Title: "Batten Down the Belfry" by Diane Kelly - A Lighthearted Cozy Mystery

Rating: ★★★☆☆

I recently had the pleasure of delving into "Batten Down the Belfry" by Diane Kelly, and I must say, it was a charming and lighthearted cozy mystery that offered a delightful escape.

The story unfolds in the quaint town of Sugarland, Tennessee, where our amateur sleuth, Rosalie Hart, finds herself caught up in another intriguing mystery. Diane Kelly's writing is engaging and peppered with humor, making it a pleasant and easy read. The characters in this cozy mystery are endearing, and the small-town setting adds to the book's overall charm. While the plot is enjoyable, it follows a somewhat formulaic pattern common to cozy mysteries, and the resolution felt a bit rushed. However, if you're in the mood for a cozy read with a dash of humor and a likable protagonist, "Batten Down the Belfry" may be the perfect choice. I'd rate it a solid 3 stars, making it a worthwhile addition to the cozy mystery genre.

Diane Kelly’s latest book, Batten Down the Belfry, in her House-Flipper Mystery series, is a thrilling and tension filled “Who Done It” that’ll keep you guessing right up to the very end. Once again Whitney and Buck find the unexpected as they peel back the layers of their latest project…and become embroiled in another murder mystery while renovating a church and the rectory next door.

With Ms Kelly’s trademark sense of subtle humor, a rapid dialog, and characters who charm and entertain…the pages keep turning while the clues and suspects accumulate. This series just keeps getting better and better as Whitney, Buck, and the myriad cast of characters have become entertaining favorites that I look forward to spending time with.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Diane Kelly writes more than one cozy mystery series. “Batten Down the Belfry” (St. Martin’s Paperbacks) is the fourth in the House Flipper series set in Nashville, Tenn. Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are in the midst of flipping an abandoned country church. Whitney is thinking it might become an entertainment venue.
A problem arises when the owner of the horse farm next door claims that the church property is his, just once more thing for the cousins to deal with. And to top it off, Sawdust (the cat) finds a dead man in the bell tower.
I’ve enjoyed Kelly’s cozies over the years. Hope she keeps them coming.

Batten Down the Belfry is book four in the House Flipper Mystery series by Diane Kelly.
This is an easy to read, fun story. Whitney and her cousin, Buck, have bought an old church and decide to turn it into an entertainment venue. But it's not a straight walk down the aisle for completion with dead bodies, fighting over the land, and jewels throwing in curves. Whitney needs to get to the bottom of everything and get the venue ready for a grand opening. Her cat, Sawdust, adds a fun element to the story sharing his observations and opinions.
The characters are likeable and relatable. There is romance, family, and friendship. You also have plenty of suspects and are guessing to the end.
I was given an ARC by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.

In Batten Down the Belfry, Whitney and Buck are renovating a church when a couple of people turn up dead. The House-Flipper mysteries are engaging mysteries with a good cast of characters. I could do without the chapters from the cat's point of view, but I am not bothered by it enough to not read the series. This was another solid addition to the series.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 4 in the House-Flipper Cozy series and it's a great addition to the series. I've read several of the previous books and the characters are growing and a few new ones get added. Set in Nashville, Whitney and her cousin Buck have started a new flip. A church that they want to renovate into a wedding/party venue. Not a good start when they find one of their vendors dead in the churches bell tower. The farmer next door claims he owns the church and the law has to get involved. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Whitney and her cousin Buck have flipped houses before, but now they’re renovating an old church. When two murders take place near the old church, Whitney wants to help solve the cases. Her boyfriend is the homicide detective, so she soon is looking for clues.

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth book in the House Flipper mystery series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book in this series, Dead as a Doorknocker.

Whitney and her family and friends are likable characters. The setting is charming. The mystery is entertaining. Batten Down the Belfry is an enjoyable cozy mystery, and I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whitney and her cousin Buck have flipped houses before, but this new project, a church and a parsonage, is bigger and riskier. With the beautiful stained glass windows and perfect acoustics, it could be a gold mine. Of course, when they walk into the church and find a horse who’d made himself at home, they’re sure this isn’t going to be like their other flips.

