Avery Baker is a fabric designer at a high-end company in New York. When she receives a mysterious letter from a great-aunt she hasn't seen in years, she heads to Maine and discovers that her aunt has passed away and left her everything. She decides to stick around and fix up the house before selling it, but finds herself interested in more than renovation when she picks up the trail of a killer determined to keep a secret.

Some of this book felt rather cartoonish. The flamboyantly French Phillipe, historical objects being smuggled in through tunnels, and - naturally - the hunky handyman, but all of it worked to pull off a fast-paced, fun little mystery. Avery is maybe a trifle scatter-brained, but genuinely likable, and the cast of characters was great.

The only time I stumbled was when this exchange took place, between Derek (hunky handyman) and herself:

"Derek quirked a brow. 'And when you need two-by-fours from the lumber depot? How are you gonna get those home?'

I wasn't entirely sure what two-by-fours were, but presumably they were too big to carry. 'Ask them to deliver?'

...

'Bet you have a car, though.'

'A Ford F-150,' Derek corrected. When I looked blank, he clarified, 'It's a pick-up truck.' " (74).

I will admit that I grew up in construction and in Texas, so two-by-fours and F-150s are part of the local vernacular. That said, really? When I quoted that part to my boyfriend, he wrinkled his brow and asked, "Is she an alien...?".

Not to mention, she's a designer. She specializes in textiles, but she mentions that she took some interior designing classes, as well, and not once in that time she learned what a two-by-four was? Has she never watched any variation of CSI on TV where a man is bludgeoned by a two-by-four? Never flipped through a home renovation project show?

The author, Jennie Bentley, was clearly trying to highlight how out of her depth Avery is, but there are so many better examples than two-by-fours and F-150s. Derek could have asked if she knew what rabbited lintels were or knew what a soldering iron was. Instead, it's two of the most common things to ever exist.

I soldiered past that, however, and thankfully things got better. There's a side plot where the flamboyantly French Phillipe turns out to have a secret of his own - pretty obvious, but funny nonetheless - and there's a small red herring at the local school. The other complaint I had, however, is that they literally identify the murderer about 260 pages in and outline every single one of his/her schemes and how he/she did it, but then are surprised when - guess what! - he/she turns out to be the murderer 40 pages later. Even before that, it was fairly obvious who it was, but still a fun romp to get there.

There is also a bit at the end on home-decorating tricks, which could turn out okay, but I have to question Avery's tastes. It appears Pinterest and its obsession with all things renovated and hideous has escaped the confines of the Internet and landed in a book. Some examples of Avery's "brilliance" include:

- a piece with "the distinctive arched and scrolled backrest and carved gilt-wood frame. My fabric, by contrast, was hip and modern, with a pattern of overlapping lipstick kisses in three shades of pink" (2)

- a "reproduction of a rococo chaise lounge" that is "upholstered in eye-popping shades of bubblegum pink, lemon yellow, and orange, with black trim and tassels" (5)

- her own couch, which is "oyster silk blend with black piping, printed with cross sections of enormous black and green kiwifruit" (8)

These all sound like something that could be found in a freshman's dorm room. In other words, not classy. I was wincing at the description of gorgeous furniture being upholstered in, apparently, the tackiest fabric one could imagine. Though Avery assures the reader that all of these things looked great, I cannot imagine a world where this would not be reviled. Maybe because I didn't live in the 70s.

All in all, however, this book is fluff. It's not great fluff, but it's kind of cheesy and fun and there's some good bits. ( )

This was a nice summer read! It wasn't very suspenseful, but I didn't mind that in this book. It was a quick read that seemed to have a leisurely pace to it. The budding romance between Avery and Derek was a nice addition, and not distracting to the storyline. Looking forward to the next installment. ( )

A pretty good read overall. This is the first in a series of books about Avery Baker, a designer who inherits her great aunt's Victorian house in Maine and her two Maine Coon cats. Avery goes to Maine with the intention of selling the house and returning to NYC but murder changes her plans.

Avery says that she graduated summa cum laude from Parsons The New School of Design. Their standards must be slipping. But we already know that she got her job by sleeping with the boss. On page 74 Avery doesn't know that a 2x4 is a piece of wood. On page 85 she starts renovating a room by refinishing the floor first instead of last. On page 189 she glues down tile and immediately grouts without waiting for the tile adhesive to dry but at the end of the book the author gives instructions for tiling a back splash and instruction #7 is "Allow [tile adhesive:] to dry fully."

Why 3 stars? I was in the mood for a safe series mystery and I love Victorian houses, Maine and cats. And, BTW, Avery is the most irresponsible pet owner since Stephanie Plum. ( )

A pretty good read overall. This is the first in a series of books about Avery Baker, a designer who inherits her great aunt's Victorian house in Maine and her two Maine Coon cats. Avery goes to Maine with the intention of selling the house and returning to NYC but murder changes her plans.

Avery says that she graduated summa cum laude from Parsons The New School of Design. Their standards must be slipping. But we already know that she got her job by sleeping with the boss. On page 74 Avery doesn't know that a 2x4 is a piece of wood. On page 85 she starts renovating a room by refinishing the floor first instead of last. On page 189 she glues down tile and immediately grouts without waiting for the tile adhesive to dry but at the end of the book the author gives instructions for tiling a back splash and instruction #7 is "Allow [tile adhesive:] to dry fully."

Why 3 stars? I was in the mood for a safe series mystery and I love Victorian houses, Maine and cats. And, BTW, Avery is the most irresponsible pet owner since Stephanie Plum. ( )

This was a fun mystery, old house to be renovated, mysterious death of 98 year-old aunt, mysterious disappearance of a local professor, and antiques that seem to appear and disappear.

I'm not much for "do it yourself" when it comes to renovating a home, but I did enjoy the trials and tribulations that Avery and Derek ran into, as well as a chance to try and solve the puzzle. For once I guessed right the first time and really didn't get thrown, don't know why since I normally change my mind about a dozen times. Still, I did enjoy the book and the *why* surprised me.

Now, need to get the next book in the series. ( )