When established house flippers Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod donate a week’s worth of remodeling work to Jazzi’s sister Olivia, they’re expecting nothing more than back-breaking roofing work and cold beers at the end of each long, hot day. With Jazzi’s live-in boyfriend and partner Ansel on the team, it promises to be a quick break before starting their next big project—until Leo, an elderly neighbor of Olivia’s, unexpectedly goes missing . . .
When the friendly senior’s dog tugs Jazzi and the guys toward the wetlands beyond Olivia’s neighborhood, they stumble across a decomposing corpse—and a lot of questions. With Jazzi’s pal Detective Gaff along to investigate, Jazzi finds her hands full of a whole new mystery instead of the usual hammer and nails. And this time it will take some sophisticated sleuthing to track down the culprit of the deadly crime—before the killer turns on her next . . .
A wonderful second book with a cracking cast of characters, this is a series to read and re-read.
Jazzi's sister Olivia (and her partner Thane) have bought a house that needs some TLC, Jazzi, her cousin Jerod and her boyfriend Ansel (aka The Viking or Norseman!) are contractors and so they take a week between house flips and do some of the heavy work (namely the roof, kitchen and bathrooms!), Thane is acting as their assistant (doing some of the lifting and shifting of things like roofing materials, which saves time), Olivia and her Mum are doing the decorating or the bedrooms etc.
One day Jazzi gets talking with a neighbour who is out walking his dog and is concerned about the work (and is very pleased to hear that they are getting the house sorted and so forth), Leo (the neighbour) is obviously starved for company as he chats on more than one occasion, but then there is one day when he doesn't turn up, but his dog Cocoa does and she is obviously injured, Jazzi, Ansel, Jerod and Thane hurry to his house only to find Leo is missing and his disabled wife is laying on the floor. With a friend called Jazzi takes Cocoa out for a quick walk, only to have the dog dig up a dead body - and it isn't Leo! Now their friend Gaff (the police detective) is on the case, Ansel had to head back to the family farm to help out there, Jerod is ill and there is a murderer on the loose, Jazzi and Gaff need to find out who it is before Jazzi ends up being another body in the Wetlands.
An Interview With A Character
What is your full name?
Dalmar Herstad, and I’m here to defend myself. I’m sure everyone who’s met my son, Ansel, thinks I’m some kind of monster, a horrible father, but they’re just plain wrong. A man has to be practical, and when I kicked Ansel out of the house the day he graduated from high school, it was for his own good, and ours.
What is your Profession?
I own a dairy farm. My wife and I had two sons, which was perfect. I couldn’t run the farm on my own. I needed more hands. Then we had a daughter, Adda. That made my wife happy. We intended on stopping there, but doggone it if Britt didn’t get pregnant again. She had Ansel, the baby of the family, and that boy was always partial to his mom. Not saying he wasn’t a hard worker. My sons knew they had jobs to do every morning before they left for school and every night when they came home. It made them stronger, more dependable. Ansel owes me for that. Not that he thinks about it. All he does is feel sorry for himself because I told him to leave the same day he graduated. The farm can’t support three boys and Britt and me. It was his duty to come home and help repair the house and barn roofs when I had my knee replaced. I’d raised him, given him food and board. Kids owe their parents, but Adda had to beg him to leave River Bluffs and his pretty girlfriend to come home and help us. Pitiful, if you ask me. He’s beholden to us. When I call for him, he should come.
What is your current favourite book or movie?
You’ve got to be kidding. Who has time for frivolous stuff like that?
What is your go to comfort book or movie?
My go to comfort is a hot meal on the table when I come in from the barn. Britt might not be much of a cook, but she knows I want food on the table when I’m hungry. It’s a woman’s job to take care of the house and a man’s job to provide for her.
If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?
I’m Norwegian, big and beefy. I don’t want no pretty boy playing me. If I had to choose someone, it would be Clint Eastwood. You know, in those Italian westerns. A man who doesn’t say much but gets things done.
What is your ideal evening?
Eating a hot supper, putting my feet up in front of the TV, and early to bed.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 23 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
April 24 – I’m All About Books – GUEST POST
April 24 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW
April 25 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
April 25 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
April 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 26 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
April 27 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
April 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
April 28 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
April 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
April 29 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 29 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 30 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
May 1 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
May 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
May 2 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
May 2 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 2 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST
Thank you so much for hosting my book today and for the great review! It was fun doing a character interview from Ansel's dad's POV.
Posted by: Judith Post | 04/23/2019 at 02:40 PM