Another problem is the neighbor. He’s the owner of the horses and thinks he’s the owner of the parsonage and church as well. Now, they’ll have to go to court to see who’s right. In the meantime, it’s padlock everything and start work with the hope it’s not all in vain.

Several of the windows are beyond repair so Whitney contacts a stained glass artist in town to make new ones. When they’re delivered, she and Buck carry them to the parsonage for safekeeping until they can be installed. Her cat, Sawdust, likes to come to the job sites, too, but he stays in the church.

When they hear the bell ring, they assume it’s Sawdust playing with the bell’s rope, but soon find out they were wrong. There’s a dead body on the stairs to the belfry that wasn’t there when they left with the windows.

A second body follows the first, adding more suspects to the list. Collin, Whitney’s boyfriend and detective, is helping the local police with the case. There’s no stopping Whitney from helping, too, even if it does get her into some deep trouble.

Will they find the killer before more people die? Will a couple of murders keep people away from their new venue? Only time will tell.

This is book four in the series but the first one I’ve read. I liked Whitney although she does take risks that seem sensible at the time but don’t always turn out that way. There are quite a few characters to keep track of with bodies, suspects, police, the main characters, investors, and the like. With the plans they have in place, book five ought to be a lot of fun.

Included in this book are recipes. You’ll see the connection to the story when you read the book—Stained-Glass Cookies, Easy as Sin Apple Rosettes, and Original Sin Sour Appletini.

I have long been a fan of the “A House-Flipper Mystery” series, and with book four, Batten Down the Belfry, my enjoyment and admiration for the series and the author have grown. An old church, a bell tower, stained glass, a bistro, and all of the delightful characters of this series create a mystery that will take readers from interested to obsessed.

Whitney and Buck love the idea of renovating an old church. They want to use the bell tower to attract entertainment to their doors and create a place that will have an audience thrilled and willing to spend their hard-earned dollars. To complete the look, they add stained glass windows that reflect music, art, theater, and everything that will give the idea of entertainment at its finest. Add the parsonage-turned bistro; they have everything an artist or an audience could want. If it weren’t for the bodies that keep turning up, it would be perfect. To top it off, the local horse rancher next door has claimed the property and is trying every dirty trick in the book to take Whitney and Buck’s property for his own.

Characters in this series have always been exciting and the kind of people you would like to get to know. Each has a distinct personality that compliments each other and each situation. This time the victim is a stranger, but as he died on Whitney and Buck’s property, you know instantly that the hunt for the killer will not be left up to the authorities. Evidence is slim, but it’s there waiting to be uncovered. I adore the bell tower, and adding the stained glass windows with an artistic theme is delightful. The scene of the crime is the Church. This contains and restrains the locations but gives readers a nice idea of what the area looks and feels like. The killer isn’t hard to figure out, but the twist that comes along with the investigation will have readers putting on their thinking caps.

Whitney, as usual, places herself in danger, having more guts than brains at times, it seems. Buck does what he always does, backs Whitney and tries his best to keep out of trouble. In Batten Down the Belfry, we enjoy a new side of Buck we didn’t see coming. Readers will be awed by the bell tower, the stained glass, the bistro, and even the horse ranch. This book has an eye toward keeping the reader guessing, adding more mystery than investigation, and making sure that readers are left breathless.

Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have acquired an old church and parsonage for their next project. However, when they arrive to start, they find a herd of horses and piles of manure and are greeted by an irate neighbor stating that they are trespassing on his lands. The police and called and after producing their settlement papers, Buck and Whitney decide to ignore the neighbor and leave the issues to be settled in court. The process doesn't get any easier when a delivery is murdered in the bell tower will Whitney and Buck are working at the parsonage. Why would the delivery man be killed and why in the bell tower?

I really enjoyed the story of rehabbing the old church and the interaction with the neighbor who gets his just desserts. The mystery was interesting because of the clues that were subtly left.

Whitney and Buck have taken the plunge and bought an old church to flip into a performance venue. The catch? The neighboring farmer believes he owns the properties because of squatter's rights. As the disagreement heats up, the farmer is found dead on his land. Unfortunately, this is the second body that Whitney has found while working on this property. What's going on? Can Whitney find out before the bodies stack up even more?

