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.
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 clearly 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.
Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly has Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck moving to the lake. Their latest flipping project is a houseboat
called the Skinny Dipper. Since the
project will only be a few weeks, It will be easier for them to stay on the
houseboat while they work on it (an added bonus is the glorious weather and the
gorgeous lake). Grant Hardisty is on the
Sexy Sheila in the adjacent slip. He is
a charmer who likes to fish and peruse dating sites. The cousins are painting the primer on the
exterior of the boat one day when the Sexy Sheila with Grant on board goes
KABOOM! There are a string of suspects. Grant has several ex-wives and he owed money
to several people. The case becomes confusing
when Detective Collin Flynn has various suspects coming into the precinct to
confess. Whitney dives into the case
when one of the suspects son’s asks for her assistance. Someone, though, is not happy that Whitney is
poking her nose into the case. Will she
be able to identify the killer before he strikes again?
Primer and Punishment is the fifth A House-Flipper Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series or if you have missed a book. I was immediately drawn into this engaging cozy mystery. I liked Whitney and Buck’s latest flip. It was interesting learning about a houseboat. I can certainly see the perks to living on one. Buck and Collette (Whitney’s roommate and friend) are getting married. There is wedding planning and preparations for their bachelor and bachelorette parties. The houseboat is the perfect venue for both parties. Whitney finds herself drawn into the murder of Grant Hardisty, the man who lived on the houseboat next to them. Whitney ends up with a lengthy suspect list. Grant had a string of ex-wives and owed money to several people. The mystery kept Whitney hopping. I enjoyed piecing together the clues and identifying the bad guy. I was delighted with the stimulating reveal. Sawdust had a good time on the houseboat. He was not a fan, though, of his life vest. He did enjoy getting to meet a new friend. The chapters from Sawdust’s point-of-view are entertaining (they make you smile and laugh). The ending of Primer and Punishment will delight fans of the series. Primer and Punishment is a cute cozy with a feline in a life vest, a joyful JoJo, party planning, a slain smooth talker, an overhauled houseboat, a wonderful wedding, and a special surprise.
Primer and Punishment is available from Amazon*. You can find the other A House-Flipper Mysteries here. Diane Kelly has Fiddling with Fate publishing on April 4. It is the third A Southern Homebrew Mystery. On October 24, Snow Place for Murder comes out. It is the third book in The Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Thank you for stopping by today. I will return on Tuesday, March 7 with Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs. It is the latest A Tea Shop Mystery.
Kris
The
Avid Reader
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
No comments:
Post a Comment