The first book in a new series and the first time I read this author. The writing flows easily and the main characters were developed. This was class under mysteries but I felt it was a novel with the mystery as the major point in the story. There were romances and I knew the killer early in the book. I will read this author again. There were happenings that I wonder about.

House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod had brought a Cal Saunders house to rehab it. It had been rented and the renter sold anything of value and destroy the house. They found a lovely chest in the attic and upon opening it the found a skeleton. The hands still had rings and Jazzi recognized them as belonging to her Aunt Lynda who went to New York City about twenty years ago and was never heard from again. A short time later a second body was found buried in a shallow grave. Ansel, a friend, and his dog had joined them to aid I the rehab of the house. Jazz decided to buy the house for her large extended family affairs. The story had a number of twists as the story unfolds. What was the reason for the murders? How did the murder play out? I highly recommend this book.
Recipes are included.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for a review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

If you want a pleasant but intriguing cozy mystery, this is a great book. As with many cozies, you read to relax and enjoy and don't worry about whether the details are realistic. The characters are likeable. There is family, friendship, and romance. It isn't scary or intense. There is a little more romance than some cozies but isn't much detail.Quite enjoyable.

The Body in the Attic is the debut of the River Bluffs series featuring contractor/house flipper Jazzi Zanders and set in River Bluffs, Indiana. Jazzi and her cousin Jerod (who is also her house flipping partner) have purchased the home of the deceased Cal Juniper.

The house of the wealthy River Bluffs resident had recently been home to a group of destructive tenants, so before they can begin the renovations Jazzi and Jerod need to clean out the debris. A trip to the attic reveals a host of antiques left behind by the owner and a particularly beautiful antique chest. Thinking that the chest can be restored, Jazzi opens the lid and discovers a skeleton. The skeleton has been placed with head resting comfortably on a pillow, arms crossed and still wearing expensive jewelry.

It's not long before the skeleton is revealed to be that of Jazzi's Aunt Lynda who had disappeared to New York years ago after breaking up with Cal. Determined to discover what had really happened to her aunt, Jazzi sets out with the help of Jerod and fellow contractor Ansel, and local Detective Gaff. Her digging soon uncovers that Lynda had several secrets and a few of the reputable River Bluffs residents are going to do their best to make sure they stay hidden.

A fun mystery with great insight into house flipping. The main characters take a little warming up to, the relationship between Jazzi and Ansel seems a bit rushed, and the idea that the local police detective would be consulting Jazzi on a daily basis for directive is also a bit far fetched. But, overall a good debut and I'll be looking forward to the next in the series.

I received an advanced copy of The Body in the Attic from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I've always been intrigued when mysteries are in an attic, or a secret room or a hidden stairway. So, when I read the title of this book, I decided to read it. I mean really, The Body In The Attic! What more could a mystery reader want? And! It's the first in a new series.

Jazzi and her cousin Jerod flip houses, so much of the book is describing what they do. They purchase the home of Cal Juniper and have every intention of flipping it when they are finished cleaning out the debris and doing the work to ready it for a sale. While checking out the attic, a body is discovered in a trunk! It is soon revealed, it is the remains of Jazzi's Aunt Lynda who went missing twenty-six years earlier!

In the beginning, the story intrigued me. This mystery is a very cold case. I wasn't certain the detective in the story was going to be able to solve it. He persevered. And! He had Jazzi's support. As the story continued, I was a little disappointed. There is food and family and friends gathering. The work on the flip house is described, but the mystery didn't make it for me.

After a break-up with his girlfriend, Jazzi becomes involved with Ansel. I thought the relationship was superficial, to be sure. There were several adult comments in the book, I thought were unnecessary, so I would not recommend the mystery for teens.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

'A Body in the Attic' engaged my interest due to my love of HGTV, and this felt a little like I'd stepped into a show. That all changed when the horrific murders were revealed and I actually mourned the loss of one of the characters. I don't want to spoil it but the story was a little convoluted and rambling after my initial engagement.
However I did feel as if I were sharing family dinners (recipes included) with Jazzi, Jerod and the extended family. I am interested in more as this was billed as the first in a new series, but I hope the writing become tighter and stays more focused.

House flipping cousins Jazzi and Jerod key up their next investment property but end up getting far more than they bargained for. First a body is found in a trunk in the attic, which turns out to be Jazzi’s long lost aunt. Then a second body is found in a shallow grave.

While Jazzi has fallen in love with the house and wants to make it her home, do the two bodies not bode well for her? Will she end up being the third body, or will Jazzi and he gang bring closure for her family and bring happiness back to the house and make it a home again?

While I enjoyed the overall story, as I got further in the book I began getting irritated by the unrealistic relationship between the main character, Jazzi, and detective Gaff. The reality is that no detective is going to welcome a civilian in their investigation, more over invite them along to speak with potential suspects. Yes, cozies are works of fiction, but they really need to be based a little more in reality.

