Welcome to River Bluffs, Indiana, a cozy small town populated with charming homes, close-knit families, and the occasional deadly secret . . . House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod have found their latest project. The property, formerly owned by the late Cal Juniper, is filled with debris that must be cleared before the real renovation begins. But a trip to the attic reveals … attic reveals something more disturbing than forgotten garbage—a skeleton wearing a locket and rings that Jazzi recognizes . . .
Tests confirm that the bones belong to Jazzi’s aunt Lynda, who everyone assumed moved to New York years ago after breaking up with Cal. Soon enough, the whole family is involved, sifting through memories and rumors as they try to piece together what really happened to Lynda—and the baby she gave up for adoption. In between investigating and remodeling, Jazzi is falling for the old house’s charms—and for her gorgeous contractor, Ansel. But with surprises lurking in every nook and cranny, a killer might be waiting to demolish her dreams for good . . .
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What a great read! If you’re looking for a cozy that combines wonderful characters, a delectable murder mystery plot rife with numerous suspects and stellar writing, look no further! I loved this entertaining introduction to a new series by author Judi Lynn. Jazzi and her cousin Jerod flip houses along with Ansel, a local contractor who helps with the gut-and-remodel work. They make a great team and have a wonderful friendship (although there are plenty of sparks under the surface between Jazzi and Ansel). The latest house they undertake comes complete with a body in a trunk in the attic. And that’s just the beginning of this twisty read that delves into secret histories, family dynamics, old rivalries and more.
George, the pug, is a fun addition, as are Jazzi’s weekly Sunday dinners with her large and colorful family. I felt like I got to know each of them. I also really enjoyed seeing how the remodel job on the house progressed, and loved watching the whodunit murder mystery unfold.
I can’t wait for the next book in this engaging series!
The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn has readers traveling to River Bluffs, Indiana. Jasmine “Jazzi” Zanders runs a home flipping business with her cousin, Jerrod. Their newest acquisition belonged to Cal Juniper who was once engaged to Jazzi’s aunt, Lynda who disappeared twenty-six years ago. They are moving a trunk in the attic when they hear rattling inside it. When they open the trunk, they find a woman’s body. Jazzi notices the silver locket around the victim’s neck and knows she has found Lynda. Detective Richard Gaff is assigned the case, but it will be difficult to solve such an old crime. Family and friends are shocked by the discovery and try to remember the events that transpired prior to Lynda vanishing. Jazzi, Jerrod and their contractor, Ansel proceed with the renovation and notice that the water is not draining properly. Jerrod is digging near the septic tank when he makes a gruesome discovery. As Jazzi works on the house, she falls in love with its beauty and decides to make it her home. Ansel has great ideas for the rooms and works with Jazzi on the finishes. As the family reminisces about Lynda, Jazzi learns helpful information and shares with Detective Gaff who includes her in the investigation. Someone, though, feels threatened by Jazzi and makes threatening phone calls. Will Jazzi get to enjoy her new home or will she up the next victim?
The Body in the Attic is easy to read thanks to the author’s conversational writing style. The book has a nice, steady pace and good flow. I liked the characters and the home renovation angle. Jazzi is twenty-seven years old who has been working with her cousin, Jerrod for the last four years. They buy run down homes and fix them up. Ansel, a tall handsome blonde man (think Viking), is their contractor and Jazzi’s friend. Jazzi is attracted to Ansel, but he is currently living with prima donna, Emily. Ansel and Emily’s relationship is on the rocks when she takes a job in California and expects him to follow her. I did find too much of the book devoted to Ansel and Emily’s relationship. It competed with the mystery and it followed an expected path (reminded me of a romance novel). I loved Ansel’s little pug, George who is his faithful companion. George is a spoiled little pooch and he has attitude (he drinks beer too). Jazzi is the most developed character in the book. It would have been nice if the author fleshed out the main characters more in The Body in the Attic. I like that Jazzi is close to her family and hosts Sunday dinner for them at her place. She has a loving relationship with her grandmother who is in the early stages of dementia. There are two mysteries in the story. There are a couple of suspects in each one. The investigating is focused on Jazzi and Detective Gaff talking with various people and gathering information. Jazzi makes various connections based on the information obtained. Both mysteries can be solved before the reveal. Detective Gaff is a friendly, likeable man and willingly includes Jazzi. I did find it unrealistic that a detective would take a civilian along when questioning suspects and that he would share so many details regarding the cases. I enjoyed the descriptions of Jazzi’s finished house. I especially loved how she finished the kitchen ceiling. There are recipes at the end of The Body in the Attic for the dishes Jazzi created. The Body in the Attic is a light cozy mystery perfect for reading on a relaxing Saturday afternoon. I look forward to reading The Body in the Wetlands when is releases.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What a great start to this new cozy mystery series. We meet Jazzi who is part of a house flipping team. They buy what sounds like a cute house only to find not one but two bodies while renovating. One of them happens to be her missing Aunt while the other is a surprise to them all. Well written taking place in what sounds like a delightful Indiana town. Full of home repair tidbits in between the investigating. Perfect for fans of home improvement as well as mystery. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
cozy-mystery, romantic, law-enforcement, women-sleuths, murder-investigation, red-herrings, twisty
A fun trio of house flippers, a beautiful but abused house which was recently rented by a slob who sold off most of the contents, and a skeleton resting comfortably in a trunk in the attic.
The chief of detectives enters the plot, helps to identify the corpse, and utilizes Jazzy to help to deal with the family, one of whom is Jazzy’s mother and sister to the deceased. Lots of twists and red herrings, interesting characters both good and vile, threats and warnings, as well as a sleepy beloved pet dog.
