Whitney Flynn and her cousin and business partner Buck Whitaker are about to take on their first house flipping job since Buck became a parent and Whitney got married. Buck’s dad has recently won the contract to transform the abandoned grounds of Ridgetop Preparatory Academy into a retirement community. While Whitney and Buck are happy as always to be part of Uncle Roger’s carpentry crew, they also have their own professional eye on the headmaster’s residence set just a distance away.

After learning that developer Troy Loflin has no plans for the house beyond demolishing it, Whitney and Buck persuade him to sell it to them instead. The old Victorian could definitely use a little rehab, but would be perfect as a Bed & Breakfast catering to the retirement community’s visitors. Troy does warn them that the building has a sad history, telling them that the last resident, Dr Irving Finster, had shot his wife Rosie then killed himself in a fit of jealousy and despair almost forty years earlier.

While Whitney and Buck are understandably appalled, they figure that the house itself deserves a second chance. Sure it’s a little creepy working in a building that’s been pretty much left undisturbed since the deaths. But as the cousins work to rehab the house alongside fulfilling their carpentry duties at the nearby complex, they slowly uncover clues that indicate that the tragic story might be only that: a story. The more Whitney learns, the more convinced she becomes that someone killed both the Finsters then set it up to look like a murder-suicide.

The local detective in charge is skeptical but not unwilling to listen. Detective Macedo has a heavy workload but tells Whitney that if she brings him hard evidence, he’ll make the Finster case a priority. As Whitney investigates, she discovers that the cold case might be a lot hotter than she’d anticipated. Someone has gotten away with murder for almost four decades, and isn’t about to go down without a fight.

I loved the dark academia vibes of Diane Kelly’s seventh House-Flipper mystery. The twists kept me hooked as Whitney chased down leads and pored over the school’s old paperwork to find both clues and answers. I also enjoyed the developments in her and Buck’s personal lives, and am super excited about where the series is going next. I do think we could have used a little more from the perspective of Whitney’s cat Sawdust here, as we had in prior books, but found his involvement satisfying regardless.

There was only one recipe included with this novel, but it’s a good one!

QUOTE
Lemon Pistachio Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup chopped pistachios (almonds may be substituted if preferred)
½ teaspoon chopped fresh dill weed
Salt to taste

Cook the orzo as directed on the packaging. Drain thoroughly and set aside to allow the orzo to cool. Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together. In a large bowl, mix the cooled orzo with the chopped pistachios and dill. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil mixture over the ingredients. Stir until well blended. Enjoy as a side dish. Perfect for picnics and potlucks!
END QUOTE

It takes a lot longer to cool orzo than I anticipated! I definitely recommend pouring a little olive oil on the freshly cooked pasta and giving it a nice stir so that the orzo doesn’t clump up as it cools. I also figured I’d save a step by whisking the lemon juice and olive oil together in the large bowl I’d be adding the other ingredients to later. I just made sure to gradually stir the rest in to properly coat everything in the dressing.

While this lemon pistachio orzo salad is certainly delicious as is, I decided to dress it up with chicken and mixed greens for a complete and healthy meal. It also makes for a terrific cold lunch when you’re on the go. I like to add a little bit more olive oil and lemon juice to refresh the salad after it’s been in the fridge, but it’s still as tasty as on the first day it was made, with the dill and pistachio giving the salad a wonderfully unique flavor profile.

Next week, we travel north to New York City, baking up delicious treats while witnessing history threaten to repeat itself as a writer’s gathering turns deadly. Do join me!

Dead Post Society
House-Flipper Mystery #7
by Diane Kelly
Genre: Mystery
Imprint Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250359339
Pub date: April 1, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Publisher’s summary and excerpt here.

