Dead in the Doorway is the second in a delightful cozy series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville–where the real estate market is to die for. A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. . . Whitney Whitaker has scored the perfect piece of real estate: a ramshackle white Colonial at the top of a hill with views of downtown Nashville. What more could a self-taught home-improvement maven and occasional house-flipper … home-improvement maven and occasional house-flipper ask for? Ideally, the property of Whitney’s dreams would not have come with a dead body blocking the entrance to the foyer. But Whitney, always quick to take heavy-duty matters into her own hands, also happens to be a skilled amateur sleuth. So that helps.
AND SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.
Who is this older woman–and how did her corpse end up at the bottom of the staircase of this locked, unoccupied house? That is what Whitney, along with the support of her wood-working cousin Buck, Detective Collin Flynn, and, of course, feline partner-in-crime Sawdust, intends to find out. Her friendly-neighbor investigation takes a sharp turn, however, when Whitney discovers that the house’s former owner was a gourmet baker whose secret recipe for peach pie was to die for–perhaps literally. Now it’s up to Whitney to learn the truth about what happened before she loses this killer real-estate deal . . . and the killer comes knocking at her door.
“Adorable…Whitney and Sawdust are a welcome addition to your home and bookshelf.”–Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha, and Lefty Award–winning author of the Hollywood Homicide series
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With this second book in the series this has become one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I love that the heroine has a non-traditional job and isn’t close to perfect. This installment has a cul-de-sac full of suspects and a victim that won’t be missed by any of them. I love the slowly growing relationship between Whitney and Colin and what looks to be a burgeoning relationship between Buck and Collette. As always Sawdust is too cute for words. I can’t wait for the next installment.
Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly is book two in the House Flipper Mystery series. I have been waiting for this installment and was not disappointed. I do wish Sawdust was featured more though.
Whitney and her cousin, Buck, have found the next house to flip located in a close knit, friendly neighborhood. Whitney arrives to start work on the house but can’t get in as something is blocking the locked door. Once she is able to get the door opened a little, she is shocked to find the body of one of the neighbors. How did she end up in a locked house and why was she murdered. Whitney is bound and determined to find out. The neighbors all seem to be close but do not seem too broken up over the death and all had a problem with her. So who is the guilty party, a neighbor, a family member, or was it a random break in gone bad.
The story has a great cast of characters, humor, friendship, family, and has you guessing until the end.
I’m already waiting for Whitney and Sawdust to flip another house.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
DEAD IN THE DOORWAY, A HOUSE-FLIPPER MYSTERY by Diane Kelly, is a cozy mystery with a hint of romance.
Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are house flippers in Nashville, Tennessee. They have just bought their first house. Before the renovations can get underway, Whitney arrives at the house with her cat, Sawdust, to find the elderly neighbor, Nelda Dolan, dead in the doorway.
With a whole cast of elderly, quirky neighbors, who also happen to be suspects, and a handsome detective, Collin Flynn, Whitney has her hands full. Between demolition and renovation with Buck, she works as a confidential informant for Collin. And the more time she spends with the gorgeous detective, the more involved she becomes with him and the case.
A fun, light read with plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages.
When I first heard about this series by the author of the Paw Enforcement series, I had to start reading it. The first in series was better than I expected, and this second rocks! I love cats and cozy mysteries, including cozies that are the perfect mix of humor and suspense.
Whitney is an average, hard-working young woman with three jobs, and she is happy with them. Sawdust is the purr-fect feline companion to Whitney, who works for a property management company and does carpentry work for her uncle. She and her cousin Buck have also begun to flip houses. Sawdust was a big help to Whitney in the first-in-series when trying to find the real whodunit of a murder that Whitney is the main suspect for. Hopefully he can do the same this time as she went into the second home they are going to flip to find an elderly neighbor lady dead, blocking the entry door of the house. It could only happen to Whitney! This time, at least, she isn’t the suspect!
