by Cynthia Chow
& Kate Carlisle

This week we have a review of the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery by Kate Carlisle, Eaves of Destruction. We also have a fun holiday guest post by Kate. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Eaves of Destruction, and a link to purchase it from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Eaves of Destruction: A Fixer-Upper Mystery By Kate Carlisle
Review by Cynthia Chow

In the six years since Shannon Hammer took over California’s Hammer Construction from her father, she has not regretted it for a second. She and her sister grew up on construction sites, and there’s nothing Shannon loves more than the challenge of restoring homes to their former glory. If not for the friendship between her father and Matthew Jorgensen though, Petsy Jorgensen may have been irritating enough to make Shannon hang up her toolkit. Petsy is determined that her home win the Lighthouse Cove Victorian Home and Garden Tour, and she’s not polite about seeing it gets done.

Being featured on the cover of Northern Home magazine, not to mention the $10,000 prize, are prizes worth killing over, but it’s the corrupt building inspector Joe Scully whose body Shannon finds in the neighboring orangery. This is the ninth body Shannon has encountered, and it’s not exactly an achievement that makes her proud. When yet another corpse makes its appearance, Shannon’s knowledge of wiring and construction safety alert her to the fact that her experience with murder investigating will continue to expand. It’s fortunate that she has the assistance of her neighbor-turned-boyfriend MacKintyre Sullivan, as the bestselling mystery writer’s inherent nosiness and expertise with detective novel clichés have them adeptly pursuing suspects, discovering unexpected motives, and trusting their guts when needed.

This entertaining series by the prolific author continues to surprise by somehow both following and defying fictional mystery expectations. New characters are introduced and developed so fully that they soon become as familiar as Shannon’s family and her construction crew. While many of the new cast are engaging and delightful, even the villains have their layers. The family dynamics of her clients are fascinatingly drawn, especially as Shannon attempts to understand and unravel their histories. A thrilling conclusion more than delivers its share of surprises and emotional turmoil, tying together threads with a genuinely satisfying resolution. Now part of the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on television, those new fans will be more than pleased with well-written and witty delightful series.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Top 4 Reasons Books Are the Perfect Gift
By Kate Carlisle

I’m a writer, so you might think I’m biased in favor of giving books to your loved ones, but long before I was published, books were my go-to present. Here are my top four reasons why:

4. They’re portable and easy to wrap.
Except for the sometimes obnoxiously large coffee table tomes, books are by their very nature conveniently sized. You can hold it open with one hand while reaching for your snack or beverage with the other. This portability makes it easy to find a box if you’re shipping the gift. And hey, all 90-degree angles makes books one of the easiest gifts to wrap. Or, even easier, toss a paperback into a gift bag, decorate with a couple pieces of tissue paper, and you’re good to go.

3. They’re affordable.
According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average movie ticket price in 2016 was $8.65. Almost nine dollars for one person to see one movie one time—around two hours of enjoyment. The cover price on Eaves of Destruction, my latest mass market paperback mystery, is $7.99. At 304 pages and, say, a minute a page, it should give the average person about five hours of enjoyment. Then you can save it to read again and again, or share it with a friend, or donate it to your local library. Multiply those five hours by however many times the book will be read during its lifetime, and you’ll agree what a bargain a book can be.

2. There’s something for everyone.
Books are not a one-size-fits-all gift. It takes time and thoughtfulness to select the right book for each person. Maybe your father-in-law would love Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo daVinci. The young dreamer in your life is just the right age to have her heart and imagination captured by The Secret Garden. Your sister who loves NCIS and Law and Order would enjoy a traditional mystery like Eaves of Destruction. For the home cook—a great cookbook. This is a gift that’s more meaningful because of the care you put into choosing it.

1. Easy to find at the last minute.
Christmas is fast approaching, and you may be beginning to panic. Don’t worry—books are here for you. You can find great reads for your loved ones at your neighborhood bookstore, at the grocery store, at big box stores, or online with free shipping.

Happy reading and happy holidays!

To enter to win a copy of Eaves of Destruction, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “eaves,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 23, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address. DELIVERY OF THE BOOK TO THE WINNER MAY BE DELAYED DUE TO CLOSER OF THE PUBLISHER’S OFFICES FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Eaves of Destruction

You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery, and murder, and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors’ closets, but murder victims, too. (As seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.)

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.