A closed room in her newest fixer-upper leads Indiana house-flipper Jazzi Zanders to reopen a chilling cold case involving a high school girl . . . Jazzi, her cousin Jerod, and her husband Ansel are preparing to renovate a charming house that reminds her of an English manor. Before purchasing it, they had inspected the house for structural issues, but now when they do a more thorough … when they do a more thorough walk-through, they discover a teenage girl’s bedroom that clearly hasn’t been touched in years. Dust covers the pink canopy bed, clothes still hang in the closet, and a hope chest remains full of journals and memorabilia. They’ve stumbled on a shrine to a dead girl.
They learn Jessica was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party. The murderer was never identified, but the brother-in-law of Jazzi’s friend, who went to school with Jessica, was suspected and never lived it down. He implores Jazzi to review the cold case and finally prove him innocent. Now it’s up to the house-flipper to nail a killer who will do anything to close the door on the past . . .
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The latest Jazzi Zanders mystery delivers in a big way. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series to date, but this is my favorite. Jazzi, her hunky husband Ansel, and her cousin Jerrod are in the process of flipping a new house when they discover a young woman who lived there in the past was murdered.
Jessica Hodgekill had everything going for her when someone pushed her from a second-floor balcony the night of her high school graduation party. The suspects are plenty and range from rivals to a busybody neighbor, and even family members. As Jazzi digs for an answer, rattling skeletons that shouldn’t be rattled, new murders occur in the present and the roster of suspects mounts.
I really enjoyed the multiple angles in this story that included glimpses into Jessica’s past and even journal entries she’d left behind. The mystery builds slowly with each suspect rising to the surface as individual motives are revealed. The author does an excellent job in painting several characters as having plenty of reasons to plot murder. Set against the backdrop of October, the story also offers a nice balance with Jazzi’s homelife as she and Ansel prepare for a Halloween bash. There is plenty of warmth with familiar secondary characters who have become like friends and neighbors throughout the series. Even Jazzi and Ansel’s pets—pug George and cats, Inky and Marmalade—get moments to shine in multiple scenes.
The plot threads are tightly woven for a satisfying ending when all the pieces fall into place. Judi Lynn knows how to deftly juggle numerous characters within an engaging story, while continuing her characters across a series that leaves the reader eagerly looking forward to the next mystery.
In The Body From The Past, what’s not to love about renovating a home with your best friend, spouse, with a murder thrown in as the cherry on top? Jazzi and company are at it once more. Finding a beautiful house to renovate that they can afford isn’t always easy, but when this house comes on the market, they can’t resist. It’s big, grand and will be stunning when they are finished. It’s a house-flippers dream. Except they weren’t expecting the house to hold secrets and a mystery they must solve before completing the project.
Home renovating is one of the favorite subjects in the cozy genre today. Readers love the descriptions of the old houses and the transformations that the main characters perform. Jazzi can’t keep herself from investigating an old murder, and even if she could, she wouldn’t. Being a house flipper out to make a profit doesn’t make her cold and heartless when it comes to helping friends, family, and strangers. Jazzi is an easy to like character, with a cast behind her that keeps readers wide-eyed and intrigued. Jazzi sets out to find the killer of a young girl who dreamed of a life away from this house and a future that only held promise.
There are plenty of suspects for readers to sink their teeth into, a few twists and turns that will keep readers guessing, and a whole lot of entertainment. Finding the killer isn’t all that difficult, but finding the evidence may be. Jazzi has her hands full with renovating the house, but she still has time to find the killer of a young girl who never got the chance to make her dreams come true. The writing is wonderfully descriptive, the mystery cloaked in possibilities, and a resolution that keeps readers happy. The Body From The Past is easy to read, fast-paced cozy that will leave house-flippers and DIY folks with a need to read every word.
The Body From the Past by Judi Lynn is the fifth in the Jazzi Zanders series. This book has a unique spin.
Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod have bought a new house to flip. On the first walk through, they find a locked bedroom. Once in the room they find it was apparently a teen agers room. It has not been touched and all the belongings have been left untouched, including a hope chest. Jazzi starts going through the hope chest and the journal she found. It’s discovered the girl died at her graduation party. Jazzi is drawn into getting answers what happened at the party. When she starts asking questions, one of Jessica’s friends is found murdered. Jazzi knows she is on to something. Throw in planning a Halloween party and Jazzi is being stretched to the limit.
This is an easy to read cozy with enough plot twists to keep you guessing. I love the characters and the setting. I really enjoy all the meal planning and the recipes included.
I was given an ARC by Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for an honest review.
Well, Jazzi has done it again. Or Judi Lynn has. Let’s call it a perfect partnership. This latest installment of the Jazzi Zanders series once again delivers everything we love about it: good food, good friends, good pets, a good mystery, and Ansel.
These poor house flippers can’t seem to get away from murders landing on their projects’ doorsteps. This time, the crime is from the past, but the trouble takes precedence in the present, and suspects abound. Jazzi’s investigation unearths horrible truths the victim suffered through her too-short life. Then the danger becomes all too real, all too immediate.
Kudos to the author for crafting such a wonderful compilation of characters—good and bad—as well as bringing the settings to life. It was a delight revisiting with old friends (especially Ansel, George, Inky, and Marmalade) and so fun solving the mystery with our favorite house-flipper/amateur-detective.
If you like the Hallmark channels, I think you’ll enjoy this book. I loved the story and the characters. What fun to work with your husband and cousin. These characters are so family and friend oriented. You can tell they love each other, their families and their fur babies too. George made me laugh out loud. I would love to have the talent that Jessie, Ansel and Jerod have. Guess I’ll just have to enjoy living through them. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
This is the 5th book in the series can be read as a standalone or in order. I was able to pick it up and start right into the story. It was a fast read with Jazzi ,Jerod and Ansel on the case of an unsolved murder of a teenage girl. While renovating an old house that they purchased they discovered a locked room that holds all the belongings and memories of a young girl that left this world too soon. It took your attention from the beginning and took yo along for the ride. Loved the characters and the remodeling aspect of the book! look forward to more.
This was one of my favorite books, I have read. It was a long book, not a boring page in the whole, book I just loved it. Kudos to the Author. .
I enjoyed the book but found it a little unrealistic that someone would buy and live in a house with a locked room. The rest of the story was engrossing.
All of Judi Lynn’s books are filled with family, food, and fixer-uppers. This one has a haunting quality and a yearning to achieve justice for Jessica. Jazzi is determined to reveal the truth of what actually happened when a girl tragically dies when her whole life lies before her.
Delightfully intriguing!! Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel’s latest fixer-upper comes with a bit of a history. A young girl was pushed off the balcony at her graduation party. The killer was never caught. When Jazzi’s friend, Leesa, informs her that her brother-in-law was the prime suspect and asks for her help in finally finding the truth, Jazzi agrees. In asking questions, it leads to two more deaths, family secrets, and a very dysfunctional family. A truly intriguing story that I couldn’t put down. These characters and the stories grab you and pull you in. I look forward to seeing what’s next for these delightful characters!!
I thought that the plot is interesting & the main people in the book were well rounded & interesting i liked the series so much I have bought all the series so far
Another winner in the Jazzi Zanders mystery series.
The Body in the Past is filled with Halloween excitement and a house with a sad past to add to the spookiness. I figured out the killer pretty early on but not the why. I enjoyed being thrown off the trail a few times.
George, the pug, still steals the show. He is one spoiled dog that is loved by all.
A quick but enjoyable read. It can be read as a standalone with no issues.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Lyrical Underground, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Jazzi, her other half Ansel and her cousin Jerod are back at it, flipping their latest house in the town of Merlot. The home is not overflowing with wine but contains a lock room with the belongings of a murdered young lady. Feeling it’s wrong to throw out the contents of a chest Jazzi discovered within the locked room, she soon become to the go to woman on a murder case that the killer is still running free. With the cooler weather approaching Jazzi and Ansel try to get the renovations done on the flip house, do some renovations on their own home. They themselves deep in a murder investigation, new murders occurring just as they’re finding answers and they have to find Halloween costumes for their party.
The Body From the Past is a good mystery that unfolds layer by layer. I love how the story started as a cold case and added to the complexity of the plot line throughout the story. It was different and a bit refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist to the plot. The characters are well developed but yet you can see growth within the story. Ms. Lynn balances the story extremely well with mystery, renovation and cooking. I love the large family that Jazzi and Ansell are part of. They bring another level of humor and the ability to relate with a larger group of readers. I did figure out the who done it but yet I was second-guessing myself until the end when the mystery was revealed.
A visit with Jazzi Zanders is like visiting a friend with all the best gossip and even better food. Not only do readers get a good mystery, this book just may have you looking for things to improve in your own home or you’ll definitely be figuring out what kind of soup you will be making now that you are craving soup. The Body From the Past is a great seasonal read and wonderful edition to the series. Author Judi Lynn delivers an entertaining story.
