The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn

The Body in the Attic

by Judi Lynn

About the Book

The Body in the Attic

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Lyrical Underground (November 27, 2018)

Paperback: 218 pages

ISBN-10: 1516108396

ISBN-13: 978-1516108398

Digital Print Length: 280 pages

ASIN: B07B741L6N

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 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 . . .

About the Author

Judi Lynn received a Master’s Degree from Indiana University as an elementary school teacher after attending the IPFW campus. She taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades for six years before having her two daughters.  She loves gardening, cooking and trying new recipes. Readers can visit her website at www.judithpostswritingmusings.com and her blog writingmusings.com.

My Thoughts

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.

The Body in the Attic is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.  Thank you for joining me today.  I hope you take the time to visit the other stops on the tour (see schedule below).  There are character interviews, reviews, guest posts, author interviews and character guest posts.  Tomorrow I am featuring Violet Tendencies by Kate Dyer-Seeley.  It is the second book in A Rose City Mystery series.  I hope to see you then.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 26 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 26 – The Montana Bookaholic  – REVIEW

November 27 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW

November 27 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

November 27 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

November 28 – My Devotional Thoughts – REVIEW

November 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

November 29 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Varietats - REVIEW, GUEST POST

November 30 – Here's How It Happened - REVIEW

December 1 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST*

December 1 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Laura's Interests – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 3 – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, GUEST POST

December 3 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW

December 4 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 5 – The Avid Reader  REVIEW

December 5 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT