Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780451469199
Obsidian Mystery
311 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
November 4, 2014
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Shannon's home-renovation and repair business is booming, but her love life needs work. On a blind date with real estate agent Jerry Saxton, she has to whip out a pair of pliers to keep Jerry from getting too hands-on. Shannon is happy to put her rotten date behind her, but when Jerry's found dead in a run-down Victorian home that she's been hired to restore, the town's attractive new police chief suspects that her threats may have laid the foundation for murder.
Determined to clear her name, Shannon conducts her own investigation -- with the help of her four best friends, her eccentric father, a nosy neighbor or two, and a handsome crime writer who's just moved to town. But as they get closer to prying out the murderer's identity, Shannon is viciously attacked. Now she'll have to nail down the truth -- or end up in permanent foreclosure...
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Shannon Hammer is a contractor and her specialty is home-renovation, especially Victorian style homes. She took over the business after her father retired, but she and her sister grew up on his jobsites after her mother died, learning about everything along the way.
Her married friend Lizzie has set her up on a blind date because she wants everyone to be as happy as she is. The man she's chosen is Jerry Sexton, and when Shannon meets him, he is indeed nice and attractive. At least until they go walking on the beach and she has to fight him off -- in front of a group of people who can see them from higher ground. Then Shannon gets called to one of the homes she's fixing, and stumbles across Jerry's body in the basement. When the police discover that the murder weapon belonged to her -- courtesy of the pink color of her tools -- she instantly becomes a suspect.
But Shannon knows she didn't kill anyone. And no matter how attractive the new chief of police is, she's not going to let him stop her from inquiring about who wanted Jerry dead. Except it seems that every woman in town had a motive, which makes it harder. Then a bike accident (unfortunately) introduces her to an author who's just moved there - 'Mac' Sullivan - and he sees that it really wasn't an accident and now she's wondering who's out to get her. But when it's apparent that someone really is out to get her, by framing her for Jerry's death and a second one, then the police are taking a hard look at others in town, and so is Shannon. If she doesn't figure out who's trying to kill her, and soon, then they just might succeed...
This is the first book in the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, and it's a very good beginning indeed. Shannon isn't your usual sleuth; she's a contractor who builds and refurbishes homes, and she's very good at it. She has close friends and a decent social life with them, even though there hasn't been a steady man in her life for a long time. But she's intelligent, courageous, independent, and determined. Unfortunately, there's also the "evil nemesis" in this book in the form of Jennifer and Whitney - who stole and married her high school boyfriend, Tommy. While she can let it go, Whitney can't. While I also really despise the 'evil nemesis,' I have to say that it wasn't too overt in this book so it really didn't bother me, because Whitney wasn't going through the book making Shannon's life miserable every chance she got. It was merely things said on and off, and didn't take up every paragraph in the book.
As the first book, it drew me in and kept me reading, which is a good thing. The plot was well written and done nicely, and there were clues strewn throughout, which were easy to miss if you weren't looking for them. The dialogue was witty and at times humorous, and I liked the interaction between Shannon and her friends. It's a strong connection, and it shows. While I can almost see which of the two men Shannon is going to choose, we'll have to see which way it's going to go in the next book.
When the murderer is finally revealed, there's a pretty interesting climax that gives us all the information we've been waiting for, and shows us more of Shannon's tenacity when the situation calls for it. In the end, Ms. Carlisle is obviously a talented writer who can create characters that become real on the page. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next in the series. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/High-End-Finish-Fixer-Upper-Mystery/dp/0451469194/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3304524136
More on Kate Carlisle's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/kate-carlisle/
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