The lady who died was a neighbor, and not a very well-liked one at that – even by her family. What she was doing in the home is anyone’s guess. When it is determined she was murdered, Whitney gets to know the ladies in the neighborhood as she does upgrades and repairs and is invited to join their regular card game. In a real turn of events, the detective on the case who had thought her a killer in the past has come to appreciate her ability to find out information from others. Collin Flynn actually wants her to keep an eye and ear out on the neighborhood, and they talk frequently about what she learns.
I enjoyed this mystery very much, including the author’s trademark humor and ability to include pets in the story with a vital role. The characters are a delight, including the neighborhood ladies. Whodunit surprised me, as did the why. I highly recommend this to all who enjoy well-written cozy mysteries with engaging characters, adorable pets, and a construction or property management background.
Fun book!! I love the concept of this series and seeing Whitney and her cousin Buck buy and redesign houses. I think the idea of redesigning a house sounds like a lot of fun. This book was interesting as Whitney finds a dead body in the house they are flipping. At first it appears an accident but is later determined to have been murder. Whitney helps Detective Flynn with his investigation by getting to know the neighbors. Intriguing story and a fun group of characters. I hope to see relationships develop between Colette and Buck as well as Whitney and Detective Flynn! I also love Sawdust and reading the story from his view.
Whitney Whitaker has the perfect house to renovate and flip but she arrives one morning to find the body of an elderly woman in the doorway. Who is she and what is doing in the house? As Whiney helps Detective Collin Flynn in the investigation she gets to know the neighbors. Can one of them be the killer?
I loved this book which is the second in a wonderfully promising series. I was drawn in from the start and kept hooked until the end. The book’s well-written with well-rounded characters you’ll enjoy getting to know. I’m really looking forward to the next book. There were a few errors in the book which should have been caught but overall the book was a fabulous read. I highly recommend both book and series.
Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly is the second book in A House-Flipper Mystery series. Dead in the Doorway can be read without having picked up Dead as a Doorknocker. However, I recommend reading the cute debut of this series. A House-Flipper Mystery series is similar to A Paw Enforcement series written by Diane Kelly with chapters from an animal’s point-of-view. Sawdust, Whitney’s cat, is cute and smart, and I like reading about his perspective on things. I would like his chapters to have a wee bit more humor (I love Brigit’s snarky comments from A Paw Enforcement series). I thought Dead in the Doorway contained good writing, steady pacing and friendly characters. Whitney Whitaker works as property manager as well as a carpenter (for her uncle’s carpentry business). Her true love, though, is flipping houses which she does with her cousin, Buck Whitaker. They are both hoping for a better experience after the murder that happened in their first slip that prevented them from selling it (Whitney and two roommates are currently living in it). Whitney arrives early on demo day to find a woman dead at the base of the stairs and the deceased owner’s grandson squatting in the house (that gets the blood pumping). At first blush, it appears the victim fell down the steps during the night. Unfortunately, Detective Collin Flynn soon informs Whitney that the victim did not fall on her own. Whitney, who was going to snoop anyway, is thrilled when Detective Flynn asks for her assistance. There are definite sparks flying between the detective and Whitney (and he is a cat lover too). The mystery had a handful of suspects along with misdirection. There are clues to aid a reader in solving the crime. I would have preferred more sleuthing and less speculation. There was too much conjecture for my liking (I ended up skimming through some of it because it was repetitive). My favorite line from Dead in the Doorway is courtesy of Detective Flynn when he said, “You again?” when he sees Whitney at the crime scene. I did enjoy reading Dead in the Doorway, and I will be reading the next A House-Flipper Mystery with Whitney, Buck, Detective Flynn and Sawdust. Dead in the Doorway is a purr-fect cozy mystery to cuddle up with in a comfy chair.
The long-awaited second book from Diane Kelly in the “House Flipper Mystery” series, Dead In The Doorway, is available at the end of March. This intriguing house renovation cozy published by St Martin’s Press will leave readers itching to renovate and investigate the old broken down houses in their neighborhood.
Whitney is a remarkable character in this enjoyable and entertaining cozy series. She is hard-working, dedicated, and mindful of the people around her, even strangers. The characters in this series are exceedingly likable; readers will find at least one or more that they can relate with. The detective, Collin, is slowly becoming essential and hopefully will continue to be involved with Whitney. Sawdust, Whitney’s beloved cat, steals the show more than once. I could read his thoughts all day and have a smile on my face the entire time.
