Diane Kelly

What a fun and instructive cozy mystery, sixth in series, featuring Nashville, TN house-flipping cousins, Whitney Whitaker and Buck Whitaker. How is it that I am just hearing about this fun series now?! This time around they've been awarded the option to renovate and convert an old fire station into a private residence. They've got their schedule set and are well on their way to getting things done in time for Whitney's nuptials. A neighbor around the corner from the station approaches them to ask for professional advice about the neglected adjoining property to her own and wouldn't they consider taking on that project too? Hmmm, what to do? Everything is going according to plan. That is until the neighbor dies in Whitney's arms. Sleuthing Whitney is now on the case.

Although I was familiar with Diane Kelly's Mountain Lodge Mystery series, which I adore, this was my first foray into her House Flipper Mystery series. Ms. Kelly again does not fail to please this reader. Her writing is solid. The characters are well developed. I particularly liked the character strength which Whitney displays yet there is also a tenderness and empathetic nature to her. It's obvious that Ms. Kelly has done her research and the result of which is a fun, informative, and captivating story.

I am grateful to author Diane Kelly and St. Martin's Press for having provided a complimentary e-book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher:‎ St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 23, 2024
No. of pages:‎ 304
ISBN:‎ 978-1250816085… (plus d'informations)

Four Alarm Homicide
House-Flipper mystery series #6. Cozy mystery style. Can be read as a stand-alone although personal relationships are progressing in the series.
Whitney Whitaker and cousin Buck find their newest rehab in Nashville. The cousins begin the interior demolition work of the old firehouse when the neighbor asks for help. They offer their services and end up owning a rundown townhouse. A fire and then a death has Whitney playing investigator.

Mercury, whiskey, cigarettes, and extended family make for suspects and twists as the story progresses. Follow the clues and see if you can predict “the killer” as Whitney asks questions. Secondary series storyline includes Whitney and Collin’s wedding prep.
I love the short chapters that are from the cat’s POV. 🤣 Enjoyable.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.… (plus d'informations)

Four-Alarm Homicide is the sixth book in the House Flipper Mystery series by Diane Kelly. A cozy mystery filled with suspects, construction, and wedding planning, this was something a little different in the cozy world, and it totally works!

This is not your average cozy with a baker or coffee shop owner, this main female character is a hands-on house flipper along with her cousin, Buck. When they buy an old fire house and decide to remodel it into a family home, they had no idea what they would be getting themselves into. Within hours, two neighbors show up, asking them to look at a run-down townhouse. Wanting to be neighborly, they go and take a look, deciding it would be their next project, once they can get the family members to sign off on the purchase. Not long after, Joanna, who owns the other half of the townhouse and has quickly become a friend of Whitney and Buck's, shows up at the fire house disoriented and soon collapses. It's soon discovered that Joanna's death wasn't natural, and Whitney is determined to figure out who would kill this friendly grandmother...before the police decide to arrest her for it!

The book went pretty quickly into the story without too much preamble, getting me interested from the start. There are a lot of characters, and sometimes I got a little confused on who was who, but if you have a mind for names, you should be fine (or write them down for your reference later 😁). There were a few times when Whitney was trying to put all the puzzle pieces together that I kept thinking she's an idiot, but if she would have figured it out to quickly there wouldn't have been a book! About halfway through I thought for sure I knew who the culprit was, but after some surprises, I realized I had named the wrong person. Good luck figuring it out!

All in all, a great cozy mystery with a female protagonist who isn't afraid of hard work or confronting suspects, all while planning her wedding. Plus, this was told in two viewpoints, Whitney and Sawdust...the cat.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.… (plus d'informations)

The sixth in the House Flippers series has Whitney and her cousin Beau renovating an old fire station in Germantown, a Nashville suburb. This leads them to a townhouse around the corner from the fire station which is owned by a bunch of feuding siblings. The owner of the attached townhouse - widowed Joanna Hartzell - is afraid that the neglected building is bringing down her property values.

After some legal manipulations, including quit claim deeds, Whitney and Beau add the townhouse to their slate of renovations. But arson at the fire station, vandalism in the townhouse, and the suspicious death of Joana are delaying their renovations plans. Whitney needs to solve the murder and get the reno done at the fire station because she and her fiancé detective Collin are planning to use it as the venue for their upcoming wedding.

With a wide variety of suspects including the arguing siblings, the man across the street who wants to buy the newly renovated townhouse, the victim's daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, and the family from across the street who also really want to move into the renovated townhouse, Whitney has plenty of people to investigate.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoyed the chapters told by Sawdust, Whitney's cat.… (plus d'informations)