That said, I did find the overall writing to be enjoyable when Jazzi wasn’t being asked to join Gaff on official police business. Ansel is totally a dream man, who wouldn’t want a guy that was hot and faithful? While a little annoyed for a bit there, I am looking forward to another visit with Jazzi and the gang.

Read this in one day, it was that intriguing. I love the big family get-togethers. I love main characters who are close to their family. Loved the setting, being from Indiana. Great mystery that really kept you guessing. Really fun story!

Characters well drawn and played off each other well in a story that was a bit unusual and involved. Better than average read

This is a fun read and I found the characters well written and interesting. I liked the fact Jazzi was working with the detective rather than doing things on her own that made her seem stupid. The relationship between the main characters was also well done. I loved the house flipping setting and look forward to more in this series.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Although this book has the components of a cozy mystery, it just did not hold my attention. The premise was promising but just fell flat.

A fun start to a new cozy mystery series that had me hooked to the pages! I love how this novel incorporated house flipping (I wish I could do this!) and the characters are perfect for their roles. Everything felt cohesive and right! I am stoked to have found a new cozy mystery series to read as it unfolds. I am very much looking forward to the next book.

I've read several stories with contractors finding bodies in homes, but Body in the Attic had a slightly more complex story for the victim. A little more time was spent on setting up the characters and setting as one would expect from a new series, but the mystery got enough attention too.

There was quite a bit of the romance element because Jazzi's relationship with Ansel was being set up. I think there will be less of that in the next book which is fine with me. I don't feel their relationship was truly rushed given what is revealed on both their parts plus there wasn't any drama. They handled the situation like thoughtful adults.

Looking forward to the next one.

I got my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Look, there's a pug on the cover :-) This is a book about food with some house-flipping and murder on the side. I love watching shows about flipping and fixing and all that, so this was interesting and refreshing. Family and friends were close and would get together every Sunday to, you guessed it, eat. George, the pug, would drink beer and eat lots of people food which I did not like. The mystery itself was fine. Things happened extremely fast between Jazzi and the contractor. I get that it's just a book and things have to flow for the sake of the story but some of these things just really irritated me and took away from my enjoyment of the book overall.

This was a well written and thought out story. Even though you think the story has been done before, keep reading and you will soon see just how original it is! This read has wonderful characters, and an old mystery that comes to light, with just a hint of romance to keep it interesting. A book you will not be disappointed reading!

Judi Lynn's The body in the attic is a cozy mystery with so much potential that will keep this read wanting to read more.
This is the first in a series and to my surprise it is written to the audience and is fun, sweet and quirky. As the story moves quickly readers will find the different characters growing and developing their own voice as the mystery keeps readers up late into the night.
While I was able figure out the mystery readers might second guess themselves as the twist.
The author has a great start to a fun, mystery series that reader will eat up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Jazzi and he cousin Jerod flip houses with the help of their contractor Ansel. They buy a house and find not one but two bodies, the first is that of their Aunt Lynda that disappeared years before.

The local police unusually encourage Jazzi's help in solving the mystery. Jazzi and Jerod have a large family of interesting characters and throw in some diy and cooking and its an enjoyable cozy mystery.

Oh a fix and flip story! I do love those. But as many cleanouts as I have done over the last 25 years I have never found a body. I can't imagine the horror of finding not one but two bodies. The house sounds fabulous but the unrealistic time frame of the redo would require more than 3 workers. Never the less, I found the book entertaining, the mysteries involved and for a change the detective was open to having assistance. I like it!

The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn was an intriguing read that hooked me from the first chapter.

Jazzi and Jerod are cousins who purchase homes and then flip them for resale. Ms.Lynn's writing was quite descriptive; and I often felt that I was in the house with Jazzi and Jerod as they worked to flip the recently purchased house. I liked all of the characters and Ms.Lynn created likable characters with their own unique personalities as I got to know them better while reading. Jazzi's family is tight knit and this helps Jazzi to supply clues to the detective. The plot was smoothly paced with enough twists to keep me guessing throughout the story. I only have one small complaint and that was how much the detective involved Jazzi into his interrogations. I can easily suspend belief while reading fiction usually but this pushed it a little too far for me. All in all, this was a good cozy mystery and I enjoyed it.

Talk About Skeletons in the Closet!

I tend to gravitate toward fiction with psychological twists and imminent dangers around every corner, but every once in a while I crave a break and pick up a cozy mystery. I still get the satisfaction of trying to solve the puzzle, but with a lighter atmosphere. Bonus points if there’s a little romance thrown in.

That’s exactly why I picked up Judi Lynn’s THE BODY IN THE ATTIC. And that’s exactly what I got.

The author promises a story rife with questions regarding her long-missing aunt. She delivers on that promise, and then some. Not one but two murders need to be solved. And on top of it all, there is a budding romance. All in all, my idea of a good time.

The heroine is strong and independent. The love interest is a dream. And the reader can’t help but suspect so many people until the murders are solved.

This is a fun and easy read, and one I’m glad I downloaded from NetGalley.