In this addition to the series, Whitney’s dream house flip turns into a nightmare when she finds the body of a neighbor in the entryway. Skeletons come out of the closet as she and Sawdust investigate. The old woman wasn’t well-liked by many, not her family or neighbors. She was bossy, rude and at times downright nasty to everyone around her. But no one deserves to be pushed down the stairs and left to die alone. It doesn’t take long for Whitney to find the killer and figure out that sometimes motives, like people, are just plain crazy.
Ms. Kelly is a dynamic writer. Her work is smooth, easy to read, and fills the reader with a sense of having been a part of a real mystery. Dead In The Doorway is a fantastic, fast-paced, enjoyable read that readers will not be able to put down. I highly recommend this cozy book and the series, as well as all of Diane’s other mystery series. If readers want exciting reads and happy endings, they will love this book!
This is another great hit for the House-Flipper Mystery series! Whitney and her cousin, Buck, have purchased another fixer upper house from an estate of a lady who lived there for many years. Her sons have sold the home to Whitney and Buck. Unfortunately death is literally in the doorway. Whitney finds a body in the doorway to the new home. It appears to be an accident, but appearances can be deceiving. The lady who lived in the house was a master pie maker. No one can find her prize winning peach pie recipe. Is a recipe worth killing for? Once again Whitney cannot control herself as she has to be involved with the investigation but in this book Detective Collin Flynn decides to use her detecting skills to help out, and hopefully keep her out of trouble. This was a very enjoyable read. It is a clean mystery with some great humor mixed in. Whitney’s cat, Sawdust, is a great addition to the book. He shares his point of view several times in the book!
This is such a fun series. I love Kelly’s quirky characters, the Nashville setting, and the fuzzy cat companions. Add the House Flipper series to your beach or pool bag this summer!
Dead in the Doorway is the second installment in Diane Kelly’s House Flipper cozy mystery series, set in Nashville. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin and business partner Buck have bought a house on Songbird Circle to restore and sell, but their plan hits a snag when Whitney and her cat, Sawdust, find the body of one of the neighbors at the foot of a staircase.
No one on the cul-de-sac liked Nelda Dolan very much, but that hardly seems like a reason to push her down the stairs of an empty house. But what was she doing in the house? Searching for something? The previous owner’s family has taken everything they might want, and their late mother, Lillian, didn’t have much to leave behind, unless you count her recipes for prize-winning pies. There doesn’t seem to be anything else worth looking for—until Sawdust finds a secret hiding place.
Whitney can’t resist a bit of sleuthing between tearing out appliances and re-tiling floors (and she makes that all sound so simple!), and Detective Collin Flynn is pretty hard to resist, too. Between the two of them they’ll surely uncover the secrets of Songbird Circle.
Adorable… Whitney and Sawdust are a welcome addition to your home and bookshelf.
Dead In The Doorway
House-Flipper Mystery, Book #2
Diane Kelly
5 Stars
Synopsis:
A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. . .
Whitney Whitaker has scored the perfect piece of real estate: a ramshackle white Colonial at the top of a hill with views of downtown Nashville. What more could a self-taught home-improvement maven and occasional house-flipper ask for? Ideally, the property of Whitney’s dreams would not have come with a dead body blocking the entrance to the foyer. But Whitney, always quick to take heavy-duty matters into her own hands, also happens to be a skilled amateur sleuth. So that helps.
AND SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.
Who is this older woman—and how did her corpse end up at the bottom of the staircase of this locked, unoccupied house? That is what Whitney, along with the support of her wood-working cousin Buck, Detective Collin Flynn, and, of course, feline partner-in-crime Sawdust, intends to find out. Her friendly-neighbour investigation takes a sharp turn, however, when Whitney discovers that the house’s former owner was a gourmet baker whose secret recipe for peach pie was to die for—perhaps literally. Now it’s up to Whitney to learn the truth about what happened before she loses this killer real-estate deal . . . and the killer comes knocking at her door. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. Whitney knows her way around a hammer and she and her cousin, Buck, are doing another house flip. But this one comes with a dead body, and if she and Buck are going to make a profit, she needs to catch the killer. With the help of Sawdust, her cat, she is going to find the murderer, even if it kills her. And it just might. I enjoyed the Sawdust chapters, seeing things from his perspective.
