Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly

Welcome!  I hope all of you staying safe and healthy.  Have You Seen Me? by Kate White releases on April 28 along with Murder in the Wine Country by Janet Finsilver.  Secrets of the Treasure King by Terry Ambrose comes out April 29.  To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid publishes on May 12 as well as A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette.  There are many new books coming out over the next couple of months (and I have requested too many once again).  

Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly has Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck purchasing a home on Songbird Circle in Nashville, Tennessee to flip.  The owner recently passed away and her two sons sold it to them.  They do a walk through on Friday to make plans on how to proceed with updating the outdated abode.  The house is littered with items the heirs did not want which means additional work for the cousins.  Whitney arrives early on Saturday to begin the clean up and demoing process.  She is unable to get the front door to open.  She comes in through the garage to find a woman dead at the bottom of the stairs blocking the front door.  Whitney gets another surprise when a man in pajamas comes up the stairs from the lower level.  Dakota was not aware that his grandmother’s home had been sold and let himself in using the key in the frog on the front porch (change locks just moved up on the to do list).  At first it looks like the victim died from falling down the stairs.  Then Detective Collin Flynn shows up at Whitney’s home.  It seems that someone helped the deceased down the steps and Detective Flynn asks Whitney for her assistance. The victim is Nelda Dolan who lived across the street.  The residents of Songbird Lane are a tight knit bunch who have lived on the street for decades.  Whitney finds herself invited to the ladies Friday night poker game which gives her an opportunity to snoop.  She soon learns that Lillian Walsh, who owned Whitney’s latest flip, was an expert baker who won numerous blue ribbons.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Walsh took her recipes to the grave with her. The neighbors miss Lillian’s peach pie more than Nelda Dolan.   Could that be the reason Nelda was in the home?  Whitney continues to work on the flip while searching for clues.  What happens when the killer decides Whitney is too close for comfort?

Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly is the second book in A House-Flipper Mystery series.  Dead in the Doorway can be read without having picked up Dead as a Doorknocker.  However, I recommend reading the cute debut of this series.  A House-Flipper Mystery series is similar to A Paw Enforcement series written by Diane Kelly with chapters from an animal’s point-of-view. Sawdust, Whitney’s cat, is cute and smart, and I like reading about his perspective on things.  I would like his chapters to have a wee bit more humor (I love Brigit’s snarky comments from A Paw Enforcement series).  I thought Dead in the Doorway contained good writing, steady pacing and friendly characters.  Whitney Whitaker works as property manager as well as a carpenter (for her uncle’s carpentry business).  Her true love, though, is flipping houses which she does with her cousin, Buck Whitaker.  They are both hoping for a better experience after the murder that happened in their first slip that prevented them from selling it (Whitney and two roommates are currently living in it).  Whitney arrives early on demo day to find a woman dead at the base of the stairs and the deceased owner’s grandson squatting in the house (that gets the blood pumping).  At first blush, it appears the victim fell down the steps during the night.  Unfortunately, Detective Collin Flynn soon informs Whitney that the victim did not fall on her own.  Whitney, who was going to snoop anyway, is thrilled when Detective Flynn asks for her assistance.  There are definite sparks flying between the detective and Whitney (and he is a cat lover too).  The mystery had a handful of suspects along with misdirection.  There are clues to aid a reader in solving the crime.  I would have preferred more sleuthing and less speculation.  There was too much conjecture for my liking (I ended up skimming through some of it because it was repetitive).  My favorite line from Dead in the Doorway is courtesy of Detective Flynn when he said, “You again?” when he sees Whitney at the crime scene. I did enjoy reading Dead in the Doorway, and I will be reading the next A House-Flipper Mystery with Whitney, Buck, Detective Flynn and Sawdust.    Dead in the Doorway is a purr-fect cozy mystery to cuddle up with in a comfy chair.

Handwritten Recipe for Peach Pie

Dead in the Doorway is available from Amazon*.  Click here to read an excerpt from Dead in the Doorway courtesy of Diane Kelly. Dead as a Doorknocker (first book in this series) is also available from Amazon.  You can find Diane Kelly's A Paw Enforcement series here. Thank you for visiting today.  I will return tomorrow to share Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer.  I hope that you have a relaxing day.  By the way. . .How did you manage to get hit on the head by a book?  I only have my shelf to blame!  Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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