Diane Kelly

Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly is the debut of The Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Misty Murphy has just signed her divorce papers ending her twenty-year marriage on her fiftieth birthday. She is starting over in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Misty has purchased a rustic lodge where she spent many vacations. Her new venture gets off to a bad start when minor drainage damage turns into a major problem. Misty is fortunate to get Rocky Crowder, the local handyman, to complete the repairs just show more in time for a yoga retreat. The owner of the yoga studio turns out to be demanding and rude. The yoga instructor is murdered putting Misty’s new venture at risk. Misty must use her skills to locate the killer before her new lodge is sunk permanently. Getaway with Murder is an engaging new cozy mystery. It is well-written with steady pacing and realistic characters. Misty is a smart, resourceful, and friendly. I like that she is fifty and experiencing menopause systems. I could certainly relate to her hot flashes. There are some great secondary characters that include Rocky the handyman, Patty who owns the local diner, and Brynn the assistant and housekeeper. I thought Diane Kelly captured the area with her beautiful descriptions. The winding roads up the mountain, the trees, the cool air, the Southern food, the mountains, and the Appalachian trail. The whodunit was fun with several suspects. I enjoyed piecing together the clues. I liked Misty’s approach to sleuthing. There is humor scattered throughout the story and I loved the chapters from Yeti’s (Misty’s cat) point-of-view. I thought the author really captured a cat’s personality (this is a feline with catitude). Getaway with Murder was a fun story that made me smile. I am eager for the next book in The Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Getaway with Murder is a welcome whodunit with a hunky handyman, a Wiccan assistant, an intense yoga instructor, a missing singing bowl, a lodge in peril, and a setup trail trekker. show less

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

A well-written cozy mystery series should be accessible at any point of the series. That is absolutely true with this charming, fast-reading novel. The Barn Identity is the 8th entry in the House-Flipper series, and I haven't read any of the previous books, but I had no problem getting into this book. Whitney is in the business of flipping houses, but this time gets a new proposition: fixing up a run-down old barn that was part of the Underground show more Railroad. When pregnant Whitney finds a dead journalist at the work site, she can't help but dig into the truth of what happened.

The author definitely know the Tennessee setting well. There is a lot of fascinating local and historical info, along with a intriguing industrial know-how on construction. Whitney is an engaging character, nosey without being obnoxious or foolhardy. Her investigation leads her into different aspects of local society, including an elitist church with some deeply nuanced characterizations; I especially liked how the surprising way some details emerged at the end.

I'm very glad I picked this book up, and I'd love to read more in the series! show less

The sixth in the House Flippers series has Whitney and her cousin Beau renovating an old fire station in Germantown, a Nashville suburb. This leads them to a townhouse around the corner from the fire station which is owned by a bunch of feuding siblings. The owner of the attached townhouse - widowed Joanna Hartzell - is afraid that the neglected building is bringing down her property values.

After some legal manipulations, including quit claim deeds, Whitney and Beau add the townhouse to show more their slate of renovations. But arson at the fire station, vandalism in the townhouse, and the suspicious death of Joana are delaying their renovations plans. Whitney needs to solve the murder and get the reno done at the fire station because she and her fiancé detective Collin are planning to use it as the venue for their upcoming wedding.

With a wide variety of suspects including the arguing siblings, the man across the street who wants to buy the newly renovated townhouse, the victim's daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, and the family from across the street who also really want to move into the renovated townhouse, Whitney has plenty of people to investigate.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoyed the chapters told by Sawdust, Whitney's cat. show less

Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly is an entertaining cozy mystery. I always look forward to catching up with Whitney, Buck, and Sawdust in the latest A House Flipper Mystery. While Dead Post Society is the seventh A House Flipper Mystery, it can be read as a standalone (but you will want to read all the books in this cute series). Whitney and Buck have purchased a brick Victorian to flip, but it has a history. Whitney finds a bullet in a decrepit porch post and then bullet holes in the house show more that line up with the bullet’s final location. Whitney does some digging and learns about the crime that occurred in the Victorian many years ago (this is a very cold case). There are strange shadows and noises in the house. I suspected who the guilty party was early on but enjoyed following Whitney in her quest for the truth. I like Whitney who is smart and caring plus she has a husband who loves and understands her (she also loves cats). Whitney is also an excellent carpenter who rocks a pair of overalls. The ending is sweet, and fans of the series will love it. I hope that this is not the final book in this delightful series. There is a poem at the beginning of each chapter that ties in nicely with the books title. I love the chapters from Sawdust’s point of view. The author really captures cat behavior and, I think, how they think (I laugh at Sawdust’s thoughts). Dead Post Society is a cute cozy with a decrepit Victorian, a bullet in a post, a cold case, a clever cat, and a cheerful couple. show less