Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Dressed to Drill by Kate Carlisle

 Dressed to Drill
Book Summary

Contractor Shannon Hammer’s new project, renovating an old church, reveals some old sins when a body is found on the premises in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times author Kate Carlisle.
While Shannon Hammer is thrilled to attend the premiere of the movie based on her boyfriend Mac’s latest book, she can’t wait to trade her killer heels for work boots and start her next renovation project in Lighthouse Cove: a quaint Victorian church that has seen better days. And will see them again—as a museum—if Shannon, her talented crew, and her sister Chloe have anything to say about it.

But on the first day of demolition, work comes to a screeching halt when they stumble on the body of a beautiful young woman in one of the chapels. Who killed the assistant art director? Suspects crawl out of the woodwork as fast as Shannon can restore it. The church is hiding a century of secrets from the days that smugglers wreaked havoc on the California coast. But it’s a more recent secret that someone killed to protect. Shannon and Mac will use every tool in their toolbox to nail down the truth before any more lives are sacrificed.
My Thoughts

Dressed to Drill by Kate Carlisle takes us back to Lighthouse Cove where Shannon Hammer is remodeling a Gothic Victorian church into an art museum.  It is just the type of project that Shannon enjoys.  The church has beautiful features including a unique cabinet in the sacristy.    I enjoyed the vivid word imagery that allowed me to visualize the church and the town.  Shannon has a good team to help her with the renovations.  She has added a new lighting expert that she met in Hollywood when visiting her sister, Chloe.  It turns out that Buck has family in Lighthouse Cove (what a coincidence).  I know that Shannon has a good team of workers, and she appreciates them.  It is something that is mentioned often throughout the story (a few too many times).  The whodunit was fun.  A dead assistant in the sacristy.  Shannon found clues that she happily pointed out to Eric, the chief of police.  I like that Shannon and Mac bounce ideas off each other and their Scooby Doo game is amusing.  There are clues to help readers solve the crime before the reveal.  I wish the mystery had been more complex.  There was a repetition of details as Shannon shared information with Mac, Eric, and her group of friends (who gathered helpful information).  There were some intriguing points that I enjoyed.  An old church is bound to have secrets.  Shannon is good at finding those enigmas.  

Shannon and Mac are a happy couple.  You can tell that they love each other and know each other very well.  I did not feel, though, that we needed to be told this so frequently.  The ending will please fans of the series.  Dressed to Drill is the tenth A Fixer-Upper Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone for those new to A Fixer-Upper Mysteries.  I appreciated the humor dispersed throughout the story.  Dressed to Drill is a fun, lighthearted story with great characters and a beautiful setting (I would love to live in Lighthouse Cove).  Dressed to Drill is an entertaining tale with a movie premiere, a church reconstruction, a slain assistant, an abundance of boxes, a curious cabinet, and a special surprise. 

Dressed to Drill is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other A Fixer-Upper Mysteries here.  Kate Carlisle has The Twelve Books of Christmas coming out on October 24.  It is the seventeenth A Bibliophile Mystery.  You can find Kate Carlisle's other books hereThe Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher came out today along with The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel, The Ghost Goes to the Dogs by Cleo Coyle, The Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patti Callahan Henry, All the Days of Summer by Nancy Thayer, and The Wedding Planner by Danielle Steel.  Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I am featuring The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It is the second book in the Cape Cod Creamery series.  I hope that you have a sunny day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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