Dead as a Door Knocker

Meet Whitney Whitaker. A hopeless romantic when it comes to real estate, she knows what it takes to find—and flip—the home of one’s dreams. A fixer-upper is like catnip to Whitney: she can’t resist the challenge of turning an eyesore into a priceless work of art. So when one of her clients decides to liquidate a crumbling property, Whitney seizes the opportunity to purchase it for a song. Soon a curious incident of the cat in the night-time leads to a change in tune. . .

Sawdust is the name of Whitney’s cat—of course. Whitney’s passion for gut-renovation may be a mystery to him, but one thing Sawdust knows for sure is this: Dead bodies don’t belong in flower beds. So why is there one in this new, albeit old, house? Now it’s up to Whitney, along with the help of hot-and-cold Nashville Police Detective Collin Flynn, to find the truth about what happened before the mortgaged property forecloses and Whitney loses her investment and maybe her own life.

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Series: A House Flipper Mystery – Book #1
Author: Diane Kelly
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Business
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Rating:

The first book in this series from author Diane Kelly, Dead as a Door Knocker is an exciting debut. The characters feel like old friends and get into situations that make the reader smile and at times, outright laugh. St. Martin’s has a winner on its hands. Ms. Kelly has been writing two other series and is the award-winning author of the Tara Holloway and Paw Enforcement series.

Whitney loves home renovation, she isn’t a girlie girl, and never was. When other girls wanted to play princess, she wanted to build something. She will pick up a hammer before she will a lipstick. Branching out into the home renovation business could be lucrative, and with her cousin, Buck helping, it shouldn’t take long to turn a profit. But everything goes wrong right from the start. Fire, vandalism, and murder.

The characters in this first book have plenty of personality. Whitney’s cousin Buck has pluck and comes to her defense whenever necessary. Whitney’s charming employers are loving, kind, and willing to help Whitney when they can, even if it costs them business. The star of this book beside Whitney is her cat Sawdust. He is a lovable little fur-ball; the chapter headings of Sawdust’s thoughts are worth the read alone.

The setting of this book in Kentucky brings to mind cool walks on quiet dirt roads along with the sound of birds singing, and cicada’s on hot summer days; winters may not get a lot of snow and ice, but it will still have you longing for a warm fire and hot cocoa.

The murderer is not necessarily a surprise. However, the unraveling of the clues takes a bit of thinking, as all good mysteries should. Dead as a Door Knocker is the delightful combination of fun and mystery that cozy writers strive for in their books. It is entertaining, fast-paced, and well written. The plot stays true, the twists and turns keep readers turning the page. I look forward to reading more books in this series and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fun-filled who-done-it.