Primer and Punishment (House-Flipper Mystery #5) by Diane Kelly #bookreview #mystery
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Title: Primer and Punishment
Author: Diane Kelly
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Page Count: 296
My rating: 5 stars
About the book:
Primer and Punishment marks the fifth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker has a knack for nailing down murderers . . . but this time she might just come unmoored.
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 is the fifth book in the cozy House-Flipper Mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries each of these books in the series could be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so as the mystery within is fully solved during the book. There is of course some character development carried over book to book for those fans following in order from the beginning.
In the House-Flipper Mystery series Whitney Whitaker had been working as a property manager to pay the bills while she had been living in her parents pool house with her cat, Sawdust. Real estate and renovating were really Whitney’s passions so whenever she got the chance she was diving into the house flipping business with her cousin Buck.
This time around Whitney’s cousin Buck has really taken Whitney out of her comfort zone looking for their next rehab project. Buck stumbled upon an old houseboat named the Skinny Dipper for sale and is convinced it will bring in a nice profit. Unfortunately for Buck and Whitney though another murder occurs when their neighbor at the marina boat explodes.
The House-Flipper Mystery series is another that I have followed from the very start and have fallen in love with reading. I have a secret HGTV addiction so the whole renovation side appealed to me to start but I come back each time enjoying the characters and the humor I find within. This is a great series for those that love a little laughter and a lot of fun in their cozy reads!
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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About the author:
A former tax advisor, Diane Kelly inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals more than once. Not surprisingly, Diane decided self-employment would be a good idea. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her Death and Taxes romantic mystery series. A graduate of her hometown’s Citizen Police Academy, Diane Kelly also writes the hilarious K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, and the House Flipper cozy mystery series. 2021 marked the debut of her new Southern Homebrew moonshine series and her Mountain Lodge Mysteries with The Moonshine Shack Murder and Getaway with Murder.
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Carries Book Reviews 
Another great review, Carrie. I haven’t starting this series yet, but hope to before too long. Maybe a bingeread. I enjoy house flipper shows and books and throw in a mystery, and I’m in.
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Thanks Carla!! I’ve really enjoyed this one, hope you do too if you get the chance to read them! 😀
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