Four-Alarm Homicide is the sixth book in the House Flipper Mysteries featuring Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck. An old fire house in Nashville seems like the perfect fixer upper to flip for a tidy profit. While starting work on the firehouse, a neighbor, JoAnna points out the townhouse connected to hers is going to ruin and would be a great fixer upper if not for the owners. Whitney takes on the owners, a bunch of bickering siblings to buy the townhouse. The townhouse is a hot commodity as everyone seems to want to buy it. JoAnna’s death due to poisoning has Whitney investigating another murder and squarely in the eyes of the police. Arson and threats leave Whitney racing to find truth in this easy to read cozy with a surprising twist. The likable protagonist will keep the reader coming back for more in this memorable series. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is the sixth book in the series. I recommend reading previous books. I didn’t I was wondering about different things. A woman and her cousin flip houses. In this book they are flipping an old firehouse and a duplex. Good read, but I am now going back to read the previous books.

Four-Alarm Homicide is the 6th of the House Flipper series. I have read this series from the beginning. It takes place in Nashville, TN. Whitney Whitaker is a partner with her cousin, Buck having a house flipping business. Her fiance, Collin Flynn is also a police detective. Wanda and Marv Hartley, Real Estate brokerage and property management company told Whitney about an old firehouse that was up for sale and was having an open house. They go to the open house to check out the firehouse. Thad Gentry, a real estate magnate known for unscruplous business practices is there showing interest in it. Betsy Palmer, President of the Historical Society is there as representative selling the building. Whitney and Buck decide they would like to buy the building and goes to speak to Betsy. Thad is telling her what he would do with the building. When Whitney speaks to her, Thad tells them he is not interested and walks out. Betsy asks them to send their drawings, etc. There are 4 others interested. They get the firehouse and go to work making it into a single family dwelling. While there, Joanna Hartzell and Gideon Koppelman who live on the street behind the firehouse come and ask them if they would come and check out the attached house next to her. They go and check out the dilapitated house. It is owned by the 7 children who own it.l It is still under their dead parents name. After checking the house out Whitney and Buck think it would make a good fixer upper. They go back to their back. The bank will give them a partial morgage but they will have to raise the $100,000.00 to make up the difference. They go to their friend and notory, Presley and she is willing to make up the money needed. Whitney speaks to their lawyer and he tells them that they will have to get a signed paper from each of the siblings. They go and get the papers signed offering them each $25,000.00, Two of the brothers ask for more and they give it to them. All the siblings have signed the papers and got their money.
The others hear that two of them got more money and are not happy about it. Go and tell them they need to give them the same.

This is where the story takes off with all the twists and turns with the death of Joanna under strange circumstances. There is so much that is going on that it is too much to put on paper. I willl leave this to the reader to enjoy to the surprising ending.

The book ends with the marriage of Whitney and Collin and their honeymoon. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in their adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperback for this ARC.

Four-Alarm Homicide by Diane Kelly is the sixth A House Flipper Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those who are new to the series or who may have missed a book along the way. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck are remodeling an old firehouse into a single-family home and a townhouse. Whitney and Buck need to stock up on the aspirin because these projects are going to be nothing but headaches. I like that the story begins with an amusing scene. Whitney and Buck are cousins, friends, and business partners (as you can imagine, they like to egg each other and compete against each other). When working in a neighborhood, you get to meet the neighbors. As you can imagine, there are an assortment of characters. Whitney and Buck have their hands full. I found the story to be easy to read. It is an active story with two renovations, a murder, wedding planning, the engaged couple need to decide where to live, and so much more. The mystery was interesting. I enjoyed joining Whitney as she searched for clues and asked questions. I like noticing those tiny details that lead to the killer. The method of murder was particularly unique. Whitney’s cat, Sawdust, is cute and helpful. The chapters from Sawdust’s point of view are cute. You can tell that the author has been around cats. The author includes information about home renovations (the various projects that Whitney and Buck tackle), mortgages, loans, home ownership difficulties in an easy-to-understand manner. The ending left me smiling. The one thing I did not like is the repetition of information (a pet peeve). I do not feel that key details need to be repeated several times. I look forward to Whitney and Buck’s next project. Four-Alarm Homicide is a makeover mystery with lingering neighbors, a mystifying murder, planning nuptials, kitty discoveries, mouthwatering morsels, and flipping properties.

