Thank you Alibi - Random House and NetGalley for this free ARC Amazon Kindle e-book. The following is my honest review.

I loved [b: Death at a Fixer-Upper: A Home Sweet Home Mystery|25937646|Death at a Fixer-Upper A Home Sweet Home Mystery|Sarah Hobart|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|45835017] by [a: Sarah Hobart|14172368|Sarah Hobart|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].

This cozy mystery contains many elements of interest to me. "Death at a Fixer-Upper..." contains interesting history and plenty of mystery.

The setting is Northern California. Real estate agent and single mother Sam Turner is more than believable. Sam is raising a well adjusted kid, despite the hardships.

She has a shit ex-husband, a classic VW Camper van, and nothing comes easy for her. Nothing in her life is perfect but she is a heroine we can admire. She does not give up in the face danger and disappointments.

The writing is good. There are subplots running through this novel that are good seed for further adventures. [a: Sarah Hobart|14172368|Sarah Hobart|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has a new fan, and I will be reading more books in this series. I will recommend this for our public library. ( )

The first half of this book was sooooooo slow, it didn't read easily and I had trouble making it through sentences without re-reading them. Too many descriptions, and weird words that no-one would know, odd sayings that were confusing. A lot of unnecessary noise that I had trouble remembering who was who. The second half was MUCH better though! It was a big stretch how everything came together at the end - felt a little forced. I received a copy of DEATH AT A FIXER-UPPER by Sarah T. Hobart as party of a House Party in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Death at a Fixer Upper by Sarah T. Hobart
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 2½/5 stars
My Review:

Sam Turner needs to sell a house! Unfortunately, the only property on her real estate dance card is a rundown Victorian that no one has wanted for decades. Unloading this monstrosity isn’t going to be easy but Sam has bills to pay and a teenage son to support so she’s going to unload that house, even if it kills her.

For years, no one has been interested in the old Victorian but, in what Sam sees as a stroke of luck, all of a sudden there is interest in the property. In fact, there is suddenly a lot of interest in the property and if Sam plays her cards right, she’ll get a hefty commission from the sale. The timing couldn’t be better since Sam’s car is in need of some major repairs, she’s buying a new house of her own, and she’s pretty sure her scumbag landlord is going to charge her a huge fee for “repairs” needed on her crappy apartment. All Sam has to do is convince just one of the interested parties that the house is worth fixing, the roses are worth saving, ghosts aren’t real, and this really isn’t a good place to build a new subdivision.

As the days pass, events related to the sale of the property become strange, perplexing, and eventually downright dangerous. With each weird and/or dangerous occurrence, Sam becomes more curious about the history of the property and the people who are involved with it. Poking around in the past isn’t always a good idea and as Sam continues to uncover new information, the threat to her safety becomes more serious. Too curious for her own good, Sam keeps digging and uncovers the answers to an unsolved bank robbery, the truth about the death of the previous property owner, and why her current buyers are dropping like flies.

The Bottom Line: As I sit here writing this review, I’m finding it difficult to get really excited about this read. I didn’t dislike it but I also had to remind myself on several occasions that I needed to finish reading this book. Seasoned readers know that having to remind yourself to read a book isn’t a glowing recommendation. There aren’t any major technical issues with this read but there are some real stretches and unnecessary bits where the plot is concerned. For example, the homeless man who hangs out at the real estate office, the reappearance of Sam’s ex-husband, her flighty sister saving the day, and the barely there romance with the chief of police. These stretches and unnecessary bits detract from an otherwise decent plot line and make the read somewhat convoluted, a state I do not care for in my reads. While many readers will find this read quirky and fun, I found it be only OK and was hoping for so much more. ( )

New real estate agent Sam Turner winds up with three appointments to show what for all practical purposes is a monstrosity on Thirteen Aster Lane. Quite frankly, it sounds as if it should be a block over from Mockingbird Lane, but the huge parcel of land that comes with it seems to be a draw. This started a bit slow for me, as with any new series, there were a lot of people to meet in quirky Arlinda, California. The storyline about the kinetic races were actually some of my favorite parts, the competition sure is fierce for that crown! I would call this a semi-cozy, as there is some language that most wouldn't expect in a traditional cozy. ( )

This is the start of new cozy series, that is set in a seaside little village of Arlinda which is in Northern California. This happens to be the hometown of Sam Turner who has her newly minted Real Estate license and is ready to take the market by storm. Sam also has a teenage son, Max who she has raised on her own since her deadbeat ex -husband walked out on her before her son was even born. Well, he happens to turn up in Arlinda wanting to meet his son which is not what Sam needs or wants at this time since she is up to neck in trouble.

She is trying to sell an old Victorian that is pretty run down and needs lots of TLC before it’s even livable. This house has a lot of history behind it and some even think it’s haunted. It seems that since the listing went live, poor Sam is swamped with offers and demands regarding this rundown piece of property. She’s running around like a crazy trying to get the potential buyers all the information they need even though they are dropping like flies. All the while she’s dodging her ex-husband because she sure doesn’t want him to end up letting her son down as he did her.

The ending totally took me by surprise and you can’t help but love a mystery does that to you.

There is a lot of potential for this series, Sam is a very likable character, plus there may be a complicated love interest in her horizon. She’s moving into a new place in town that she can finally call her own. Plus, the colorful residents of Arlinda are entertaining as well. I just saw that Ms. Hobart has the next installment in this series to be released in November, “A Killer Location” I look forward to reading that one as well. If you like contemporary cozies as much as I do, you’ll not want to miss this one.

I would like to thank Alibi Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an e-galley to read and give my honest opinion. ( )