A High-End Finish (A Fixer-Upper Mystery)

Shannon Hammer is a contractor and her specialty is home-renovation, especially Victorian style homes. She took over the business after her father retired, but she and her sister grew up on his jobsites after her mother died, learning about everything along the way.

Her married friend Lizzie has set her up on a blind date because she wants everyone to be as happy as she is. The man she's chosen is Jerry Sexton, and when Shannon meets him, he is indeed nice and attractive. At least until they go walking on the beach and she has to fight him off -- in front of a group of people who can see them from higher ground. Then Shannon gets called to one of the homes she's fixing, and stumbles across Jerry's body in the basement. When the police show more discover that the murder weapon belonged to her -- courtesy of the pink color of her tools -- she instantly becomes a suspect.

But Shannon knows she didn't kill anyone. And no matter how attractive the new chief of police is, she's not going to let him stop her from inquiring about who wanted Jerry dead. Except it seems that every woman in town had a motive, which makes it harder. Then a bike accident (unfortunately) introduces her to an author who's just moved there - 'Mac' Sullivan - and he sees that it really wasn't an accident and now she's wondering who's out to get her. But when it's apparent that someone really is out to get her, by framing her for Jerry's death and a second one, then the police are taking a hard look at others in town, and so is Shannon. If she doesn't figure out who's trying to kill her, and soon, then they just might succeed...

This is the first book in the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, and it's a very good beginning indeed. Shannon isn't your usual sleuth; she's a contractor who builds and refurbishes homes, and she's very good at it. She has close friends and a decent social life with them, even though there hasn't been a steady man in her life for a long time. But she's intelligent, courageous, independent, and determined. Unfortunately, there's also the "evil nemesis" in this book in the form of Jennifer and Whitney - who stole and married her high school boyfriend, Tommy. While she can let it go, Whitney can't. While I also really despise the 'evil nemesis,' I have to say that it wasn't too overt in this book so it really didn't bother me, because Whitney wasn't going through the book making Shannon's life miserable every chance she got. It was merely things said on and off, and didn't take up every paragraph in the book.

As the first book, it drew me in and kept me reading, which is a good thing. The plot was well written and done nicely, and there were clues strewn throughout, which were easy to miss if you weren't looking for them. The dialogue was witty and at times humorous, and I liked the interaction between Shannon and her friends. It's a strong connection, and it shows. While I can almost see which of the two men Shannon is going to choose, we'll have to see which way it's going to go in the next book.

When the murderer is finally revealed, there's a pretty interesting climax that gives us all the information we've been waiting for, and shows us more of Shannon's tenacity when the situation calls for it. In the end, Ms. Carlisle is obviously a talented writer who can create characters that become real on the page. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next in the series. Highly recommended. show less

Conflicted.

Overall, I liked it a lot: great story, great setting, great characters, and a pretty good mystery (I was fairly certain about the murderer early on, but the author did a decent job of keeping the waters muddy and re-directing).

Shannon is a great MC: she's a successful building contractor specialising in restoring Victorian-era homes and building Victorian style new homes. I like that the author doesn't make it sound like her success in this field is special: in fact, she is one of two female contractors in the area and she employs both men and women and it's all presented matter-of-factly. She's surrounded by a posse of friends, only one of which is annoying and Shannon acknowledges the crazy in her friend.

My problem - show more my only problem really - is the freaking damn love triangle. Does anyone - ANYONE?!? - like love triangles? Besides the editors, I mean. Do these ridiculous love triangles ever actually happen in real life? No man I know would actively compete, out in the open, for a woman. One of them would walk away first. I'm not expecting my cozy mysteries to absolutely reflect real life, but I ask because the only other explanation I can come up with is that there are women out there that like the idea of two men fighting openly for her affections. Not a position I would ever want to be in. To be the one that has to choose one person, knowing I'm going to be hurting the other? No thanks!

The author is also a published romance writer, and there is some evidence of that here in how she writes her leading males. Both strong, beautiful, hero-types. One bears a striking resemblance to the love interest in her bibliophile series, the other one like Thor. Let me be clear: I'm not complaining about this; I would prefer my books' leading men be gorgeous: if I'm going to be asked to suspend disbelief, I'd just as soon suspend it for the ideal man than not. But it might strike other readers differently.

I'm definitely going to read the second book, coming out in January, because I did enjoy this one, and frankly, I'm in it for Thor. But if this stupid romantic device isn't resolved soon and to my satisfaction, I have to admit there are other, similar mystery series I'd just as soon read over this one. And they don't have love triangles. show less

The smooth, fast pace and lush northern California setting of sea and redwoods drew me right into A High-End Finish and wouldn't let me go. That's because there's a lot more to this book than the setting. Lighthouse Cove is an architecture buff's dream, and the building and restoration details are a definite bonus. However, what really makes this book come to life are its sense of humor and Kate Carlisle's cast of characters.

Shannon Hammer is just the type of level-headed, smart, funny, and hands-on type of friend everyone would love to have. Her signature color has become pink. Not necessarily her choice, but she's embraced it: pink tools, pink work gloves, pink bicycle.... (Like me, she discovered that pink tools are good things to show more have because the men in her life won't walk off with them.) Shannon works in what's typically a man's profession, and she not only gets along with everyone on her crew, she proves that she's more than capable of doing the work herself. She's not just window dressing.