Jazzi is eager to get started on the next house she is going to flip in partnership with her husband, Ansel and her cousin Jerod. It’s located in an upscale neighborhood about 45 minutes away and the price was to die for. Turns out there’s a good reason for the low price for such a large, stately home. Many years ago a young woman, on the eve of graduating from high school, fell to her death from an upper story balcony. Nobody was ever arrested or charged with the crime but many people suspected her boyfriend of being responsible. As soon as Jazzi, Ansel and Jerod check out the house in preparation for gutting the kitchen, bathrooms and replacing the roof and basement flooring they get a big surprise. Jazzi is checking out the various rooms upstairs, pulling out furniture for Jerod’s wife to refinish/restore when she finds a locked door and no key. Taking the lock apart and gaining entry to the room she discovers a sad time capsule. It’s the dead teens bedroom, frozen in time to the night she died. Her parents sealed the room and the next owners of the house had no interest nor need to breach the locked door.
Solving another homicide isn’t part of the plans, getting the house ready to resell is all that matters. No matter how much Jazzi may want to turn her back on a cold case, she keeps the girl’s chest containing photos, journals, etc. and finds herself drawn to her story. Soon she is asked by the boyfriend for help in clearing his name but it’s not long before there is more than that to investigate. So much for trying to complete a house flip without a connected death or two.
This series can be read out of order. I have read them in order and I think each is even better than the previous entry. Spending time with Jazzi, Ansel, Jerod and her wonderful, loving family is a great de-stressor. There is lots of family love, good food, and also a couple of kitty furbabies and their dog, George. It’s a receipt for a great mystery that is well crafted.
My thanks to the publisher, Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Jazzi knows when they flip a house there are usually some surprises but this time it was a locked bedroom with no key. Once the door was removed it turned out to be a preserved girl’s bedroom-a girl who had been murdered.
This was a great multi layered story with a plot that keeps you guessing until near the end. I enjoyed the characters and house flipping side story. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second Judo Lynn book I’ve read and I’m still not sure how I feel about the writing. It takes me several pages to “roll” with the writing but I love Jazzi, Jerod, & Ansel. Interesting, well thought out plot but areas are verbose. Enjoy!
The Body From The Past is the fifth book in the Jazzi Zanders Mystery series written by Judi Lynn.
Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerrod are starting on their latest fixer-upper. This home is located in the small town of Merlot small community, and it reminds Jazzi of a country home one would find in an English novel.
On their first day on the job, they will be checking why one of the bedrooms is locked. Once they get the room unlocked, they can see that it had belonged to a teenaged girl. Jazzi contacts the previous owner and asks why it is locked, and she learns from her that it was that way when she bought the house and didn’t need the room, so she left it as is.
With cold weather coming, they would start the project by putting on a new roof. Just as Jazzi’s getting ready to start, the next-door neighbor approaches and asks about the project. Jazzi learns from the neighbor that the owner’s daughter was killed during her high school graduation party. She tells Jazzi that the girl’s boyfriend was a suspect of her murder, but the police could never get enough evidence to charge him with murder, and the murder was never solved. Shortly after that, the family locked the bedroom. The family then sold the house and moved to the East Coast.
Before Jazzi left for the day, she decided to look through the bedroom and found a chest that contained pictures and diaries of the girl. She decided to take them home and see if she could learn more about the girl. Shortly after reading some of the journals, Jazzi meets with her girlfriend, and they end up discussing the home Jazzi is renovating. It turns out that her brother-in-law is the young man that was considered the prime suspect at the time. She says he still has nightmares about the event and asks Jazzi if she could investigate. Jazzi is hesitant about looking into this “cold case,” as she has told Ansel that she won’t get involved with sleuthing anymore, besides it is outside her friendly detective’s jurisdiction. She learned from the diaries that her father constantly belittled the girl, and her brother could do no wrong in their father’s eyes. Jazzi convinces Ansel that they should look into the murder so that her friend’s brother-in-law can get closure.
The book is another well-written and plotted story from Judi Lynn. The book’s characters are well-developed and very believable. There were enough twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
There are recipes also included in the book.
I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this exciting series.
I enjoyed it, I’m interested in cooking and remodeling houses, so l liked it.
Wish i was able to work like them,
amateur-sleuth, cold-case, family-dynamics, friendship, murder-investigation, Indiana, small-town, small-business
Jazzi, her husband, and others work together to flip houses in a small town in Indiana. Earlier efforts have come with a skeleton or two, but none in this house. A young woman did die after being pushed and falling off the roof but the case went cold. Until now. Lots of good characters and some nasty ones, but all are lively and well portrayed. Good story with twists, red herrings, and real surprises. I’ve read a couple of earlier ones but the author easily inserts info about past investigations that make this one an easy stand alone. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!