Dead Post Society is a bit different in that the victims died decades ago, and the case was never closed. There is no fresh evidence or clues for investigation. Many of those alive when the deaths occurred have passed on, but some are still alive. Some are former faculty. Some are former students. One of them is a killer. But the killer has kept their secret for decades and is determined to keep it a lot longer.
The mystery was well-written, with plenty of red herrings and twists to keep me guessing. I wasn’t a fan of the very few chapters in Sawdust’s point-of-view, but that is a personal preference issue.
4/5 stars

Dead Post Society is the 7th book in Diane Kelly’s House Flipper Mystery series.. I only started reading this series last year and wish I had started sooner. With every book, you feel like your vising old friends. I love watching the relationships grow between the main characters and new ones they meet along the way.. Every book in the series is a good read.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉?

In this seventh installment of the House Flipper series, things are changing for cousins Buck and Whitney. Buck and his wife have recently welcomed their first child, and Whitney and her husband are coming up on one year of marital bliss.

They've tackled some big projects before, but this is the first time they've undertaken a project where two murders have occurred on the property. They're rehabbing a former boarding school that's going to be repurposed into an upscale retirement community, complete with apartments and even a memory care wing. Whitney is drawn to the crumbling Victorian house on the property, and the developer has no use for it, so he agrees to sell for a song--but the catch? The former headmaster and his wife died there, and their deaths were ruled a murder/suicide.

But when Whitney begins work on the house, she finds something curious that suggests a gun had to have been fired more than twice. As she digs into the history of the school and the students who attended, she realizes that the couple's death was instead a double homicide. Will she uncover the culprit before she becomes a victim?

This is such a fun series, and I've so enjoyed the character development of both Whitney and Buck. As an English teacher, I loved all the literary references and poems that appeared before each chapter, and the title was beyond clever! Thank you to Minotaur Books/St. Martins Press for the early copy. This title is expected to publish April 1, 2025.

The Dead Post Society is the seventh installment in Diane Kelly’s delightful House Flipper series. Newlywed Whitney and her cousin, Buck, work for Buck’s father, helping transform a former private school into a retirement community. When they learn that the developer plans to demolish the abandoned Victorian headmaster’s house on the school grounds, they see its potential and quickly purchase it, envisioning a charming boutique hotel.

However, the home carries a dark past—the headmaster and his wife were found shot to death, a case long presumed to be a murder-suicide. But lingering evidence suggests otherwise. When Whitney discovers a bullet lodged in an outdoor post and a corresponding hole inside, she realizes the mystery may not be as closed as everyone thought. Determined to clear the home's reputation, she teams up with law enforcement to uncover the truth. However, not everyone is pleased with her investigation, and soon, Whitney finds herself in dangerous situations.

The book’s title is a clever nod to The Dead Poets Society, and Kelly adds another literary touch by opening each chapter with a famous poem, offering subtle hints about the unfolding mystery. With its perfect mix of renovation, intrigue, and wit, this latest installment is a must-read for fans of the series.

A nice addition to the series that sees Whitney, now married to Collin, contemplating motherhood even as she solves a cold case with her cousin Buck- a cold case they discovered while working on a renovation with Buck's dad Roger. This is a little different from the usual cozy plot because the murder at the old house took place years ago. Are there ghosts, btw? I like this series not just for the mysteries but also for the relationship between the cousins, their spouses, the details of house renovations, and, of course, Sawdust the cat. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

In this series, this is the first book I've read. Being a fan of home renovation shows, I was sure to enjoy this book. I was not disappointed. As a fan of cold case true crime, this story is one I loved. The characters I grew to love instantly especially the cats. I was immediately captivated by the setting and story. Quotes at chapter headings I didn't really read. In my opinion, the chapters in the amateur sleuths cats perspective did not add anything to the story although very cute. In the future, I will read more books in this series.

I love this new House-Flipper mystery! It's my favorite in the series so far. Whitney and Buck are renovating what was the headmaster's house at a defunct prep school, and run into a 40-year-old cold case. Whitney finds herself getting more involved in the past double murder - can she solve it when the police couldn't? Since it's a past murder, there's interesting information discussed, such as ballistics, blood spatter, and DNA evidence, which I found fascinating. I can't wait to find out what happens next with Whitney, Buck, Collin, and their families! Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advance digital copy!

Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have been taking a hiatus from the house-flipping business. That is, until they come across an old Victorian house while doing carpentry work at a former boarding school. The old buildings are turned into a retirement community, and the developer plans to level the old house due to its tragic past. Following the murder-suicide of the home’s former owners—headmaster Dr. Irving Finster and his wife, Rosie—the Victorian was abandoned. While working on renovating the Victorian into a bed and breakfast, Whitney begins looking into the two deaths. The more she learns about the victims and the boarding school the Whitney begins to think that both Irving and Rosie were murdered. There are several suspects among the former faculty and student body. And one of them is determined to stop Whitney from continuing the investigation.

All the books in the House-Flipper Mystery series are fun to read. Whitney and Buck make a great team. I’ll admit that Whitney’s immature antics can get annoying. And her confrontation with the beautician in DEAD POST SOCIETY is a bit over-the-top. Overall, I enjoyed the cold case mystery.

An interesting cold case with no lack of evil people. It is always entertaining to visit the latest house flipper. Great to be back with familiar characters and meet new ones. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

"The seventh in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, TN, where the real estate market is to die for.

This year's honor roll is killer...

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are no strangers to murder. After all, they've encountered corpses on their properties before. But this is the first time they'd decided to take a chance on a property where two suspicious deaths have already occurred. Most buildings on the former boarding school property will be repurposed for an upscale retirement community, but the developer has no use for the headmaster's house given its violent history. The headmaster and his wife were killed there decades earlier, their deaths remaining unsolved to this day.

Still, it seems a shame to see the beautiful Victorian give way to decay or the wrecking ball, even if many claim the unsettled souls of the victims still wander its halls, seeking retribution and justice. Can Whitney and Buck exorcise the structure's demons, solve the cold case, and give the building new life? Or will ghosts from the past seek to silence them forever?"

Trying to fix up a murder house? Yes please!

I'm enjoying this series. I like the characters and the mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can always count on Whitney and her cousin to be involved in a unique real estate flip. This time they are renovating a headmaster's Victorian home into a quaint inn. However, after Whitney found a couple of strange things in the home, she became involved in investigating a decades old murder/suicide case.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story as well as the setting. The details were interesting too. I did suspect the true guilty person midway through the story, but that did not make the story any less enjoyable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book, Whitney is unique for a cozy heroine and her perspective is very different. I could practically feel as she walked through the former headmaster's house its history and grace drawing her in. The former home is beautifully described and I enjoyed a personal chuckle when she talked about adding energy efficient windows (as I work for a window company.) It was fun to imagine through the eyes of a carpenter the rooms brought back to their original splendor. While the house plays a huge role in the story, like every cozy family beats at the heart of the story. In fact, this story opens with a blessed family event and closes with a happy family ending.
Of course, we also have a sprinkle in a mystery which takes us back to the house that lay trapped in the time of a murder suicide inside the house. It seemed almost too perfect that on her first foray to the house she found a bullet trapped in a post. Something she may not have noticed as others did not but for her knowledge of woodworking and home renovating. It was like the home itself told her where to look.
Even through the case is 40 years old, Whitney has a done of old records to track down students and staff who might remember something important. I had a teeny problem with that as it seems almost impossible to believe a school closed up and left all those confidential records for anyone to find. Of course, I guess that was necessary to move the story forward so you simply have to enjoy the book and not read too much into it.
Admittedly, I did something I am becoming really good at and jumped into this series well in the middle. However, that lends me a unique perspective because I don't have a lot of back story on the characters but I still enjoyed it. My only complaint is that sometimes the book spent more time on explanation and telling us what happened than inviting us to join in the action. That might be what caused me to drop the book by one star but it is worth reading and worth jumping back and reading other stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Dead Post Society is book seven in the House-Flipper Mysteries and probably best read in the series for background on the main characters Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck buy properties and then sell them for a profit. In this latest book, Buck is a new dad so Whitney is working with her uncle temporarily to renovate an old boarding school into a retirement community. Whitney is taking a chance on the old headmasters even though it was the sight of a murder suicide. While doing the renovations, Whitney uncovers evidence that maybe it wasn’t a murder-suicide and a murderer has been running loose for over forty years. Diving headlong into the case, Whitney hunts down witnesses and suspects from the old boarding school and runs headlong into danger in a cozy whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the end. The characters are like old friends that you love visiting with from book to book. The mysteries always have an element of surprise that you’ll never see coming for a nice cozy series that will have you coming back for more. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based off a review copy from NetGalley.

I love this series: it's like the perfect combination of binge-watching HGTV and Murder She Wrote all at once. In this episode, Whitney and her cousin are renovating an old school and, of course, people died there 30 years ago. Whitney is on to the case!

I will say that this book felt more leisurely than past ones. There are often long gaps of months in between scenes and a fair amount of telling, not showing, which kind of annoyed me. However, I think that this was to advance Whitney's personal life story, so I'm waiting for the next one with bated breath!

Whitney Whitaker, now nearing her first anniversary with Collin Flynn, is working with her cousin and uncle on turning a former boarding school into a retirement community. Whitney is interested in restoring the old Victorian that was the home of the headmaster, but first she has to solve a mystery.

It was March 1982 when the headmaster presumably murdered his wife and himself. The case has never been closed. The former investigator had some questions. Whitney, who found a bullet buried in one of the porch posts, has questions too.

Since the school closed abruptly that May, Whitney has all sorts of paperwork from the office which includes student disciplinary reports, staff evaluations, and minutes of board and faculty meetings. And, even though forty plus years have passed, they allow her to track down former students and staff to see if she can find out what really happened.

It was murder, and the murderer would really like the case to remain unsolved.

I enjoyed this seventh book in the house-flipper series.

Thank you for Net galley for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Dead Post Society is the 7th book in the House Flipper Series by Diane Kelly.

Whitney Flynn and her uncle and cousin are restoring an old prep school that has long been shut down. Along with it is an old Victorian house that belonged to the school's headmaster. Whitney discovered a bullet in a post of the house. She also learns that there was a murder-suicide that happened in the house. Because she found the bullet, she wonders if it really was a murder-suicide.
She starts asking questions before she can fully immerse herself in fixing up the house. She knows this is a cold case and cannot reopen it unless she finds new evidence. I won't give away too much but she uncovers more than just a murder. Lots of things happen at this school.

I love this series. Whitney is a carpenter and doesn't mind getting dirty to do her job and she's smart. I love that her cat, Sawdust has a few chapter of his own.

This cozy mystery is a fun read and keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens.
This book releases on April 1, 2025. I highly recommend this book.

Dead Post Society was a nice cozy mystery. I enjoyed the poems at the beginning of each chapter to complement the play on words of the title. Whitney finds an old Victorian house on the site of the family’s current construction job. She discovers a murder suicide had taken place fourth years earlier, finds new clues, and sets out to solve the case.

5/5 stars: This is the seventh entry in Kelly's House-Flipper Mystery series, which is a DIY Cozy Mystery that follows a carpenter who works with her cousin flipping residential and commercial properties as she turns sleuth to investigate the decades old cold case murder of a boarding school headmaster and his wife who were killed in her newest project a beautiful abandoned Victorian. But she'll soon find that someone's determined to keep the secrets of the past silent and she'll have to work fast before they bury her once and for all. 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. Heartfelt and humorous, Kelly's writing and character work are 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 I love seeing Whitney and Collin, a homicide detective, settling into their marriage. Oh and I love the unique addition of the chapters in Whitney's cat, Sawdust, POV. And of course Collins's cats, Copernicus & Galileo, are adorable too. But wait, you'll for sure want to try out the absolutely delicious recipe that's included. Kelly touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and check the CWs. 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. Kelly's a longtime favorite author and this newest book doesn't disappoint; Highly recommend!

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