“Dead in the Doorway” by Diane Kelly

House flipper Whitney and her cat Sawdust are on the case in “Dead in the Doorway”. When Sawdust discovers a dead body in the house Whitney and her cousin Buck just bought, they realize this may kill their profits after renovations are complete, and it’s time to resale if they don’t find the truth behind the death.
The body was identified as a woman who lived in the neighborhood. But why was this woman in the house to begin with? Was the loose banister on the staircase to blame? Or was a murderer wandering around in this neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee? The grandson of the deceased, and previous owner of the flip house just happened to let himself into the house using a spare key outside the front door. How was it that he didn’t hear the woman cry for help? If this is a homicide, why wasn’t he a victim as well? Why didn’t the dead woman’s husband and daughter realize she was missing from her own home and call police themselves? Does a highly coveted secret recipe or an expiring life insurance policy have anything to do with the untimely death of this woman?
It isn’t long before murder suspects and alibis begin to pile up. The victim wasn’t well loved by anyone – not even by her own family – so that makes the case more difficult to solve. House flipper Whitney (a.k.a. amateur sleuth) is asked to keep an eye on the neighborhood and the neighbors by Detective Collin Flynn who has been assigned to the case. She goes beyond the detective’s request on more than one occasion to seek answers outside the neighborhood, putting herself in danger of being a victim as well.
The discovery of the killer was quite by accident, and I was as surprised as Whitney was when she discovers who it is. You won’t want to stop reading until you find out who is to blame for this homicide in a quiet Nashville suburban neighborhood.

Reviewed by Patricia Wilson for Suspense Magazine

A House Flipper Murder Mystery Cozy
Ms. Kelly pens an intriguing tale of cousins working together in a house flipping/renovation business.
The main character Whitney Whitaker has a talent for design..and a strong curiosity, while cousin Buck has mad carpentry skills. The pair has a new project. They go over it and make plans to meet up and start the next day.
Whitney's attempts to open the front door the following day are thwarted by the body lying against it. ...and then someone is at the bottom of the stairs. She calls the police and now their job is on hold for the police investigation. She investigates and supplies information to a detective friend in an attempt to get the flip back on schedule....against his better judgement.
The quirky characters add color and the descriptions of the scenes and the planned work to the house are interesting. Add family interactions and a possible love interest and we have a winner. I guess I'm prejudiced because I've loved anything I've read by Ms. Kelly and highly recommend it for an escape from your daily grind.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion freely.

cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, small-business, family-dynamics, friendship, Tennessee

I read the first three chapters in Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 8 and was hooked!
The publisher's blurb is pretty good, but the quality of the story is much better. While there is a hint of romance, it certainly is not blatant enough to take anything away from the mystery but serves as a plot device to enhance the deduction process. Whatever. The important thing is that it is a good story with very little that is not realistic but not the kind of nastiness found in true crime. I definitely loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank You!

Fun as always. The characters are solid and humor in the dialogue make this an enjoyable read. Smart and interesting
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Description
Dead in the Doorway is the second in a delightful cozy series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville—where the real estate market is to die for.

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. . .

Whitney Whitaker has scored the perfect piece of real estate: a ramshackle white Colonial at the top of a hill with views of downtown Nashville. What more could a self-taught home-improvement maven and occasional house-flipper ask for? Ideally, the property of Whitney’s dreams would not have come with a dead body blocking the entrance to the foyer. But Whitney, always quick to take heavy-duty matters into her own hands, also happens to be a skilled amateur sleuth. So that helps.

AND SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.

Who is this older woman—and how did her corpse end up at the bottom of the staircase of this locked, unoccupied house? That is what Whitney, along with the support of her wood-working cousin Buck, Detective Collin Flynn, and, of course, feline partner-in-crime Sawdust, intends to find out. Her friendly-neighbor investigation takes a sharp turn, however, when Whitney discovers that the house’s former owner was a gourmet baker whose secret recipe for peach pie was to die for—perhaps literally. Now it’s up to Whitney to learn the truth about what happened before she loses this killer real-estate deal . . . and the killer comes knocking at her door.

My Review
Thank you St Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC - provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Well, let me tell you I LOVE this cozy mystery. The characters are well crafted and enjoyable and the humorous aspects from the novel make this a perfect fit.

The novel starts off with Sawdust greeting cousin Buck as he just happen to show up just in time for lunch with Whitney and her two roommates. Whitney is excited to show Buck the new house she purchased hoping that in a few weeks they can flip the place for a profit.

Of course things turn sour when the dead body of a woman is found inside the home. To make matters even more interesting Dakota the previous owner's grandson is squatting at the house. Definitely one of those books that keeps you guessing until the very end - very well done. I give this a 5 Star.