OMG, this one was so twisty! It kept me guessing the whole way through! I'm loving Whitney's development and the development of all of her friends and family. I am loving the writing and find the mysteries so much fun. I cannot wait to see what's next for Whitney!

*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Whitney and Buck are cousins who like to flip houses. In this case they buy an old church and decide to flip it into an event space. Buck's girlfriend, who happens to be Whitney's best friend, will run a restaurant in the priests/reverends old home on the property. The first time they set foot on their new property, they are met with a horse in the church and an angry neighbor who accuses them of trespassing. He says he filed a claim for the property and it is his. They are not off to a good start. To make matters worse, a delivery man is killed in the bell tower and later the cranky neighbor meets his fate.

This is a fun story. I like Whitney and her kitty that hangs out while they are renovating. It is entertaining and easy-to-read. Such a nice retreat. I have not read the previous books in the series, but I still understood what was going on. Great book. I would read more by this author.

I love Ms. Kelly's books. I find them to be funny and quite intriguing. This is such a cute series. House flipping of all things. I think this is the best one so far in this delightful series. I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
This is the fourth in this delightful cozy mystery series but the first for me. I had no trouble jumping in and becoming engaged with the characters who are realistic and likeable. Great plot with surprises that keep it interesting.

Batten Down the Belfry: A House-Flipper Mystery
By Diane Kelly
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
March 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

Having successfully purchased, renovated, and sold their first three house-flipping properties in Tennessee (well, the first at least gave them a home to share after its reputation made it less than sellable), Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are justifiably optimistic about their most recent project. The rundown church and patronage straddling Davidson and Sumner Counties have sat empty for nine years, and Whitney sees the potential of repurposing them into something amazing. They’ve barely begun shooing away the roaming horses before an agitated and offensive Nolan Sibley rides in, claiming to own the property through adverse possession (squatter’s rights) and demanding that they leave. After police determine that this is a matter to be decided in Civil Court, Whitney and Buck continue their plans despite Nolan’s hostility and attempts to intimidate them. Whitney’s hopes to replace the church’s damaged colorful windows with new stained glass are stalled when the delivery man is found dead with his bell literally rung and only her cat Sawdust as the living witness.

While Whitney would love to implicate Nolan and have him out of her way before they go to court, her homicide detective boyfriend Collin Flynn informs her of the delivery man’s previous drug convictions and connections. With the investigation headed in that direction, Whitney, Buck, and Collette should be able to focus on converting the church into a club performance venue and the parsonage into the Collection Plate Café for her BFF Collette. Unfortunately, another death again delays their work, meaning that Whitney feels she has no choice but to once again investigate and track down the criminals who are stopping her dream renovations. With a resigned Collin by her side, Whitney begins looking into a mixed-up delivery, some questionable equine dalliances, and shady international shipping schemes.

Much of the joy in this fourth of the series comes from the lived-in, very natural, and affectionate relationships between Whitney, Buck, and Colette. Even though Buck and Collette are finally dating and deep into a relationship, Whitney never feels like a third wheel and their fears of throwing off their dynamic are never realized. The Nashville setting is vividly depicted and comes alive through Whitney’s visions for her country church, which seems so far away from the busy city. Fans of this series will enjoy appearances by Whitney and Buck’s house-flipping former clients, many of whom have become friends and maybe even new business partners. It only makes sense that the connections Whitney has made through her recent ventures enable her to achieve even more as they plan out an exciting new entertainment venue. Short chapters narrated by Sawdust are entirely believable as being from the viewpoint of a cat, the sole witness to the first murder. With his main focus always on his human companion and adoration for Whitney conveyed through his belly-rub purrs, Sawdust is justifiably frustrated when left at home. Whitney and her friends lead readers through a multitude of paths as they follow a multitude of clues, all which lead to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. The final few chapters wrap up events and bring together characters from their previous adventures, making this feel like the satisfying end of the series but still leaving the door open for so much more.

Story moves very well. Did not seem to have any slow parts. Loved that it was set in Tennessee. Would be very interested in reading previous and future titles in the series.