DIY Cozy Mystery set in Tennessee that finds a house-flipper who juggles wedding plans, rehabbing a townhouse and a historic fire station and investigating a neighbor's death.

5/5 stars: This is the sixth entry in Kelly's House-Flipper Mystery series, which is a DIY Cozy Mystery that takes place is Tennessee and features a carpenter who works with her cousin flipping residential and commercial properties. Kelly's a longtime favorite author and this newest book doesn't disappoint. With plenty of twists and turns, Kelly has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Kelly's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It was a joy to catch up with Whitney, her cousin Buck and her friends and family. And it's great to see Whitney and Collin, a homicide detective, getting hitched! Oh and I love how Kelly includes chapters in Whitney's cat, Sawdust, POV. It's such a unique addition. And of course Collins's cats, Copernicus & Galileo, are adorable. But wait, you'll for sure want to try out the absolutely delicious recipes that are included. Yummy! While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Dead as a Door Knocker.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Four-Alarm Homicide the 6th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly. This is 5th book I have read in the series, and it can be read as a standalone.

Nashville, TN—where the real estate market is to die for.
Some properties are too hot to handle...

The characters of Whitney, Sawdust (cat), Buck, Collin and Collette are ones I have really come to love. I also enjoy the setting of Nashville, Tennessee. I like how the series continues to alternate chapters narrated by Whitney and her cat Sawdust.

This time around they are flipping an old fire station in Germantown which turns out to be a great place for a wedding! The neighborhood also has some goings on that interest Whitney and Buck. Overall I really like this series and it’s on my must read list.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. I did suspect who the killer was just before Whitney did.

I highly recommend to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St.Martin Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Over the last few years, I have come to expect that great writing is synonymous with the name Diane Kelly. And I have not been disappointed. I have read other series of hers but had not yet had the chance to read anything from this series.

I really enjoyed Whitney as a character and her cousin Buck as well. They were very knowledgeable about restoring buildings and I loved how she worked a mystery in with all of the house jargon. Genius. I also appreciate the fact that none of her books come off as a 'cookie cutter' cozy with the same kind of characters and situations. This is something new that I haven't come across before.

The way she writes, her characters come off the page and you can envision them all in your head. The mystery is smart, you actually have to think. There is no guessing, because it's never who you think its going to be.

My husband is an ex-firefighter, and I especially loved the fact that Whitney fixes up an old fire station in this one. I really enjoyed myself. If I had any complaints, it would be that the book ended way too fast for me lol. I always want her books to keep going.

I, one hundred percent recommend this and any of her other books. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Diane Kelly for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and are completely honest.

Whitney and Buck are back and renovating an old firehouse. As they’re working, a neighbor asks for help with the other half of the duplex she owns. The cousins buy it for their next project, but it seems that while no one was interested in the property before, now everyone and their brother wants it.

When owner of the other half of the duplex dies at the fire station, Whitney and Collin have to figure out what happened. There’s something strange going on and they plan to get to the bottom of it…if the killer doesn’t get to them first.

This series is like visiting old friends and seeing what they’re up to. Each entry includes a really good mystery as well as a fabulous renovation project. It’s rewarding to solve the mystery and “See” the finished property each time. A great series for the cozy and renovation lovers.

House-flipper Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck, take on a historical fire station in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood as their next remodel. While working on the fire station, they get roped into buying and rehabbing the rundown half of a nearby duplex. Taking on the duplex project puts them at odds with the former owners’ various children who could not agree what to do with their inherited property. Between battling with the angry siblings and dealing with issues at the fire station, Whitney and Buck have a lot of their hands. When the owner of the other half of the duplex, Joanna Hartzell, stumbles into the fire station and dies from mercury poisoning, Whitney finds herself caught up in a murder investigation.

