The charming homes of River Bluffs, Indiana, make perfect projects for house-flipper Jazzi Zanders. Less charming is her hothead brother-in-law, who's a bit of a fixer-upper himself.
But could he also be a murderer?
Jazzi married her gorgeous contractor Ansel—not his family. But somehow she keeps living with them. So she's delighted to help Ansel's brother Radley move out of their home and into his own place, in the same building as his work supervisor, Donovan. But when Donovan is shot and his apartment ransacked following an argument with Ansel and Radley's older brother Bain, their sibling becomes a suspect—especially after his missing gun turns up as the murder weapon.
Told not to leave town by Detective Gaff, big brother moves in with . . . Jazzi and Ansel. Now Jazzi needs to prove Bain's no killer, not only to keep him out of jail—but to get him out of their house. What was the killer looking for in Donovan's apartment? And what will happen to the next person who gets in the way?
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After several months of Ansel's brother Radley staying with them, he's finally moving out into his own place, an apartment downtown that's right upstairs from his friend and co-worker Donovan. On moving day, older brother Bain shows up to drag Radley home to Wisconsin, but Radley's not having it. As the move is finishing up, Bain starts an argument with Donovan and when Donovan returns to his apartment, he's shot by an intruder and dies soon after. Under suspicion, Bain is forced to stay in town with Jazzi and Ansel until he is cleared as a suspect. Meanwhile, Jazzi teams up again with Gaff to find a killer among several ex-cons recently out of prison. Which one is callous enough to kill for money?
There was a whole lot going on in this one, and the plot was a little bit darker than a lot of cozy mysteries. Still, it was compelling, there was no shortage of suspects and no shortage of attacks related to a search for missing money from an earlier heist. I loved that so many of the characters redeemed themselves as the book went on, from Bain mellowing from a curmugeonly ape to a happier man to former thug Jarrett, who is trying desperately to keep his nose clean and out of jail.
The culprit wasn't a big surprise, but the exciting ending made for a great conclusion and overall, a very enjoyable read. Onto the next!
Reading updates
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Started reading
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19 July, 2020:
Finished reading
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19 July, 2020:
Reviewed