Contractor Shannon Hammer gets tangled up in murder at a spooky old asylum in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. . . .Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles … bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant.
Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked-out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work . . . until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her. . . .
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Unlike other cozies, there isn’t a corpse within the first couple pages. I really like how Carlisle skillfully leads up to a murder in this series, weaving both clues and new characters so seamlessly that close reading is a must. The renovation of a former insane asylum adds a bit of an unsettling edge to the story. Shannon’s friend Jane is planning a hotel at part of The Gables renovation and Shannon’s crew is getting things up and running to begin the task. The history of the asylum is germane to the plot. Although founded in the 19th century, it was in use until just a couple short decades ago. Shannon and Mac’s relationship gets some air time here as well, as the duo helps the local authorities figure out the crime.
A fascinating story! Shannon’s friend, Jane, has purchased a building at The Gables, an old insane asylum, that is being rehabbed into a retail/hotel/park space. The day of breaking ground on the construction of the new spaces, protestors show up. Other issues continue as work goes on as Shannon gets injured and one of the protestors is found dead. This book was really interesting as it gave readers a glimpse into what life must have been like for those with mental illness back in the days before treatment of different illnesses became better known. I enjoyed how Shannon and Jane were trying to take something that had a gloomy past and make it into something more cheerful and enjoyable for all. I can’t even begin to imagine some of the horrors people must have gone through in those days. I really enjoyed this book and this series is fascinating to see how Shannon can turn something that is falling apart into something beautiful. I look forward to reading more of this series with it’s intriguing characters and charming town and seeing what’s next for Shannon and her friends.
Premeditated Mortar was a fun and easily read that sucks you in until you finish. The characters are wonderful and the descriptions of the architecture of the asylum sounded amazing and the background on asylums was an added bonus to this page turning murder mystery.
Contractor Shannon Hammer is taking in a huge job, that of renovating a wing of the Gables. Shannon’s best friend purchased the building that was part of an old insane asylum in order to turn it into a hotel. But work is interrupted when a body is found in the same place where someone pushed Shannon over a wall. Shannon’s determined to find the killer. Can she do so before someone else dies?
I absolutely love this series and this book is a prime example of. The book’s well-written with wonderful characters you’ll love getting to know. You’ll be drawn in from the start, both for the mystery and the romance. Kate Carlisle keeps the series fresh and each book is a joy to read. I’m really looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
This is a well thought out plot. I was totally stumped on who was the killer in this one. Of course the characters are all well developed but it’s seems they are finally all grownups. I felt that this is the best one in this series so far.
PREMEDITATED MORTAR by Kate Carlisle is the eighth book in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series. It is the well-crafted cozy mystery centered round contractor Shannon Hammer and her renovation of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located at the edge Lighthouse Cove.
Shannon’s been contracted by, Jane Hennessey, her dear friend since first grade, to renovate the north wing of the Gables into the Hennessey Hotel complete with restaurant, bar and spa. They have worked together before when they restored Jane’s grandmother’s Victorian mansion into an elegant inn. Jane’s own mother was a resident of the Gables. She is determined to turn the place into something elegant, happy and fun to honor her mother and to help replace any lingering bad feelings about the place. With the success of her inn, she knows with Shannon’s expertise that it can be done. Going into it, they know this will be a lengthy project taking at least a year to complete.
After explaining to her boyfriend, MacKintyre “Mac” Sulllivan – world-famous crime novelist and former Navy SEAL, about the history of Gables and showing him part of her new project, Mac is excited about taking Rachel Powers up on her offer of him becoming an investor in the Gables project. It also means that they would be talking about and sharing ideas on the project together, which thrills Shannon.
With exploring the history of the Gables and Shannon’s foreboding of troubles during construction, it was still a shock to see protestors during the ground breaking ceremony. Looks like the police would be involved in this renovation from day one.
