Crowned and Moldering

Another great read by Kate Carlisle. Shannon and Mac attend the movie premiere based on his latest book and then head home so Shannon and her crew can begin her latest renovation of a local Victorian church. Of course it would not be a normal renovation if a body did not turn up. Shannon and the gang cannot rest until the guilty person is found out. Lots of suspects and surprises. Get ready to cheer Shannon on as she investigates the murder with a little help from her friends and completes her renovation.

cozy-mystery, Y/A-only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica, contractors, small-town, small-business, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth***** Small towns mean rapid transit gossip and knowing everyone else's business. So when contractor Shannon finds a skeleton in the lighthouse mansion she is renovating/restoring for the handsome crime writer staying in the apartment above her garage it's really big news. Especially when it turns out that is is the remains of a local girl and sister to one of Shannon's coworkers who disappeared fifteen years ago. Let the sleuthing begin and the plot twists and red herrings pile up! Lots of other goings on amongst friends and the mystery brings it down to the wire. Good read! Angela Starling is the chirpy narrator.

Crowned and Moldering by Kate Carlisle is the third book in A Fixer Upper Mystery series. Shannon Hammer lives in Lighthouse Cove, California and is a building contractor. Shannon specializes in Victorian home renovations and rehabs. Shannon took over the company five years previously after her father had a heart attack (just a mild one). Shannon is getting ready to start on MacKintyre Sullivan’s new home. He purchased a beautiful Queen Anne Victorian (though it does not have the beautiful gingerbread work) near the lighthouse. Shannon is doing a walk through with Mac and a few of her workers. They are investigating the dumb waiter when it collapses and falls into the basement. Shannon looks down and sees bones. Looks like Shannon has found another body! Police Chief Eric Jensen (who is very handsome and single) is called to the scene. He knows it is useless to warn Shannon not to investigate (though he does try). The deceased turns out to be Lily Brogan. Lily is Sean Brogan’s older sister (Sean works for Shannon on her crew). Lily disappeared fifteen years ago and Sean has never stopped looking for her. Lily was in her senior year of high school (in the spring) when she disappeared. Who wanted to do away with this beautiful young woman? While investigating the murder of Lily, Shannon’s business rival, Cliff Hogarth, ends up dead (after she had a big blow out with him). Is Cliff’s murder related to Lily’s? The list of people who wanted Cliff death turns out to be quite lengthy (he had made a lot of enemies since he returned to Lighthouse Cover from Chicago). Will Shannon be able to solve the crimes before she becomes the next victim? Crowned and Moldering was a great cozy mystery. The characters are enjoyable and easy to like (and relate to). The town of Lighthouse Cove sounds beautiful, and I like that Shannon is restoring a beautiful historic Victorian home (near a lighthouse). Something I was keen on was that the author portrayed Shannon as a smart and strong woman (to many books lately have portrayed women as ditzy and bumbling). I enjoyed that the mystery was complex and difficult to solve (though I did figure out who was the killer). Crowned and Moldering is the third book in A Fixer Upper Mystery series, but it can easily be read by itself (without having enjoyed the other two books in the series). I give Crowned and Moldering 5 out of 5 stars (because I just loved it). I cannot wait for the next book in A Fixer Upper Mystery series. I received a complimentary copy of Crowned and Moldering from the author (I am a member of Kate’s Raters) in exchange for an honest review.