Reviewed by Jeanne
Building-flipper Whitney is embarking on more than one new
project: together with her cousin, she
is working on rehabbing a historic livery stable; she’s now expecting her first
child with her detective husband Collin; and she’s has a new murder to
solve. That’s a lot for anyone to
handle, but Whitney is a pro at all of the above—except for impending
motherhood.
When Whitney meets with Gail Pittman, owner of the property in
question, journalist podcaster Tyler Yee tags along. He’s interested in doing a story, both on the
history of the property and on its forthcoming transformation. Whitney has an idea of turning the stable
into apartments, providing affordable housing while preserving the history of
the place as part of an old plantation.
The owner is interested, so they all agree to meet in a few days to look
at Whitney’s drawings and to decide whether to proceed. Whitney arrives early
for the meeting, and due to pregnancy induced sleepiness climbs up into the old
hayloft and dozes off. She’s awakened by the sounds of shouts. By the time she gets down from the loft, she
finds Yee dead and the killer gone.
It turns out that Yee has covered a lot of stories in his
time, not all of them favorable to the subjects. This means there are many out there with
motives to do away with the reporter, but which one actually stuck a pitchfork
into him?
Although part of a series, this can indeed be read as a
standalone. However, I’d advocate for
starting a bit earlier, just to get to know the characters. I have enjoyed all
the books both for the mystery and bits of renovation thoughts, especially when
Whitney talks about colors and amenities—it’s like watching one of those home
make-over shows. Whitney is a
take-charge sort, and she knows her way around a hammer or a miter saw. I like the history she tosses in, especially
about the area around Nashville. I’m always interested in seeing how Whitney
plans to renovate a boat or motel or firehouse.
While I don’t know for certain, this had the feel of a last in
series book. Many of my favorite authors’
work has been published in mass market paperback, a format which is rapidly
headed for extinction, apparently. The
good news is that the library still has copies of paperbacks for checkout. I am looking at older series and starting to
read those.
If you’re intrigued by this series, earlier titles are:
Dead as a Door Knocker
Dead in the Doorway
Murder with a View
Batten Down the Belfrey
Primer and Punishment
Four-Alarm Homicide
Dead Post Society
The Barn Identity