With the finding of a brick wall sealing off part of the Gables, injuries inflicted upon Shannon from some unknown assailant and then the body of one of the protestors being found inside the Gables, was Shannon’s feelings of impending trouble coming true. Shannon is once again seen as the body magnet and is working to help the police so she can get back to her “normal” life of construction. Along the way, the relationship between Shannon and Mac, although smooth sailing and full of happiness, seems to be in a holding pattern making Shannon wondering whether there is a forever future in their path.
Who was behind the construction of the brick wall and what were they trying to conceal? Was the person that pushed her down the partially removed brick wall the same person? How were the protestors connected to the Gables? Why were they opposed to renovation and wanted to burn it down? Why would Dr. Fairchild, the Gable’s last chief physician and psychiatrist at the Gables, call a press conference and how is she involved in all of the happenings? Who exactly was the person they found dead behind the brick wall, how did he get there and how was he connected to the Gables? Will some of Jane’s memories of the Gables help in finding some answers? Will the Scooby-Doo game Mac and Shannon play be what leads them to more suspects and clues? Will Ricky, one of the protestors, hold a lot of the clues including his connection to the Gables? When a second body is found, will they find it connected to the first one?
Kate Carlisle writes a fabulous cozy mystery that will have your turning pages and playing the Scooby-Do game right along with Shannon and Mac while hoping for a happily ever after for this lovely couple. She manages to tease us with clues, puts our favorite contractor in danger and then protected by her hero, falling in love with some characters while feeling ill will towards others and leads us to a conclusion that is unexpected but makes totally perfect sense.
PREMEDITATED MORTAR is the type of book you look forward to, soak it in with glee and you can’t wait to share it with friends when you give that little sigh of “well done” on the last page. Although part of a series, it can most assuredly be read as a standalone book. I must warn you that after reading this one, you will be wanting to read not only other books in this series, but any book written by this amazing author. I definitely give it PREMEDITATED MORTAR 5+ STARS and highly recommend it to cozy lovers, those that enjoy a fabulously well-written book, or enjoy a book that leaves you happy and excited for the next book by this author.
Premeditated Mortar A Fixer-Upper Mystery by Kate Carlisle
Summary
The Gables is an abandoned Victorian-era mental hospital about to get a new lease on life as a combination retail, hotel, and upscale living complex. Shannon Hammer, a building contractor specializing in restoring Victorian homes in her hometown of Lighthouse Cove, a small town located on Northern California’s coast, is set to renovate one of the wings of the former mental institution for her friend Jane Hennessey.
Not everyone is happy with the planned renovations. On the day of the groundbreaking, protestors show up, demanding that the place be burned to the ground instead of restored. Rachel Powers, developer of the Gables, is drenched in a blood-like substance. By the time the police arrive, most of the protestors have fled, but Shannon and Mac have detained two of them and the police take them into custody. Later, when the body of one the protestors is discovered at the Gables, Shannon’s renovation project turns into a murder investigation. Shannon is determined to find out the killer and the killer is determined to get away with murder. Two murders if that is what it takes to silence Shannon.
Recommendation
Premeditated Murder is populated with characters that know each other well; a community where members have each other’s backs. It’s a fun read and a good way to spend a couple of hours. The plot twists kept me guessing until the big reveal. Recommended.
#netgalley #premeditatedmortar
copy provided by Netgalley
Premeditated Mortar is the eighth book in this cozy mystery series and this one packs a punch! I was caught totally off guard by a couple of twists that I did not see coming! Shannon takes on the restoration of part of an old and very run-down state insane asylum, which happens to also be the place where the mother of her friend Jane had been a patient. Because of this, Shannon and Jane were familiar with the place(or so they thought) and not all their memories were good ones.
The characters in Lighthouse Cove are wonderful and it is always a good time to revisit them. I love this series and it just gets better with each book.
Cozy mystery with slightly dark twists!
