Murder is on the to-do list when construction contractor Shannon Hammer looks for a killer in the fifth Fixer-Upper Mystery…Don’t miss the Hallmark Movies & Mystery Originals starring Jewel, based on the Fixer-Upper Mystery series!At the annual Victorian Home and Garden Tour, Lighthouse Cove, California’s premier contractor, Shannon Hammer, realizes that the competition is about to turn … 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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Eaves of Destruction is the fifth book in the ‘Fixer-Upper Mystery’ cozy series by Kate Carlisle. In these books, Shannon, a ~30ish construction business owner, solves crimes as an amateur sleuth while helping renovate a wonderful seaside town in California. In this edition, the local town inspector causes trouble at several of her job sites and finds himself murdered in the neighbor’s orangery (sun room / conservatory). Whodunit!?!
Shannon is a fun protagonist. She pokes fun at herself but also knows when to be serious, just like the series itself. Obviously, if this many murders occurred in a small town, and the same person found the body all the time, she’d be locked up for some sort of charge to prevent anything else from happening! But this is a book, and there needs to be some level of recognition for that fine line of reality versus fiction. Of all the cozies I’ve read, this one is near the top of the list of those that manage that balance quite adeptly.
The victim was mean and ruthless, he just invaded people’s homes to inspect work even when it wasn’t time or he didn’t have permission to enter. The culprit was semi-believable, but I wish it had been someone else. The family we’re focusing on is interesting, and I liked the addition of Amanda, a new contractor who helps save the day when too many jobs turn up. I liked that we saw more of Shannon’s friends and their personal relationships with the men and/or families in their lives. I was glad to see the connection between the sheriff and Shannon turning into something much more easy-going.
The ending was a little over-the-top, but it made me laugh and I enjoyed how it all came together. I have already ordered the next one in the series and will read it in early April. My goal is to be caught up as soon as possible because the seventh book comes out later this year. BTW, it was adapted into a TV series in case anyone is interested in watching it. Maybe then I can shift over to the author’s other series.
I lo e this series and can’t wait for the next one.
Shannon has been asked to do work on a home that will be entered into the local Victorian Home and Garden Tour, the only problem is the home owner is rude and obnoxious. With all the work that needs to be done on other houses for the tour Shannon hires a young woman who enjoys working with wood and puts her to work immediately. When the local building inspector turns up dead everyone can understand why, not only is he corrupt but he was always showing up at unexpected times and making trouble. Shannon realizes she must find out who the killer is before someone else ends up dead, the only problem is that there are more suspects than answers. Having friends to help figure out just who the murderer is doesn’t hurt though. Shannon feels guilty about leaving her new hire to deal with such an obnoxious client but the mystery needs to be solved and quick. Tag along with Shannon and try figure out whodunit, could it have been an ex-girl friend, an angry contractor, or a crime of passion? I find this series is a fun cozy read, filled with wonderful writing, great characters, and a plot that will keep you guessing. I’m excited to see what happens with Shannon next and what lovely old home she will be working on.
Eaves of Destruction is the fifth in Fixer-Upper Mysteries seres by Kate Carlisle in which Shannon Hammer and her crew are working on Victorian Homes for the up and coming Victorian Home and Garden Tour in Lighthouse Cove, California. The small town’s building inspector is found dead on one of Shannon’s job sites and everyone becomes a suspect. Shannon and her crew hardest job is the Jorgensen house in which Shannon’s newest crew, Amanda has some hidden secrets. Pesty Jorgensen looks like she is seeing a ghost when she looks at Amanda.
With lots of twists and turns this story, a usual from Kate Carlisle. Starting the next one in the series…A Wrench in the Works.
Waiting for next one.
Loved this book. It’s my first book by Kate Carlisle but definitely not my last.
This was my favorite book in this series so far! The characters are likeable, the mystery is intriguing, and the romance between Shannon & Mac is moving along. The town’s House & Garden Tour is soon so Shannon & her construction company is very busy. Their biggest project is a Victorian owned by the Jorgensen’s. Petsy Jorgensen is a mean lady and no one likes her. The building inspector is also not well liked and ends up dead. The list of suspects is fairly long. Mac is a famous mystery writer and Shannon’s boyfriend. It is awesome that they figure out the clues together. There are some twists in the mystery which keeps it intriguing and hard to put down!
A must read for any cozy mystery fan because all of Kate’s books in both series are the best!
Love her home repair books. Hope for many more.
I like multiple books using the same characters. This author does so quite well. When the author draws a character you want to kick down the stairs they’ve done a good job.
Great characters, we’ll developed plot. Was unable to put down. Looking forward to more mysteries from this author.
LOVE Kate Carlisle
Good descriptions of characters, story moved along in a timely manner, ending well done
Another good book in this series.
I have long been a fan of this author, but this mystery raises the bar for the future – the best of this series. It is great to visit Lighthouse Cove and the delightful folks who live there. Shannon Hammer, her boyfriend and well-known mystery writer Mac, work together to solve a real poser of a mystery.
Shannon now manages Hammer Construction, her father’s company. She especially loves working on Victorian homes – both the originals and the contemporary ones her father built. With an upcoming home tour, there is even more business than usual. She hires a very talented woodworker, which frees her up to visit the jobsites and help where needed, but Amanda seems be a young lady of mystery. At least she is a dream come true for the company.
