Vandalism, arson, and death are found in the latest cozy House-Flipper mystery, Four-Alarm Homicide.
Cousins Whitney and Buck are flipping a historic firehouse and a nearby townhouse. Many local residents show an interest in purchasing the townhouse. However, Whitney has already given the right of first refusal to the townhouse’s neighbor, Joanna. When Joanna collapses and later dies, Whitney suspects foul play. Are any of the neighbors desperate enough for the townhouse to kill for it? Or has Joanna challenging personality made an enemy of someone else? Whitney, with some help from her police detective fiancé, is dying to find out.
This slow-paced cozy mystery has fun characters and a chuckle or two. The murderer was a complete surprise to this veteran armchair detective. In fact, without a last-minute spontaneous confession, I don’t think Whitney or the police would have caught the perpetrator either. So, Four-Alarm Homicide is not really a fair play mystery. It is a nice way to spend a few hours as long as you don’t worry about whodunnit. 3 stars.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.