I absoutely LOVED this book! I loved all the detail they put into redoing the house she inherited, how some of it relates to Marie Antoinette (i'm a history buff on royalty) and I second guessed myself on who did it. Very enjoyable read and a quick read at that...I finished it in a few hours as I couldn't put it down. I will look forward to the 2nd in the series!!

Share/Like this Review?

I really liked this debut, primarily because of the historical tidbits scattered throughout. Any time a book has just enough info to send me off on a research tangent, it has truly drawn me in.

This is a cozy and the characters are drawn well. Even though I picked out one of the possible bad guys fairly early on, there were enough plot twists to be fully satisfying all the way to the end. I also found myself deciding to keep this series for the home renovation tips.

Share/Like this Review?

This was a great, feel-good mystery! All of the characters are easy to like, you want the good-guys to win, and you want to find out who the bad guys are. It's easy to get entangled in this book and feel like you're in a historic house in Maine curled up with a few cats! It's an easy ready that leaves you wondering when you'll be able to get out and get the next one in the series!

Share/Like this Review?

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were colorful and believable. I loved that there was a bit of history interspersed within the book, and done in a way as not to lecture. I'm a big history buff and the idea of restoring a Victorian makes me itch to get my hands dirty. Her descriptions of Aunt Inga's home allowed me to pictured the entire house in my head. (Of course, it being my dream home made it that much easier :)

I loved Avery's character. Sometimes books written in the first person get a little wordy, and while we always knew what she was thinking, there wasn't a lot of extraneous information going on in her head as can sometimes be the case. She is real, down to earth and doesn't take herself too seriously.

I am looking forward to hearing more about her funky sense of design style, too.

I enjoyed her relationships in this book and the chemistry she shares with each character.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series.

Share/Like this Review?

In Fatal fixer-upper, Avery Baker is a Manhattan interior designer whose life is turned upside down when she receives a letter from an aunt she has seen since she was 5 years old. Aunt Inga summons Avery to Waterfield, Maine to help her get her affairs in order. Sadly the letter did not have enough postage and by the time Avery gets to Maine her aunt has passed away and left Avery her house and her cats. She receives an offer for the house, but learns the house would be worth much more if she just fixes it up a little. Enter handyman, Derek Ellis,to help her restore the house, but during the renovation all kinds of clues are uncovered that may lead to missing college professor who was working with Avery's aunt on some Wakefield history. Unfortunately Avery's life may be endangered if she continues to follow the clues.

A faced paced story that will hook you from the start. A perfect blend of cozy mystery with a little romance filled in.

Share/Like this Review?

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and several times, laughed out loud at the interplay. This author uses quite a bit of humor and there is very little profanity (which I like). As a lover of antiques and fixer-uppers, it hit the spot. This is a great cozy mystery and I didn't feel on edge like I do with some "thriller" types of mysteries. Am looking forward to the next one!

Share/Like this Review?

This book is much better than the title indicates. I'm getting a bit tired of all the "specialty" mysteries (tea rooms, knitting, real estate, house renovations,etc), but this one rises above most of the others. The characters are well drawn,the added home renovations are interesting without bogging down and I enjoyed the history and scenery presented. While I figured out "whodunit" before it was revealed it was still a great mystery.

Share/Like this Review?

I really loved this book! I can't wait to read the next one in the series! It is a quick and fun read. I got hooked rather quickly. For a first in a series it isn't so overloaded with characters that you're trying to remember who's who. I'm looking forward to seeing how the main character (Avery Baker) and her handyman evolves. I figured out the bad guy fairly quickly but stilled enjoyed reading how it all came together at the end.

Share/Like this Review?

What a great book! If you like the Sarah Graves "Home Repair is Homicide" series, you'll like this one as well. Just finished this book and have the second book in hand already! A cast of likeable characters, lots of twists in the plot, a little history thrown in, and it takes place in a small town on the Maine coast ~ what is not to like?

Share/Like this Review?

This was a wonderful book. Fast and fun read. Great story line with just a hint of romance involved. I was guessing who-done-it until the end. Can not wait to read more by this author!

Share/Like this Review?

I really enjoyed this book. Fun fast read, great start to a new series. Looking forward to the next book.

Share/Like this Review?

Very good first book in a series. Loved all the discussion around home repairs and furniture restoration. Nice touch at the end of the book detailing how to do some of the home repairs. Will definately read book 2.

Share/Like this Review?

Well written book. It was a surprise to me who was the actual murderer. Could not put the book down.

Share/Like this Review?

This was very good, totally believable and well written and edited. This will not disappoint the reader. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series. :)

Share/Like this Review?

I really enjoyed this book. The DIY aspect and how it came about was realistic and suited the character's likes and abilities. Also, her relationship with the handyman developed naturally. This is also the first book in a long time where I didn't guess the conclusion until close to the end. I'm really looking forward to reading more and seeing how the series develops.

Share/Like this Review?

First Line: The letter from Aunt Inga arrived, as the saying goes, a day late and a dollar short.

If Aunt Inga had put the correct amount of postage on the letter, Avery Baker might have arrived at the elderly lady's old house in Maine in time to find out what she needed help with. As it is, when Avery arrived, her aunt was dead and Avery found herself the heir to her aunt's estate-- including one very neglected Victorian house. What at first seemed like a huge inconvenience turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Avery sublets her New York City apartment, quits her job as a textile designer, and moves to Waterfield, Maine-- intent on renovating the old house in order to sell it for as much money as she possibly can so she can move back to New York.

Hiring handyman Derek Ellis to help her with the renovations, Avery soon realizes that some of the facts just don't add up, and that her aunt's fall down the staircase was not a case of an old lady losing her balance. She has to find out what's going on before she's the next one to have "an accident."

Mysteries that have the renovation of an old house at their centers are one of my reading weaknesses. It was good to see that Bentley didn't merely use the renovation as a springboard for the plot and then ignore the work done on the house. Avery is a complete novice. Her skills lie with textiles-- textures, colors and patterns. She's never tried to bring an old house back to life. The man she hires, Derek Ellis, has, and it's hilarious to see his burgeoning sense of horror as Avery talks about bringing Manhattan industrial loft-style chic to the old Victorian home. It's also fun to watch their attraction to each other grow.

Although I knew the identity of the killer as soon as I saw his shoes, the why of the crime totally escaped me even though the author put the reason right out in plain sight. My only defense is that I was enjoying the story and the characters too much to pay close attention.

The good news is that Avery plans to keep on renovating in future books, so I'll get to enjoy the chemistry between the former textile designer and the handyman, the do-it-yourself tips, more wonderful old houses, and a solid cast of secondary characters in this fun series.

Share/Like this Review?

This is a well written book with interesting twists and turns. The author keeps you guessing to the end. A really good read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Share/Like this Review?

I loved the characters and the lovely historic small town Maine setting! I also enjoyed the DIY how-tos in the back of the book. They explained step by step the same process that Avery used in the book. Very cool!

Share/Like this Review?

Avery Baker was once a New York designer, but inheriting her aunt's old Maine cottage has led her down a new career path -- home renovation. Now, with help from hunky handyman Derek Ellis, Avery starts learning the ABCs of DIY. But when the designer-turned-renovator finds clues that lead to a missing professor, she wonders if she can finish the house -- without getting finished off in the process.

Share/Like this Review?

A great beginning......looking forward to next in the series.....Characters are very likable and believable.....A quick, fun read.......

Share/Like this Review?

It is a refreshing book to read and I enjoyed it very much. Will read more of her books.

Share/Like this Review?