Primer and Punishment
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are looking once again to rehab and resell a house, only this particular house is made of fiberglass, floats, and has been dubbed the Skinny Dipper. The old houseboat sure could use some work, but the unusual project has Whitney bubbling with excitement until she meets the neighbor and his ex-wives.
The charming and handsome Grant Hardisty lives on the cabin cruiser in the adjacent slip, but the cousins soon learn he’s left a half dozen angry ex-wives in his wake and made enemies of all sorts of unsavory folks. The man is caught in an increasingly dangerous current with no life preserver in sight.
Whitney and Buck are spraying primer on their houseboat when KABOOM! Grant’s boat blows sky high with the man himself inside. Detective Collin Flynn has no shortage of suspects, but the waters become muddied when several of them confess to the crime. Is one of those who confessed truly guilty, or are they taking a dive for someone else? When anonymous threats are made against the cousins, Whitney must quickly determine who killed their neighbor at the lake, or she and Buck might also be sunk.
The Details
Series: A House-Flipper Mystery – Book #5
Author: Diane Kelly
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Renovation
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 1250816068
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
The Review
Renovating a houseboat while staying on it seems enticing to Whitney and Buck and the perfect setting for Buck and Collette’s bachelor and bachelorette parties. That is, until the neighbor’s ex-wives show up, and his boat is blown into smithereens, along with its owner, and sends Sawdust flying into the lake. Is it murder or just a horrible accident? There is only one way to find out, Whitney is on the case.
The cast of suspects is plentiful, colorful and gives readers endless possibilities. Sawdust is at his feline finest. But when several suspects confess to the murder of a neighbor near her and Buck’s houseboat project, it makes readers sit up and take notice. Throw in a couple of ex-wives, a deal gone wrong, and you have everything needed for mystery and intrigue. The motive and means are cut and dried; there is no need to search for why the victim is blown to pieces. The only thing readers need to figure out is the who. But this might not be as easy as some may think.
The killer’s identity is slowly revealed, and honestly, no one is surprised. But as usual, uncovering a killer is never easy and always puts Whitney in peril. The narration of Sawdust is a fun part of this series, and readers will be happy to know that he plays a significant role in this story. The situation with the ex-wives is cleared up, and the houseboat is finished in the nick of time. Primer and Punishment is a welcome addition to the series and will leave fans clamoring for more.
The Author
Diane Kelly is a former state assistant attorney general and tax advisor who spent much of her career fighting, or inadvertently working for, white-collar criminals. She is also a proud graduate of the Citizens Police Academy of Mansfield, Texas. Diane combines her fascination with crime and her love of animals in her stories. Diane now lives in North Carolina, where she spends her days catering to her demanding cats or walking her dogs in the region’s beautiful woods. Contact Diane on social media or her website.
Another book from the “House Flipper Mystery” series readers will want to spend time with is Batten Down the Belfry or from one of Diane’s other series, “The Mountain Lodge Mysteries” Getaway With Murder.
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