Whitney Whitaker and her cat Sawdust are in the middle of another mystery in Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly. Whitney and her cousin, Buck find a house to flip and it comes with a dead body. On the first day of construction Whitney finds a body while trying to enter the house. Who is the dead woman and why is she in their house? While checking out the body and waiting for Detective Collin Flynn, Whitney find out there is a young man staying in her empty house. Was this an accident or murder? Whitney needs to solve this mystery as soon as possible in order for them to be able to sell the house after renovation. This was a wonderful Cozy Mystery, kept me guessing end till the end of the story and Sawdust prospective was a humorous addition to the story.

I happen to come across this new author while checking out NetGallery books. I was really impressed with Diane Kelly writing and will be getting her first book in this House-Flipping Mystery Series.

A renovation with another twist of murder. The most endearing part of this series so far is the humor that gets mixed in, it makes the characters seem real, even though they seem to stumble over dead bodies. Full of suspects, mystery, this is a perfect whodunit.

Sometimes I hesitate to read a book in a series I'm not familiar with. That wasn't the case here... I was perfectly comfortable jumping in on book 2. The mystery is well written and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved that they're house flippers. I'll look forward to more in this series.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of DEAD IN THE DOORWAY (Book 2 of the House-Flipper Mysteries) by Diane Kelly in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the generosity of her employers, Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have the opportunity to remodel and flip a colonial style house with views of downtown Nashville. The house is plagued with uninvited guests, intruders who feel comfortable going in and out of the residence at will. When the broken corpse of one such intruder blocks the inside foyer doorway, Whitney and her trusty feline, Sawdust, have to call the police. When Detective Collin Flynn and his partner respond to the call, Whitney worries that she’ll, again, be the star suspect. Freaking out over the prospect that this death will render this house unsellable, too, Whitney decides to find out all she can about the mystery corpse and the unusually unconcerned attitudes of the person’s family and friends.

I was drawn to this book series because I am a fan of Diane Kelly’s Tara Holloway Series. I also like humorous books, cozy mysteries featuring adorable pets, and those with house renovation themes. I really liked this book and the first book in the series. I recommend this book and series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Kelly has written an absolutely delightful cozy mystery. The characters are fun and lovable. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are house flippers. They are renovating a Colonial in Nashville. When Whitney arrives one morning with her cat Sawdust, they find the body of a dead elderly lady. Whitney also finds a young man who apparently slept through the accident (or was it a murder).

As Whitney makes friends with their temporary neighbours while working on the flip-house, she wonders if she's making friends with a possible murderer.

Even though this is book #2 in the series, the way it is written you can pick right up and not feel that you missed something and don't know the characters. It was actually quite difficult to put the book down as it was very entertaining. Looking forward to book #3!!

Second in a new cozy series, this is a mystery worth reading. Whitney and her cousin Buck flip homes in Nashville and when she takes him to a her newest project home they discover a dead body. Along with her Cousin, and trusty sidekick cat, Sawdust, they set out to solve this latest mystery. The characters feel real and are likable, the setting is Nashville, and what can be better than that. I predict this series will keep getting better and better and I look forward to getting to know the main characters even more

Whitney and Sawdust are back with another adventure in Dead in the Doorway, by Diane Kelly.
Flipping houses with her cousin Buck, Whitney once again finds herself involved in another police investigation.
When Whitney discovers a dead body in their newly purchased fixer upper, she has no idea of the danger that's ahead of her.
This is a fun cozy mystery, that had me guessing until the end. I kind of figured some things out, but I wasn't sure who the murderer actually was.
I enjoyed the parts that were told from Sawdust's prospective, and they ending left me with a silly grin on my face.
I'm looking forward to catching up with Buck & Whitney in the future,

I enjoyed this book. I liked the setting of the house flipping and the meeting the neighbors all around. I liked how they got to know everyone and how everyone was taking care of each other. The cat Sawdust is cute. It's a good mystery, the killer isn't revealed until the end and in a spectacular way. I also liked that Whitney and Collin get together in the end, maybe something will happen from it. #Dead in the Doorway #NetGalley

This is a fun and entertaining novel that fans of the genre will enjoy. I loved the characters, especially Whitney - a woman trying to make it in a non-traditional job. She and her cousin have partnered to flip houses. Shortly after purchasing a new house, Whitney arrives one morning to find a dead body in the house. She calls in her favorite detective, Collin, and the two of them try to piece together what happened. I really like the way Whitney and Collin interact and am looking forward to how their relationship develops in the future.

If you enjoy a light mystery with a hint of romance, you will enjoy this one. Put this one on your TBR list.