The Body in the Attic

The Body in the Attic is easy to read thanks to the author’s conversational writing style. The book has a nice, steady pace and good flow. I liked the characters and the home renovation angle. Jazzi is twenty-seven years old who has been working with her cousin, Jerrod for the last four years. They buy run down homes and fix them up. Ansel, a tall handsome blonde man (think Viking), is their contractor and Jazzi’s friend. Jazzi is attracted to Ansel, but he is currently living with prima donna, Emily. Ansel and Emily’s relationship is on the rocks when she takes a job in California and expects him to follow her. I did find too much of the book devoted to Ansel and Emily’s relationship. It competed with the mystery and it followed an expected path (reminded me of a romance novel). I loved Ansel’s little pug, George who is his faithful companion. George is a spoiled little pooch and he has attitude (he drinks beer too). Jazzi is the most developed character in the book. It would have been nice if the author fleshed out the main characters more in The Body in the Attic. I like that Jazzi is close to her family and hosts Sunday dinner for them at her place. She has a loving relationship with her grandmother who is in the early stages of dementia. There are two mysteries in the story. There are a couple of suspects in each one. The investigating is focused on Jazzi and Detective Gaff talking with various people and gathering information. Jazzi makes various connections based on the information obtained. Both mysteries can be solved before the reveal. Detective Gaff is a friendly, likeable man and willingly includes Jazzi. I did find it unrealistic that a detective would take a civilian along when questioning suspects and that he would share so many details regarding the cases. I enjoyed the descriptions of Jazzi’s finished house. I especially loved how she finished the kitchen ceiling. There are recipes at the end of The Body in the Attic for the dishes Jazzi created. The Body in the Attic is a light cozy mystery perfect for reading on a relaxing Saturday afternoon. I look forward to reading The Body in the Wetlands when is releases.

The FIRST in a new series and I actually am reading it in order! If you've read many of my reviews, you know that this is unusual for me. I'm super excited because this was also a brand-new-to-me author. New author, new series, yeah, I was pretty excited. So, let's get started, shall we? First of all, I would like to address the characters. LOVED them. Well-written, witty banter, realistic issues among them, I couldn't find anything with the characters that I didn't like. They had unique careers that haven't been overly done in the genre and it lent itself well to the way the story was written and progressed. The interpersonal relationships were fun but what impressed me the most was all the FEELS in this book. I wasn't crying over every little thing but the emotional ride you are taken on was amazing. The characters were so easy to connect to and the plot was done so well that there wasn't anything to take you out of the story. That just doesn't happen. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. I was so caught up in it, I didn't even find myself trying to guess "whodunnit" or which next twist or turn would come. Speaking of twists and turns, there were definitely many. Secondly, this was a pretty informative book. I know nothing about flipping houses. I don't watch fixer upper shows all that much. This book introduced a lot of new information to me but did so in a manner that I didn't feel as though I was being educated. There are times that I read a book and have to use the dictionary to learn all the various terms that are unique to the niche it focuses on. That didn't happen with this book. Everything was so well written into the story that I followed it very easily. Lastly, the settings were all incredible. I could easily see layouts in my head. I wasn't bored by the descriptions of various places but instead found myself easily envisioning each step through the eyes of the various characters. I could feel the heat and humidity while sitting outside at a picnic table. I could feel the house being worked on slowly becoming a more refreshing temperature once the central air had been installed. These are fairly common and boring events that were conveyed in a manner that they simply slipped by unnoticed. Verdict? As I said earlier, I loved this book. I cannot wait to read more in this series. Judi Lynn is an extremely talented author. Thank you so much to Judi Lynn, Kensington Books/Lyrical Underground, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

cozy-mystery, romantic, law-enforcement, women-sleuths, murder-investigation, red-herrings, twisty A fun trio of house flippers, a beautiful but abused house which was recently rented by a slob who sold off most of the contents, and a skeleton resting comfortably in a trunk in the attic. The chief of detectives enters the plot, helps to identify the corpse, and utilizes Jazzy to help to deal with the family, one of whom is Jazzy's mother and sister to the deceased. Lots of twists and red herrings, interesting characters both good and vile, threats and warnings, as well as a sleepy beloved pet dog. It held my attention so well that I stayed up reading till finished! A very good read! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!