It held my attention so well that I stayed up reading till finished!
A very good read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Very good!! I really enjoy the character of Jazzi. She is independent, fun, and strong. I like the house-flipping idea and think it would be neat to be able to see the potential a house has and redesign. Jazzi and her cousin, Jerod, find the body of Jazzi’s Aunt Lynda in the house they are fixing up. Everyone assumed she had gone off to New York many years ago and just disappeared. Later, they find the body of the young man Lynda had given up for adoption. Jazzi helps the police investigate and try to find the killer or killers. Truly intriguing. I love the closeness of Jazzi’s family and the relationship between her and her cousin, Jerod. Can’t wait to read more of this fun series and see more of Jazzi and Ansel’s relationship!!
Kept buying the next book in the series to see what happened next.
The FIRST in a new series and I actually am reading it in order! If you’ve read many of my reviews, you know that this is unusual for me. I’m super excited because this was also a brand-new-to-me author. New author, new series, yeah, I was pretty excited. So, let’s get started, shall we?
First of all, I would like to address the characters. LOVED them. Well-written, witty banter, realistic issues among them, I couldn’t find anything with the characters that I didn’t like. They had unique careers that haven’t been overly done in the genre and it lent itself well to the way the story was written and progressed. The interpersonal relationships were fun but what impressed me the most was all the FEELS in this book. I wasn’t crying over every little thing but the emotional ride you are taken on was amazing. The characters were so easy to connect to and the plot was done so well that there wasn’t anything to take you out of the story. That just doesn’t happen. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. I was so caught up in it, I didn’t even find myself trying to guess “whodunnit” or which next twist or turn would come. Speaking of twists and turns, there were definitely many.
Secondly, this was a pretty informative book. I know nothing about flipping houses. I don’t watch fixer upper shows all that much. This book introduced a lot of new information to me but did so in a manner that I didn’t feel as though I was being educated. There are times that I read a book and have to use the dictionary to learn all the various terms that are unique to the niche it focuses on. That didn’t happen with this book. Everything was so well written into the story that I followed it very easily.
Lastly, the settings were all incredible. I could easily see layouts in my head. I wasn’t bored by the descriptions of various places but instead found myself easily envisioning each step through the eyes of the various characters. I could feel the heat and humidity while sitting outside at a picnic table. I could feel the house being worked on slowly becoming a more refreshing temperature once the central air had been installed. These are fairly common and boring events that were conveyed in a manner that they simply slipped by unnoticed.
Verdict? As I said earlier, I loved this book. I cannot wait to read more in this series. Judi Lynn is an extremely talented author.
Thank you so much to Judi Lynn, Kensington Books/Lyrical Underground, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
The Body in the Attic, the first Jazzi Zanders Mystery, was a surprisingly emotive cozy for me. Judy Lynn, the author, really causes me to care about the deaths (count ‘em- two) in the novel. I think this may be why The Body in the Attic stands
out to me. Usually, the dead people are so odious everybody, including the reader, is glad they’re gone. In this case, I guess I felt real pain for those left behind.
Jazzi and her cousin Jerod are house flippers who find a certain body in the attic of the latest house they are fixing up. I love the love triangle that Ansel, their construction contractor, gets involved in, but it was weird.
For once I thought sure I knew who was guilty. But no, Lynn did a great job and I missed it by a mile.
Great snarky quote?
“…she chased dollar signs harder than greyhounds chase rabbits.”
I do need to add the caveat that I do not agree with all situations and language in the book, but I still enjoyed this new start to a series and look forward to the next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own and no positive review was required.
Great start to a new cozy mystery series.
Jazzi lives in River Bluffs, Indiana flipping houses with her cousin and smokin’ hot contractor Ansel. Their current house belonged to Cal, the ex-fiance of Jazzi’s aunt. Problem is they find Jazzi’s aunt stuffed in a trunk in the attic. Jazzi is on a mission to find out who killed her aunt. During the investigation, more secrets are dug up. Will Jazzi find the killer before the off button is flipped on her life?
I originally thought to give this book 3.5 stars but the mystery warranted 4 stars. What did I not like about the book? The constant bashing Jazzi did of Ansel’s girlfriend. Every time the girlfriend was mentioned she bashed her and it began to feel like bullying. I got it, Jazzi did not like her and she did have some unsavory qualities.
Jazzi’s romance moved way too quick. I don’t care she knew him already. I just don’t think good romances move that fast. The romance overshadowed the mystery unnecessarily at times. I almost feel as if there is nothing left to discover in additional books between Jazzi and her boyfriend unless they get married very quickly.
What did I like about the book? George the Pug! George is a very cute and spoiled pupper. The visual you get when reading Ansel carrying George up and down the stairs is precious. I liked the Sunday family dinners. The dinners added a good reality touch and showed how everyone is connected in some way. The mystery was excellent even if overshadowed.
I will read the second book in the series to see how the story progresses.
I received a complimentary copy from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Judi Lynn is one of my all-time favorites. I love this series with its relatable characters and realistic crimes. I highly recommend.
This book is a fun and entertaining mystery. It’s also the story of friends and family, with charming characters and details about renovations, decorating, and delicious sounding foods. I found this to be a delightful and captivating read with twists and turns along the way. I look forward to continuing with the series.
Great book.
Very good story
Great read!
I liked the characters. A different storyline.
I really enjoyed this book although it was kind of predictable
Very exciting murder mystery. Great characters.
This is an excellent story. Fun characters. My only pause was that the main character didn’t seem as distraught over the murder of her cousin. It was clear she didn’t know he existed, but I know I would have been very upset to have lost a family member.
Fast read