Interest in this property is deadly
Death at a Fixer Upper
By Sarah T Hobart
Alibi
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date: May 17, 2016
Review
Death at a Fixer Upper is a cute, light mystery with a decent dash of almost slapstick humor. Sam Turner is kind, earnest and a bit clumsy. It is no surprise that her coworkers see her as too soft for real estate. Her soft-heartedness, however, is what inspires her to dig deeper and ask questions - questions that unwittingly draw a killer’s attention.
After the sudden death of the owner, 13 Aster Lane, a ramshackle estate with a mysterious history is placed on the market. The once grand home and its surrounding land bring considerable interest, as the property could be worth a great deal to someone looking to develop. Much to Sam's surprise, on the very same day, she gets calls from three potential clients, one of whom wants to immediately put in an offer. Despite the surly attitude of the listing agent, Sam has high hopes, and eagerly starts researching the history and circumstances of the estate. Unfortunately those hopes are shattered as one client dies in an unusual accident and another is discovered dead at her desk. Furthermore someone clearly doesn’t like the questions Sam has been asking.
Nothing quite goes as planned, especially her romance with Bernie Aguilar, the Arlindo Chief of Police, also her sister’s ex-husband.
Like most cozies, Death at a Fixer Upper is not the most realistic mystery. It is however fun to read, and there are quite a few laugh out loud moments. Sam’s kind, easy going nature makes her an easy lead to like. If you enjoy cozy mysteries and are looking for light entertainment, you won’t regret picking up a copy of Death at a Fixer Upper.
4/5
I received a copy of Death at a Fixer Upper from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
Description
In Sarah T. Hobart's wickedly funny and fast-paced Home Sweet Home mystery series, small-town real estate agent Sam Turner discovers it's bad for business when her clients keep dropping dead.
Newly armed with her real estate license, Sam Turner loves Arlinda, her quirky seaside hometown in Northern California. But life by the beach isn't exactly a breeze: She and her teenage son, Max, are being evicted from their apartment, her long absent ex-husband unexpectedly resurfaces, and her possibly romantic relationship with sexy Chief of Police Bernie Aguilar is, well . . . complicated. All Sam wants is a quick and easy sale. What she gets instead is a killer headache—or three.
Sam's trying to drum up interest in 13 Aster Lane, a rambling Victorian fixer-upper that's more than a little neglected—and possibly haunted—so when a trio of offers arrive out of the blue, she can't help thinking it's too good to be true. But after a new client drops dead on the property, she fears she's lost more than a commission. Before Sam's out of house and home, she must unmask a killer targeting her clients, or the only property she'll be moving will be plots—at the local cemetery.