The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. And the mystery was very well plotted and not easily solved. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider and I was not completely sure until the reveal at the end.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written cozy mystery. The characters are engaging, the setting was inviting and the mystery was intriguing. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
One of the things that a mystery reader dreads is a five star first book in a new series only to be followed by a not so great second book. such is not the case with this fixer upper series from Diane Kelly. It deserves it’s five stars and then some. Whitney Whitaker is back and so is her wonderful cat, Sawdust. Along with her cousin Buck, she is getting ready to flip another house. Whitney is a carpenter with dreams of entering the real estate world flipping houses. While she works towards her dream she works as a property manager, too.
On the first day, ready to start the transformation of a run down colonial with great potential and a knock out view of Nashville, Whitney can’t get through the front door. When she does enter the house she discovers the cause of the blocked entry – a corpse at the foot of the stairs. On top of that shock, there is a young man living in the empty house. What the heck is going on? The woman who owned the house died of natural causes. Such is not the case with the woman dead in the foyer.
A corpse in the house can really make a mess of resale value so Whiney joins forces with her friend Colin, the detective on the case, and they set out to find out who dunnit. The neighbors in the cul de sac know a lot about each other and nobody is broken up over the dead woman. Did one of them dislike her enough to toss her down the stairs? Or was it somebody else?
This is one of my favorite series and not just because it includes a clever cat. Whitney is a well developed character, there is plenty of humor, the puzzle is complex and I have already reserved a spot on my TBR pile for book #3.
Whitney Whitaker is a property manager and carpenter in Nashville, Tennessee. She likes her job, but her real passion is flipping houses. In this second installment in the House-Flipper Mystery series, Whitney and her cousin have partnered to flip a ramshackle colonial-style house with views of downtown Nashville. When she arrives one morning, she is horrified to find a woman dead in the house. With an entire neighborhood of suspects, Whitney and Detective Collin Flynn, work together to catch the killer.
I found this book to be a delightful and humorous read. Whitney is a witty, smart, and likable main character. I loved the relationship between her and Buck, with its bickering and witty banter. Sawdust was adorable and reading the brief chapters from his perspective was fun and added to the story. I enjoyed spending time at Whitney’s temporary neighborhood. The friendship between the ladies was wonderful and really gave me that small tight-knit community feeling that I love. I was really sad when I got to the end and realized that I will never get to meet the characters again.
The mystery was well-crafted, with plenty of suspects to throw readers off the scent. This was a fun cozy mystery, and I eagerly await the third book.
I received an ARC from St Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, small-business, family-dynamics, friendship, Tennessee
I read the first three chapters in Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 8 and was hooked!
The publisher’s blurb is pretty good, but the quality of the story is much better. While there is a hint of romance, it certainly is not blatant enough to take anything away from the mystery but serves as a plot device to enhance the deduction process. Whatever. The important thing is that it is a good story with very little that is not realistic but not the kind of nastiness found in true crime. I definitely loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Thank You!
Whitney Whitaker and her cat Sawdust are in the middle of another mystery in Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly. Whitney and her cousin, Buck find a house to flip and it comes with a dead body. On the first day of construction Whitney finds a body while trying to enter the house. Who is the dead woman and why is she in their house? While checking out the body and waiting for Detective Collin Flynn, Whitney find out there is a young man staying in her empty house. Was this an accident or murder? Whitney needs to solve this mystery as soon as possible in order for them to be able to sell the house after renovation. This was a wonderful Cozy Mystery, kept me guessing end till the end of the story and Sawdust prospective was a humorous addition to the story.
I happen to come across this new author while checking out NetGallery books. I was really impressed with Diane Kelly writing and will be getting her first book in this House-Flipping Mystery Series.