Batten Down the Belfry by Diane Kelly is an engaging cozy mystery, much of which is taken up with the remodel of an old church and parsonage. Buck and Whitney are cousins who have now had several successful flips and have just closed on a deal for an old church out in the country. When they visit for the first time as owners, the nest door neighbor, who has been using it to graze his horses, arrives to tell them to get off his property. Thus start a mini-feud, which ends up in his death. Buck and Whitney are innocent but it seems like his excessive use of a cattle prod on the horses, made one of them fit to murder. Collin, who is a police detective, and Whitney's boyfriend, put together a long-standing crime ring to solve the murder of an innocent delivery man who delivered stained glass windows to the new playhouse. It took them a while to figure it out.

This is an excellent cozy mystery. It has all the elements but more importantly, it has a really engaging setting in the flipping business and Whitney's clever mind, which puts together a really amazing scenario that turns out somewhat true and leads them to the murderer. They also turn the parsonage into a restaurant and fulfill Colette's lifelong dream of owning her own place. Colette is Whitney's roommate and best friend, as well as Buck's girlfriend. There are a few other characters, some important and reoccurring and some not, but all interesting. This is by-no-means Kelly's first book, but her experience shows. It was a terrific read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Batten Down the Belfry by St Martin's Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #stmartinspress #dianekelly #battendownthebelfry

Batten Down The Belfry
House-Flipper Mystery, Book #4
Diane Kelly
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee—where the real estate market is to die for.

Here is the church, here is the steeple…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?

Open the doors, and see all the trouble.

The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?

The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker? (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Whitney and Buck and seeing what renovations they have in store this time. They plan to renovate an old church into an entertainment venue. But before they get very far into the project two people are killed. Now Whitney will have to figure out who the killer is before their project gets derailed.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and it helped get me into the mood for the sleuthing that would be needed to solve the mystery. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well plotted cozy mystery. Come and visit with Whitney and her family and friends, you will be glad you did.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Batten Down the Belfry Earns 5/5 Stained-Glass…Entertaining Fun!

Clever mystery, diverse characters, twisty investigation, exciting arrest, and themed recipes! All key elements that make this fourth book of Diane Kelly’s House-Flipper Mystery well-worth a read. Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck buy distressed properties, renovate, and give the property new life. This current project is an abandoned church and parsonage outside of Nashville, and with its unique characteristics, the two buildings will be converted into a music hall and bistro. Perfect! Almost…the neighbor asserts he has a legitimate claim to the property, delaying much of the work, but it’s the dead body on the stairs to the church belfry that really puts the project in jeopardy. Whitney offers an unofficial partnership with her boyfriend Detective Colin Flynn to uncover the killer, but the situation becomes more complicated when a second victim is discovered. Are they connected? So many questions cloud the situation.

Diane Kelly has established a creative premises for her series with a team of house-flippers choosing unique properties to not just “flip” for a nice profit, but to create something with a renewed purpose. Although characters and relationships have grown over the four books, this one provides enough background for newbies to easily enjoy. As with all cozy mysteries, she includes a creative murder investigation to entangle the lead including a positive association with law enforcement…her boyfriend. The exploration, clues, and questioning reveal a few reasonable theories ending with a surprise conclusion. I enjoyed the fascinating side stories about stained-glass windows, Nashville setting, and horse breeding, and the antics of Whitney’s cat aptly named Sawdust. Kelly’s writing style is entertaining with descriptive language creating wonderful sensory-laden pictures and witty dialogue to illustrate the emotions and personalities. Kelly’s characters are well-developed led by a strong female, endearing familial connections, good friends, and a healthy romance. Last…recipes! Enjoy these treats themed just right: Stained-Glass Cookies, Easy as Sin Apple Rosettes, and Original Sin Sour Appletini. Don’t miss this gem!

House-flipper Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are on to their next renovating project. They found an abandoned church building outside of Nashville and made an offer. The members of the church had moved to a bigger, more modern building and left this one, waiting for 9 years until someone found an interest in it. Whitney and Buck got a good price on it, and they’re ready to get started cleaning it out and deciding what they want to do with it.