And that's good because her retired father likes to go out and about in his RV. She's also surrounded by four close friends who are a wonderful support group for each other-- even if one of them is an inveterate matchmaker and another has brainwashed herself with too many romance novels.

Speaking of romance novels, I'm not a person who cares for romance in my crime fiction. It doesn't mean I'm not romantic; it's just how I roll. But I started to move over to the "dark side" a bit with A High-End Finish. You see, Carlisle has created not one but two handsome intelligent men to add a bit of sparkle to Shannon's lackluster love life. Police chief Eric Jensen is going to look gorgeous whenever Shannon gets involved in an investigation and ruffles his feathers, and bestselling author MacKintyre Sullivan (call him Mac) has just bought the old lighthouse mansion and needs it renovated. I really liked both these men and would find it difficult to choose between them myself. My only worry is that it would be all too easy for the Eric/Mac situation to turn into something akin to Janet Evanovich's Joe/Ranger endless indecision fest.

So how did the mystery itself fare amongst pink tools, best friends, and handsome men? Pretty good actually, even though one character's reaction to something told me immediately that I'd just been introduced to the killer. That's small beans, though, because Carlisle has created a setting and characters that I'm anxious to get back to. Good thing I have the next book in the series, This Old Homicide, waiting for me! show less

Shannon Hammer is a contractor in a seaside town, a place where it’s hard to keep your private business private. When she goes on a blind date that ends badly - one where she is forced to knee her aggressive date to get him to back off - everyone knows it. When said bad date turns up dead a few days later, the new police chief zeros in on Shannon. Then, her obnoxious short-term boarder is also found murdered, with evidence leading back to Shannon. She is determined to clear her name and save her reputation and maybe even her life before the murderer strikes again. This tale has interesting and likable characters. Shannon runs her own construction business, not a common profession for a woman. It’s her pink tools that figure show more prominently in this story. The story has a hint of romance in the making, as she feels a connection for not one but two newcomers to the town. There is plenty of action and things move quickly in this well written cozy, the first in the series. show less

Shannon Hammer runs a home renovation and repair business in her home town of Lighthouse Cove, California--very happily and successfully. She's single, though, and lets a friend talk her into going on a blind date.

It's a mistake, ending in a very public struggle on the beach when her date, Jerry Saxton, doesn't want to take no for an answer. She and some of the spectators drive him off. She's not hurt, though, and puts off reporting it to the police until morning--and then gets caught up in issues relating to the current jobs her crew is working on. One of those is a call from a client. He's gotten a call from a neighbor that there's running water in the house Shannon is renovating for him. He's still in San Francisco; can she go check show more it out? She does--and finds a dead body, Jerry Saxton. And he was killed with one of Shannon's tools.

The new sheriff is a sexy hunk, but she is the most obvious suspect. Even when the coroner's report makes it clear that Saxton died while she was with other people, it's disturbing. It gets more disturbing when another death, and other unsettling incidents, indicate that one way or another, Shannon may be a target.

Lighthouse Cove is a small town, fairly close-knit, but not painted in unrealistically cozy, gauzy tones. Shannon has lots of friends, and is hard pressed to come up with anyone she'd call an enemy, but she and the local Mean Girls from her high school days have never stopped having some degree of hostility. Yet that hardly seems like a motive for murder. The characters are interesting and well-drawn, and while I thought for a while the story might be going in an unfortunate direction, in the end that was just a very nice bit of misdirection.

All in all, an enjoyable book with an interesting mystery.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook. show less

Shannon Hammer has lived most of her life in Lighthouse Cove, beach town known for it's classic victorian homes. Shannon loves the town and the homes. As the most popular contractor in town she is an expert in victorian renovations. As with all small town, she knows everyone and everyone knows her, so when a blind date on the beach goes very wrong, everyone in town knows about it. When Shannon finds the body of the bad date guy at one of her renovations, all eyes turn to her.

I love Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile Mysteries so of course I could not wait to read this new series. Shannon is a fun character, even if she is stubborn to the point of endangering herself. She has a group of fiercely loyal friends and family for support. But not show more everyone in town likes her and she has some old high school enemies that kept things interesting. The mystery is pretty good, but like all good cozies, it is the setting and the people who got me hooked. I also enjoyed the information about victorian houses which I love. And it's funny. I found myself laughing out loud a few times. The next book is already out and on my hold list at the library. show less

This was pretty average. I was expecting a lot from this - I always do for Penguin Berkley Crime - not least because they're always so expensive - but it just didn't quite deliver. I didn't hate it. I more or less didn't mind Shannon or the wacky cast of characters. The romance was absurd but thankfully didn't dominate the book. I didn't like either love interest. A lot of the romance was extremely juvenile. The plot line was enjoyable - if not majorly predictable. It got very over the top towards the end very Midsomer Murders with all the bodies/incidents but once I accepted that, it was easy enough to get through - it even managed to surprise a few chuckles out of me. It was rather long for a cozy mystery - or at least it seemed show more rather long. It dragged in the middle. And there isn't a lot of investigating persay. She talks to a few people but things mainly happen to her, so if you're looking for something a bit more than beach read, this isn't for you. 2.5 stars. show less