This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.
BOOK INFO
Title: Batten Down the Belfry
Author: Diane Kelly
Publisher: St. Martin
Publish Date: March 1, 2022
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: House-Flipper Mystery #4
My Rating: 4/5
BOOK BLURB
Here is the church, here is the steeple…
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?
Open the doors, and see all the trouble.
The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?
The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker?
MY REVIEW
Whitney and her cousin Buck have flipped houses before, but now they’re renovating an old church. When two murders take place near the old church, Whitney wants to help solve the cases. Her boyfriend is the homicide detective, so she soon is looking for clues.
Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth book in the House Flipper mystery series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book in this series, Dead as a Doorknocker.
Whitney and her family and friends are likable characters. The setting is charming. The mystery is entertaining. Batten Down the Belfry is an enjoyable cozy mystery, and I look forward to reading more of this series.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Books in the House-Flipper Mystery Series:
- Dead as a Doorknocker
- Dead in the Doorway
- Murder With a View
- Batten Down the Belfry
- Primer and Punishment