Premeditated Mortar is part of a fantastic series. The Fixer-Upper Mysteries. One thing I absolutely love about each book in this series is how Kate Carlisle paints a picture of the beauty and style of the old Victorian structures that our heroine Shannon Hammer takes on as her latest restoration project. This time it is an insane asylum built in the 1870’s in the Victorian style with a slightly Gothic touch including gargoyles with “sympathetic features” so as not to frighten the residents living there. Shannon’s friend Jane hired her to assist in restoring “The Gables” to its former beauty which includes a beautiful, quiet, comfortable and safe environment, the idea of the original doctor associated with the asylum. Not everyone agrees with the plans to develop the buildings within The Gables. There are protesters and accidents that start occurring and a dark history of the asylum which begin to draw us into the mysteries in this story. There are several references to old movies such as Poltergeist and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as well as Poe’s story of The Tell Tale Heart. The reference I loved the most was Scooby Doo. Shannon and her mystery writer boyfriend Mac play a game thinking of suspects, motives, crimes covered up, what friends could do to trick the bad guy into confessing. Basically what they called brainstorming with a dog – Scooby Doo. When a body of one of the protesters is found behind a bricked up wall in the building Shannon is renovating the mystery deepens. Can someone from the past history of The Gables be involved? The story draws us deeper into the dark memories held by these buildings and some of the people who remember them. You won’t want to put this one down. I loved it and you will too.
Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Shannon is going to restore a wing of a large asylum into a hotel. Her friend Jane has an exclusive bed and breakfast already and this will expand her business. Jane’s mother was a patient in this asylum and she looks forward to making this beautiful in her mother’s memory. Of course, there’s a murder and naturally Shannon’s team helps to solve the mystery.
This is the first I’ve read in this series. I really enjoyed the characters and the anticipation of the restoration. I definitely recommend reading this book.
I’m always happy to come back to Lighthouse Cove and getting back with Shannon and her friends, family, and work crew. This is the 8th book in this fixer-upper mystery series featuring a former insane asylum, the Gables, where Shannon’s friend is turning a wing into a luxury hotel. Protesting ensues and a body is found in a recent opening up of a closed-off section. I love the characters and enjoyed reading this fun, clever, and heartfelt story. I read this book in one sitting from start to finish. I couldn’t put the book down until the end. I was given a copy for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you to the author and publisher for the book.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Contractor Shannon Hammer is very excited to take on a year-long project with her BFF Jane Hennessey. Jane is turning one wing of the Gables into a small luxurious hotel. The Gables used to be a state-run insane asylum that had ties to both she and Jane so both were expecting a few ghosts to come out to haunt them, the new dead bodies not so much. Shannon has gotten under someone’s skin with all her questions and puts her life in peril. But she is not backing down until she hammers down the killer.
While the renovation Shannon and her crew are taking on is huge, the secrets and memories the building holds are enormous and some are heartwrenching. Ms. Carlisle takes her time introducing all the new characters and the history of the Gables and I loved that. I became invested in the storyline immediately and well before the first body was discovered. She doesn’t give readers too much background on the characters at first, just enough to grab our attention and make us wonder how they may connect to the asylum. Like a sweet onion as the story continues layer after layer is peeled away to keep those pages quickly turning.
All the characters I have grown to love return and the couples are growing closer even though one person is getting a case of nerves. I love to see Shannon’s construction company continue to grow too. She has a great crew that works well together and supports their boss in every way. I get excited every time I start a book in this series to see where the author is going to take these characters and she never disappoints.
