end, but in this installment, I wasn’t ever completely sure until the end when the killer was revealed.

This book has a good balance of mystery solving versus relationship building between characters. The setting and plots are believable and enjoyable to read.

I’m looking forward to the next one in this series!

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