Book 7, 2024

[chez_jae]

Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I nearly finished the book I'd taken to work, so I brought it home with me and finished it this evening. The book was Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley, and it's the first in her "Do It Yourself" cozy mystery series. The main character is Avery Baker, an interior designer.

Avery has the world by the tail. She's an interior designer, living and working in New York. Her boss, Phillippe, is also her boyfriend. When Avery catches Phillippe cheating on her with his receptionist, she quits her job. She's not at loose ends for long. Avery receives a letter from her great-aunt Inga, asking her to come visit. By the time Avery arrives in Maine, Inga has died. However, she left everything, including her dilapidated Victorian home, to Avery. Although her aunt's attorney recommends she leave the sale of the house to him, Avery can't help but be charmed by the home's "good bones". She hires a contractor, Derek, to do the heavy work while she concentrates on the things she's good at. Not everyone in town is happy that Avery is staying put. The local realtor is hounding her to sell as is, while her twin cousins, who tormented her in her youth, make vague threats. On top of that, Avery learns that a local professor, who'd been meeting with her aunt, has disappeared. While researching local history, Avery begins to suspect that some of Inga's belongings may be far more valuable than originally thought. They may even be valuable enough to kill for.

I found the story interesting. Characters were fully realized, even the more odious ones. While Avery did do some investigating, it was mostly in the realm of historical research. I enjoyed reading about her work on the house and her squabbles with Derek, and it was fun to meet new characters right along with her. There were some surprising twists and turns that added to my enjoyment of the book.

Favorite lines:
♦ "There were cats. Lots of cats. Five, at least."
♦ "I brought you a present." // "From the hardware store? How sweet of you!" I wondered what it might be. A pound of nails? A hammer? Some new PVC pipe for the bathroom?
♦ "Can't have people going around pretending to be Frenchmen. Not in my town."

Very good. I have more in this series and am looking forward to reading them. Four stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No, she's an interior designer.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? In a manner of speaking--she's living at Inga's house while renovating it.
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No--huzzah!
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? She inherited Inga's two cats
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? There didn't seem to be a BFF
6. Did the mc find the body? Kinda?
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, mother is absent
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No, not really
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes