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.

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.

Dead Post Society, the seventh book in the House-Flipper mystery series by Diane Kelly, centres around a complex cold case that has caught the unrelenting attention of carpenter Whitney Whitaker. When working to turn an old Victorian home into a B&B, Whitney finds a bullet in an outdoor post and a corresponding hole in the wall inside, bringing into doubt the accepted narrative that the tragedy of years ago was actually a murder/suicide.
Whitney, with some help from the local police, is on the case, with a number of complex clues and various viable suspects that keep the reader turning the page to the very end. Throw in snippets from her cat's point of view and in depth descriptions of the renovations being undertaken, as well as police procedures, and this cozy is as entertaining as it is fascinating.
Literary references at the beginning of each chapter will appeal to the bookish among readers.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DeadPostSociety. I look forward to the next installation.

Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly (House Flipper Mystery #7) 4.5 stars

Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are helping in the renovation of a property. Once a private boarding school, the new owner wishes to remake it into an exclusive retirement community. Within the property is the a headmaster’s house that has a tragic history, a murder-suicide of the previous headmaster. Whitney and Buck take on this project to turn that once blighted home and turn it into a bed and breakfast. In the process, Whitney discovers new evidence that may point away from murder-suicide scenario and move it towards homicide.

A very fun read, with Whitney tracking her way towards the classic: motive, means and opportunity. A very capable sleuth, Whitney seems to channeling her new husband detective skills in this outing. I look forward to the next House Flipper Mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly is the next in the House-Flipper series. When Whitney and her cousin Buck find an old Victorian house with a double murder history, they decide to buy it and renovate to a B and B. Whitney finds a bullet in the porch post and after turning it into the sheriff's department, she decides to dig into the murders and gets herself in trouble again. This series has believable characters and good mysteries and is a nice addition to your cozy list.

Dead Post Society the 7th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly. 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 Victorian which was the scene of two suspicious deaths. 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?

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.

This is a series I generally enjoy. Whitney and her cousin Buck are fun main characters, and the house-flipping and carpentry are always a cool background. However. In this book, I'm really missing the house-flipping and carpentry portion of things. In fact, the author sets it up so that the reno and resale of the house *can't* be done until the mystery is solved. IMO, that removes a fun world-building element, and I'm disappointed in that. I also find Whitney making uncharacteristically dumb decisions, and the final confrontation feels...unsatisfying to me.

The mystery itself, though, is well-plotted and enjoyable. There's some humor (the beauty treatments!), a total psycho, and nice relationship stuff too. I'd give this one 3-1/2 stars.

I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t as good as the others in this series have been. It seemed like it took place over a much longer period of time than the others, with very little renovation work compared to the others, and not enough from Sawdust. But overall, it was a good story and I’ll still look forward to reading the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read "Dead Post Society" in exchange for my honest review.

This was the seventh book in the House-Flipper Mystery series. Diane Kelly's books are always well written and full of interesting characters. Whitney Whitaker Flynn, her cousins Buck and Owen, along with Uncle Roger are renovating the Ridgetop Preparatory Academy building. This was an old boarding school that closed in the 1980s. When Whitney explores the old Victorian house that used to belong to the school's Headmaster she finds that all the windows are blocked by bookcases or heavy furniture. Was Mr. Finster trying to keep someone in or out of the house? When she finds a bullet in the porch post she realizes that she has stumbled upon a historic murder case or was it murder/suicide?

There are many suspects because there seemed to be a lot of troubled students at the school. Of course, Whitney jumps to a few wrong conclusions along the way as she works her way down her suspect list. Her husband Collin feels that his wife can't stop sticking her nose into other people's business. Whitney usually forgets that she's a carpenter and not an investigator for the police department. Before she figures out what really happened at the school she places herself and her family, not to mention Sawdust into grave danger.