Premeditated Mortar is an excellent addition to this series. Ms. Carlisle builds this story brick by brick and surprised me in the end. Engaging characters, an interesting setting, and a marvelous mystery kept me totally entertained. I truly can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Premeditated Mortar by Kate Carlisle is a compelling cozy mystery. Shannon Hammer, Mac Sullivan, Jane Hennessey, and the gang are back. Jane has purchased the seventh building at the Gables which was once the Northern California Asylum for the Insane. The buildings have been abandoned for years but there is no denying the potential. Shannon cannot wait to start the project with her crew. It will take a year to turn the Victorian building into the Hennessey Hotel. Some people, though, are not excited about the project and set out to derail it. I thought Premeditated Mortar was well-written with developed characters and steady pacing. I enjoyed the descriptions of the town and the Gables. The author’s vivid word imagery brought the scenes alive for me. The mystery was multifaceted and creative. There are several viable suspects, misdirection, and subtle clues. I had a good time following this whodunit and figuring out the identity of the guilty party. I like how the romance is progressing between Mac and Shannon. We also get to catch up with Chloe and Eric as well as Jane and Niall. Romance is blooming in Lighthouse Cove and the ending has me eager for the next A Fixer-Upper Mystery. Premeditated Mortar can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series or if you have missed a book or two. Premeditated Mortar is a diverting cozy mystery with malicious mischief, creepy corridors, awesome architecture, flourishing romances, and a perplexing puzzle.
Premeditated Mortar is the 8th exciting addition to Kate Carlisle’s Fixer-Upper Mystery series. This series continues to get better and better! Shannon Hammer is a contractor and is looking at renovating a building at a spooky old asylum for her friend Jane’s new luxury hotel. Shannon’s boyfriend, Mac, is a mystery/thriller writer and he goes along for the tour to get ideas for a future book plus a developer wants him to invest in the project. At the groundbreaking ceremony, a group of protesters cause problems and Mac and Shannon get involved. Someone pushes Shannon into a pit in one of the rooms, but it doesn’t slow her down. One of the protesters is killed and it isn’t far from where she was pushed. The memories of the asylum for some of the characters give the book more depth. This book was hard to put down and before I knew it, I was at the end. This is a quick moving cozy mystery with likable, interesting characters, a very intriguing cozy mystery, a few romances, a few laughs, and is well written. Kate Carlisle has another winner! I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an honest review. #NetGalley #PremeditatedMortar #KateCarlisle #BerkleyPublicity #PenguinRandomHouse
I love this series! Shannon and her pink tools are amazing. The setting is spelled out so intensely that you feel like you are right there in Lighthouse Cove. All the characters put some humor in the mix and what more would you want……………oh yeah, murder!!! The protesters have gone a tad bit overboard with trying to stop this project but Shannon, with help from her friends, will save the day. A must read it you like cozies.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.
Shannon is getting ready to start a huge new job, The Gables, was a hospital that a buyer is now turning into a variety of stores and such. Shannon’s friend Jane has bought a section to turn into a luxury hotel along with a spa and shops, she just needs Shannon to make it all happen. On the day her crew is suppose to start the job a protest is happening ing out front, a group of people don’t want this new project to continue. Shannon isn’t going to let it get in the way and gets to work but when she is looking to find out what is behind a wall some pushes her into the hole leading into the hidden room. It looks like someone doesn’t want her working on this new job. things go from bad to worse when she finds the body of one of the protesters. Shannon knows she must figure out who is behind everything before something else bad happens. Can she put all the pieces together before someone else gets hurt and this new venture falls through? Jump in and find out, this was a fun read filled with an enticing mystery.
Premeditated Mortar is the eighth book in The Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle.
A developer has acquired the former insane asylum located just outside the community of Lighthouse Cove. The developer has renamed it The Gables and plans to turn it into upscale shops and businesses. The Gables consists of seven buildings, and Shannon Hammer’s good friend, Jane, has obtained building seven with plans to renovate it into an upscale hotel, spa, and specialty shops. Jane’s mother had been a resident at The Gables, and she feels that this will be a fitting tribute to her mother.
Shannon has been anxious to begin work, and her crew is ready on the day for the groundbreaking ceremony. Rachel, the developer’s project manager, begins her welcoming speech, a protest breaks out, and a protester charges the platform throws some blood-colored slime hitting Rachel.