The local construction inspector is disliked by most of the builders in town. It is suspected that he takes bribes to keep secrets, or to pass inspections, while delighting to hold up people’s jobs. He is found murdered at one of the homes Shannon is working at. While she isn’t going to miss him, she wouldn’t have wished him dead. She wants to help take any suspicion from her clients and get a killer off the streets, but this time might prove to be one too many for Shannon.
Being a woman-owned contracting company is still an anomaly in some of the good-old-boy networks. That is not a challenge faced by Shannon, either as a boss or a contractor, as her reputation for excellence and being fair precedes her. She surrounds herself with the best employees available, and it is a treat to meet her newest one, Amanda. The fact that they can work for one of the nastiest women in town speaks volumes.
While I had an idea about one of the mysteries, there were others I couldn’t begin to solve, much less find motives. The end is a huge surprise, a series of unexpected events. The characters, the contracting, and the handful of mysteries vying for attention make this a compelling read. The explosive action and surprises make it one of the best contemporary cozy mysteries of the season and not to be missed! Highly recommended!
I received a copy of this from the publisher but was not obligated to provide a review; these opinions are my own.
Eaves of Destruction by Kate Carlisle is the fifth book in A Fixer-Upper Mystery series. Shannon Hammer is busy running Hammer Construction in Lighthouse Cove, California. Many homeowners are hiring Hammer Construction to fix up their residences before the Lighthouse Cove Victorian Home and Garden Tour. Everyone wants to win Best in Show which comes with a large cash prize and this year they have a famous mystery author as the judge. Petsy Jorgensen is Shannon’s most difficult client and matters are not helped by the interference of Joe Scully, the building inspector (nepotism got him the job). Joe seems to have it out for Shannon, and he keeps popping up at her various job sites causing problems. Shannon arrives at the Jorgensen residence one morning and hears screaming coming from Joan Derry’s yard (across the street). Shannon takes off running and finds Joe Scully dead in the Derry orangery with a chisel sticking out of his stomach. Who disliked Joe enough to kill him? Shannon, with her natural curiosity, starts digging into Joe’s movements before his death. Soon, though, another death rocks the town. Shannon with help from mystery writer (and boyfriend), Mackintyre Sullivan set out to track down the killer before they strike again.
Eaves of Destruction is well-written, has engaging characters, and a good pace. I am a fan of Shannon Hammer. She is a strong, intelligent female character in a male dominated industry. Shannon has a warm heart, a sense of humor, and loving friends and family. I also like the secondary characters such as Jane Hennessey (Shannon’s best friend) and Mackintyre Sullivan (Shannon’s love interest). The new carpenter, Amanda Walsh was a great addition to the story. I find that each book in A Fixer-Upper Mystery series is better than the prior one. The mystery was complex in design with a couple of promising suspects. I appreciated the author’s use of misdirection and the reason why the murders occurred. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful Victorian homes (I love Queen Anne Victorian homes) in Lighthouse Cove. The dialogue is engaging and realistic. There is just the right amount of humor in the story along with romance (it blends in with the story beautifully). Eaves of Destruction can be read alone, but I do recommend the other books in the series (you can also watch the movies).
Title: Eaves of Destruction
Series: A Fixer-Upper Mystery – Book 5
Author: Kate Carlisle
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
The annual Victorian Home and Garden Tour, in Lighthouse Cove, California is right around the corner. Contractor, Shannon Hammer is unusually busy trying to get several homes ready for the show. Unfortunately, murder seems to be the theme this year.
Rival homeowners and neighbors are contending for Shannon’s attention. Some of them will do anything to win Best in Show. One client, in particular, is incredibly demanding, and not a nice person to work for. The workload on Shannon and her crew is almost crushing. Just when she thinks they won’t get through all the projects a new woodworker comes along to save the day. Shannon is positive they can deal with the extra work that the tour presents. That is until murder shows up before they can complete the job.
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Scully, the small town’s building inspector, is found dead on one of Shannon’s job sites. He wasn’t liked by anyone and was unethical to boot, but she is concerned that blame will be placed on her or one of her crew. Her worries are allayed when a group of other suspects surfaces. But she doesn’t like that one of her clients or employees could have something to do with the man’s death. A few days later another body is discovered, and Shannon swings into full investigation mode along with thriller writer Mac.
This is the fifth book in the “A Fixer-Upper Mystery” series. Ms. Carlisle has constructed a carefully thought out story that has as many twists and turns as it does suspects. The characters are very likable and memorable without being cliché. Shannon is hard working and easy to like, her friends are devoted and are people she can count on. Mac has all the magnetism you would expect from a famous author, as well as a mind for murder. He is handsome and intelligent yet not pompous.
The plot in Eaves of Destruction plays on the appreciation of architecture, and old Victorian Houses in particular that many people admire. Plus the lengths some people will go to in order to win a competition, even one that involves friends, neighbors and possibly murder. The exchanges between Shannon’s crew, family, and friends combine to make the story plausible and engaging. The book is fast paced making the reader impatient to turn the page. The ending surprises and thrills as well as gratifies the reader’s sense of justice.
This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys learning about woodwork, construction, and rivalry between neighbors, and embraces a female lead who is capable and determined. Eaves of Destruction is a pleasurable read that will leave the reader waiting in anticipation for the next book.