Prior to reading FOUR-ALARM HOMCIDE, I binge read the other novels in the series. I currently working at a flooring store and I used to work for a home remodeler, so this series really appeals to me. It’s a very fun series with a cast of likeable characters—both human and feline. FOUR-ALARM HOMICIDE is a great addition to the series, though there were times when it seemed a bit disjointed. Between the two flips, the murder investigation, and Whitney’s upcoming wedding, there is a lot going on in the novel. There are a number of plausible suspects with solid motives. I was actually a little disappointed with the identity of the killer. It definitely was not what I was expecting. The sibling rivalry over the dilapidated duplex was both hilarious and bizarre. As an only-child, sibling rivalry is not something I’ve ever experienced firsthand, and I got a good laugh at the characters fighting over their shared ownership of their parents’ former home.

This is the 6th installment in the House Flipper series. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are excited to start on a renovation of a historic firehouse when they get a plea from two neighbors to help with a rundown property. The property is part of a duplex townhouse and Joanna (who owns the other half) and Gideon who has a property across the street want them to purchase and fix it up and one of them will purchase once the property is flipped. Well Whitney and Buck take it on and it is nothing but trouble, with many people giving them ideas on how to restore the property, the property getting vandalized and even a deliberate fire being set at the firehouse. They really wonder what they have gotten themselves into. Joanna shows up at the firehouse and collapses and dies it turns into a murder investigation. Whitney even becomes a suspect in the equation, so she has a murder to solve as well as the flips and planning her wedding to Detective Collin Flynn. This was a solid mystery with an unexpected culprit that you don’t see coming which really keeps you engaged in the story. Love this series and all the characters. Looking forward to the next installment. Recommend.

House flipping is not anything I'd ever be interested in, but it makes for a fun premise for a series, bringing in new locations and characters in each book. Whitney and Buck are working on an old fire station (cool!) and get drawn into a neighborhood drama. There are lots of interesting secondary characters and possible suspects. The death is awful, and the resolution is bittersweet.

I love the bit about the whiskey barrel and the peek into house flipping. I'm looking forward to the next project.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Diane Kelly’s books, but the House Flipper series is my favorite. Her sixth entry has Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck working in the Germantown section of Nashville. Their focus is the conversion of an historic firehouse into a single family home but through a chance meeting with a neighbor, they end up working on a nearby townhouse too. As seems to be Whitney’s lot in life, she finds herself involved in a suspicious death. To make her life just a bit more hectic, she and police detective Collin Flynn are planning their wedding. But, seemingly infused with unlimited energy, she manages to investigate the death, find time to spend with her feline Sawdust and finalize the wedding plans. As always, a very enjoyable book. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy on NetGalley but the opinion is my own.

"Four-Alarm Homicide (House Flipper Mystery #6)" by Diane Kelly gives a little bit wedding/wedding prep, a little baby expecting and some house flipping. Whitney and her cousin are renovating an old firehouse into a single family home AND a run down townhouse with lots of people that want it when it's cleaned up. Plus, they have to deal with major sibling rivalry over much and to whom they paid for the townhouse. Then, one of their new friends and neighbors ends up dying in the firehouse in Whitney's arms. In the end it wasn't the how/why that I expected.

Whitney is getting married! She's got to pick a venue, a dress, a cake flavor, and all the other details that come along with getting married and she and Buck have just purchased an abandoned fire station that they're repurposing as a home. When some nearby neighbors come by and ask Whitney and Buck to take a look at a townhouse attached to the woman's home, little do they know the trouble they're getting themselves into.

I actually started this series with book 5. Normally, I don't like reading a series out of order for a lot of reasons but book 5 was so easy to follow and I enjoyed the characters and the setting so much. Still in book 6 I felt the same way, even if it had been my first read in the series I would have enjoyed it just as much. There was some great investigation and although it seemed very clear right from the start how the murder was committed and the culprit was pretty obvious, there were enough red herrings for me not to get irritated with the MC for not seeing it.