As work commences on the renovation, Shannon has a couple of incidents that could have been life-threatening but only resulted in bumps and bruises. She soon feels that somebody was directing the protesters at building seven. Shannon will now lead her investigation to find if anyone is still alive who might have been a resident or a family member of a former resident.
The story was well-written and plotted, and there were a few red herrings that kept me guessing until the end. Most of the characters from previous books were back, and I enjoyed visiting with them once again. The romance continues to bloom for Shannon and Mac, Chole and Eric, and Jane and Niall. Ms. Carlisle also provided a bit of history of care in the mental health facility years ago.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this informative series.
One reason I found the premise of this book interesting is because we also have a huge, haunted looking, old hospital building near me, that was, once upon a time, used to house patients with mental and emotional disorders. Now that it is long abandoned, rumors of haunting run even more rampant. I wish someone would give it a make over and bring new, more positive life to the complex.
Our heroine, Shannon, has a wonderful relationship with a man who has his own celebrity. I like that they are comfortable and not feeling pressured to rush into a permanent, legal attachment.
Shannon has a non traditional job, being the contractor and head of her team. I appreciated the details about the building and project. It really helps set the scene and tone. She is not afraid to work alongside her team. Sometimes her curiosity does endanger her.
The book deals with past and present crimes, things that are now considered cruel were once thought cutting edge treatments. Others, were ahead of their time.
The protesters are an interesting bunch. I will admit there are two that still puzzle me.
The action kept me turning pages and eager to know what would happen next.
“Premeditated Mortar” the 8th instalment in the “Fixer Upper” Mystery series by Kate Carlisle. I really like these mysteries as well as the TV movies. I am hoping there will be more of both.
For me the setting of Lighthouse Cove on the northern coast of California is so beautiful then throw in a victorian former state insane asylum who doesnt get the chills. I also really enjoy when i can gain some knowledge with respect to history and this had it in spades. I even checked out photo of some of the asulums on Kate’s website.
There were two mysteries to this story, I felt one being what was behind the brick wall and why was it bricked up to begin with and then the murder. Overall the mystery was interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed.
I feel like the characters are taking on some life changing events and I cant wait for the next book to see how things have progressed.
I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
OOOOOO – Picture this setting – a dark and foreboding former state insane asylum. The complex includes seven large Victorian style buildings and those buildings have all been acquired by a developer who has plans to turn the complex into an upscale ‘destination’ with upscale shops and a luxury hotel. The complex was originally built in Victorian times by Dr. Jones who firmly believed that a beautiful idyllic setting, pleasant surroundings, outside activities, etc. were all beneficial to his patients and he built the complex with those ideals in mind. The asylum was later privatized and was renamed ‘Gables’.
Shannon Hammer’s best friend Jane Hennessey has acquired the lease to building seven in order to create a small luxury hotel and Shannon’s company has been chosen to do the renovations. It is the biggest undertaking of Shannon’s career and she is looking forward to helping her friend create the hotel of her dreams. Jane’s mother was a patient at the Gables, and Jane wants to create the hotel as a warm, loving place in her mother’s memory.
Things begin to go wrong from the beginning – at the ribbon cutting ceremony that allows the lessees to begin their construction projects. When protestors arrive and the developer is slimed, things begin to go from bad to worse. All of the attention seems to be centered around building seven and Shannon is injured more than once and each of those ‘accidents’ could have cost her life. What is going on? Who could wish this project to go wrong? Who are those protestors who seem to have come out of nowhere?
As we read along, we learn more of the history behind the later years of the hospital and the patients who lived there. Can Shannon and Mac help the police chief, Eric, solve the case – even when there is a murder – or two?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the mystery. We saw a more emotional Shannon this time around. I’m not sure I enjoyed a tearful Shannon, nor am I sure I understood the reasons behind it, but that was a minor part of the story. I loved the growth and changes in the romantic relationships between Shannon and Mac, Chloe and Eric, and Jane and Niall.
You can totally read this as a standalone book even though it is part of a series. I hope you will give it a read and enjoy it as much as I did.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.