Flipped Out (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery Book 5)

The Do-It-Yourself Mysteries are written by Jennie Bentley about a couple who solve crimes as they buy, renovate, and flip houses in Maine.In the first book, "Fatal Fixer-Upper", Avery Baker, who is a NY textile designer, receives a letter from her 98-year old Great-Aunt in Maine asking her to come up and visit. When she arrives her Aunt has just died under mysterious circumstances and Avery inherits the run-down Victorian house. With the intention of selling it, Avery contracts with Derek Ellis to do the majority of the renovation work while Avery does the decorating. A professor from the local college goes missing, his bike is found in the shed of the Aunt's back garden, antiques from the Great-Aunt's house go missing, and Avery comes across a story about Marie Antoinette's furnishing on a capsized ship off Maine. What do they have in common?The next book "Spackled & Spooked" finds Avery has decided to settle in the small town, and with her new boyfriend and business partner Derek, they create a professional renovation and restoration business. They buy and are refurbish a 1950s ranch style house rumored to be haunted when the work is interrupted by finding a woman's skeleton in the crawlspace.The third book "Plaster & Poison" have the local B&B owner Kate and the Waterfield Police Chief Wayne getting married. They ask Avery and Derek to renovate an old carriage house behind the B&B so they can use it as their private residence away from the paying guests. Kate's ex-husband is found murdered on site of the carriage house while it is being restored and Derek sister is missing after she comes home having left her husband. Avery and Derek find out what happened to everyone."Mortar and Murder" has Avery and Derek take on the renovation of a decrepit 1783 center-chimney Colonial house on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Their nearest neighbor is a crime thriller novelist who lives on the island only half the year, a cat, and a caretaker. Avery and Derek find bodies of young Russian women floating dead in the water. How does it all fit together?In "Flipped Out" Avery and Derek renovate the home of local news anchor Tony "the Tiger" Micelli as part of a DIY series on TV. But, of course, the Tiger is found murdered and Avery and Derek must nail the real killer because Derek ex-wife Melissa, who was also Tony's fiancée, is under suspicion.

I picked up Fatal Fixer-Upper, the first book in this series, as I was beginning an extensive fixer-upper project of my own. I've enjoyed the four previous titles in the series and found Flipped Out to be the best one yet.The main character, Avery, is a transplanted New Yorker who fell in love with Maine and her contractor boyfriend. Now she and boyfriend Derek are renovating another property. The projects that Avery concocts are fun and fit her flirty personality. The addition of the film-crew and the home renovation show deadline keep the story moving and give lots to consider when wondering who committed the crime.The characters who appear in all of the books are fully-drawn and likable. Avery and Derek's friends seem like the kind of people that would make living in a new place an adventure. Even Derek's snarky ex-wife is well-written and multi-faceted. The new characters introduced in Flipped Out are also more than caricatures.The mystery balances nicely with the romance and the work of renovating a home. Bentley also does a wonderful job of reminding readers of the other books how the characters got to where they are today without overwhelming the story. I don't think a reader would have to read the first four to follow the action in Flipped Out, but reading this one will surely make a reader pick up the other four.Though I had suspicions, and figured out most of the clues, I didn't know who had committed the crime for sure until it was revealed. That alone makes Jennie Bentley's book worth the read.The projects in the back of the book are perfect for both beginners and those with a little more experience.I highly recommend Flipped Out to fans of cozy mysteries and to all those brave enough to renovate anything.

product arrived on time and as described, would buy from this seller again

I really enjoyed this cozy murder mystery set in Waterfield, Maine. It is about our sleuth duo, property renovators, Avery Baker and Derek Ellis as they set off to do an episode of a popular reality television show, "Flipped Out!".Avery's new step-father,Noel asks the couple to help him out by renovating local newsman, Tony (the Tiger) Micelli's house. Tony uses the house as a rental and it could use some fixing up, but, the show requires it to be done in five days...yikes!As Avery and Derek try to get used to the filming crew, Tony arrives with his new fiancee, Derek's ex-wife, Melissa. Now Melissa is a pain in her neck, to Avery, but she is also their main realtor for their renovated homes, so must be tolerated. To everyone's shock, Tony knows Nina, the production manager from their joint beginnings in Missouri. Of course the reunited couple must share a meal out and catch up. Now Melissa isn't happy.With all this drama going on, Avery and Derek still remain optimistic about the project, that is until the next day...This was an entertaining mystery that had me chuckling throughout it as well. Also as an added bonus, there are wonderful handyman tips that I've used in up-keeping our own home.

This book was enjoyable and I have ordered more titles by the same author. Good mystery with some romance but not too much