Probably my favorite part of the book was Sawdust. He doesn't play a huge role in the story but I love the little chapters that focus on him. He's very sweet and charming and I love how he plays a pivotal role in solving the case.

This is a great series (what I've read of it) and I would recommend it to any cozy fan, even if reading out of order.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Four Alarm Homicide is the 6th book in the House Flipper Mystery by Diane Kelly.
Whitney Whitaker, a carpenter and house flipper along with her cousin Buck are working on renovating a historic fire station when they get involved in another murder mystery.
This book is a wonderful cozy murder mystery that combines humor, romance and suspense.
The author does a great job of creating a charming setting and likable characters.
Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with the characters as well as Sawdust, Whitney’s cat and her much loved friends and family.
Any new readers will easily fall into place and live this book.
I received an advanced copy from St Martins Publishing Group and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Four- Alarm Homicide by Diane Kelly is the sixth book in the series. I have read them all and enjoyed them. Whitney and her cousin Buck buy and flip houses. This is an unusual project. It is an old firehouse which they bought to fix it up.
They also find a rundown side of a duplex that they buy to renovate. A fire and murder happen to the owner of the other half. Both Whitney and Buck may have taken on more than they can bargain for.
We get to see Whitney solve the murder and plan her wedding to Homicide Detective Colin Flynn. We also got a few cameos of her cat. All of Diane Kelly’s books have smart animals.
This is a good series. I also highly recommend her series Paw Enforcement.

This is the 6th installment in the House Flipper series. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are excited to start on a renovation of a historic firehouse when they get a plea from two neighbors to help with a rundown property. The property is part of a duplex townhouse and Joanna (who owns the other half) and Gideon who has a property across the street want them to purchase and fix it up and one of them will purchase once the property is flipped. Well Whitney and Buck take it on and it is nothing but trouble, with many people giving them ideas on how to restore the property, the property getting vandalized and even a deliberate fire being set at the firehouse. They really wonder what they have gotten themselves into. Joanna shows up at the firehouse and collapses and dies it turns into a murder investigation. Whitney even becomes a suspect in the equation, so she has a murder to solve as well as the flips and planning her wedding to Detective Collin Flynn. This was a solid mystery with an unexpected culprit that you don’t see coming which really keeps you engaged in the story. Love this series and all the characters. Looking forward to the next installment. Recommend.

Four Alarm Homicide is the 6th book in the series and continues with the house flipping ( or in this case fire station flipping) adventures of Whitney and Buck.

This book is about doing what's right even when others make things difficult. This is one of the things I love about this series. The main characters are strong genuine people who always try to do what's right.

There were so many red herrings that the murderer really blew my mind and never in a million years would have guessed. The way the story ended was so well done and really wrapped it up wonderfully.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Whitney and Buck have just purchased an old firehouse to renovate and flip. A townhouse nearby
has two owners. When approached to look at the townhouse, it appears that the owners of half the
townhouse has died and that half is in need of repair. Whitney and Buck decide to buy the half
townhouse, renovate and flip. However, the heirs to the half they bought are causing problems.
Who is responsible for the fire and vandalism? When the owner of the other half of the townhouse
dies, Whitney is concerned that she may have been murdered.
Interesting characters and suspects,
#FourAlarmHomicide #NetGalley

Whitney and her cousin, Buck, have just begun demo on a historical property in Nashville’s Germantown. It’s a fire station built almost a century ago. How fun!

And right away they are interrupted by Joanna, who lives around the corner. She has a request that is hard for the cousins to turn down. Her side of the townhome is immaculate. The other side is a wreck.

But you know things rarely run smoothly for them. And just as they complete the work, Joanna up and collapses!!

You just know there will be shenanigans with someone!

This is one of the most interesting cozies I read. I love the projects coming together and of course, solving a death or two.


Netgalley/ St. Martin’s Press April 23, 2024