They have barely shown up and gotten started, haven’t even let Whitney’s cat Sawdust out of his carrier yet, when they realize that there are horses on the property. Whitney even finds one in the church building. and she’s trying to figure out how to get it out without the horse hurting her or getting too scared. But before she can figure out how, two men show up, one with a big knife in his belt and an electronic cattle prod in his hands.

The man with the cattle prod introduces himself as Nolan and tells them to get off his property. When Whitney explains that they closed on the property that morning, he says that he had put in the paperwork for an adverse possession eight years ago, and since he had been using the property for eight years, it was now rightfully his. Whitney stands by her paperwork, saying that if he had a legal claim to the land, then it would have come up during the title search, so clearly there was no official record of him being the owner.

They both threaten to call the police, but first Nolan and his ranch hand gather their horses and move them back to the farm. Meanwhile, Whitney calls the Nashville police. The property they bought is unusual because most of it is in Davidson county, which is also where Nashville is, but there is a corner of the property that is in Sumner county, which is where Nolan’s ranch is. He calls the county sheriff, and eventually they all meet up again at the church. The two officers confer and tell them that what they have is a civil issue, but they side with Whitney and her paperwork. Whitney calls her attorney, and he begins the search to find out what’s happened.

Nolan leaves after the officers do, but he’s clearly not happy about the situation. Whitney and Buck don’t care, as long as he goes back to his ranch and leaves them alone. As they start to look around the property and think about what they’d like to do with it, they make their way up to the belfry, where there is still a working bell. Sawdust loves the rope and decides to sharpen his claws by grabbing at it. And Whitney gets an idea.

The space is special, and while lots of people are looking to live in a place that has a storied history, she thinks that turning the church into a residence would be a miss. With all the performers in Nashville, there is always a need for more music venues, so she decides they should renovate the church into a small venue, where they can host musicians or dancers or even plays. Then they realize that the parsonage nearby could be a small bistro where customers could eat dinner before the shows.

As the ideas start to pop, Whitney looks at the beautiful stained glass windows that have made it through the years and decides she wants to replace the other stained glass windows with more colorful windows. She finds a nearby artist who can create the windows for her and orders two that are completely custom and two that are ready-made. She loves supporting local artists, but she also has to keep an eye on the budget, and that seems a fair compromise to her. The artist, Lauren, agrees to deliver the new windows in a month, and Whitney gets back to work on everything else that needs to be renovated on the church.

The weeks go by, and the new venue, the Joyful Noise Playhouse, starts to come together. It’s almost the day for their hearing about the property’s ownership, and it’s the delivery day for the new windows. Lauren had hired a delivery company to bring the windows out to Whitney. The delivery driver brings the boxes in to the church, but Whitney and Buck decide to store them in the bedroom of the parsonage until they can get them installed. But while they’re over there, they think they hear the church’s bell ringing. hey run back to the belfry and find the delivery man laying there, unmoving, with rope burns on his neck.

They immediately call an ambulance and the police, and Whitney’s boyfriend, homicide detective Collin Flynn gets called out there too. But who would want to murder the man? Was it a robbery? Could it have been a drug deal gone bad? Did he see something that he shouldn’t have? Or is there some other reason for the man’s death? Whitney is determined to figure it out so she can move forward with her plans for the music venue. But will that determination put her in the crosshairs of a killer?

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth in Diane Kelly’s House-Flipper Mysteries. The characters of Whitney and Buck, Whitney’s friend and roommate (and Buck’s girlfriend) Colette, detective Collin, and that scene-stealing cat Sawdust are back to fight crime and modernize old buildings. Bringing their hard work and ingenuity to this abandoned church as well as to the crime that happened there.

I enjoyed Batten Down the Belfry. These characters are very likable, and the writing is smooth as silk. Most of the chapters are told from Whitney’s point of view, but every once in a while, you get a different perspective, namely that of Sawdust. The cat gets to tell pieces of his own story, which is a little unusual but definitely fun. This is the first book in this series that I’ve read, so I can say that you do not need to read the previous books to find out what’s going on. Although once you spend some time with these characters, in their Nashville, then you may find that you want to go back to the beginning and read them all.

Egalleys for Batten Down the Belfry were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.