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BOOK INFO
Title: The Body in the Gravel
Author: Judi Lynn
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Publish Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Jazzi Zanders Mystery #3
My Rating: 3/5
BOOK BLURB
Even in a lovely town like River Bluffs, Indiana, flipping houses can be a challenge. Especially when there’s the proverbial skeleton in the closet—and a literal corpse in the driveway . . .
House-flipper Jazzi Zanders has her work cut out for her. Her latest flip, which she co-purchased with her fiancée Ansel and cousin Jerod, is a three-story fixer-upper that’s more of a droopy-downer. One corner of the house is sinking and needs to be jacked up with a new cement foundation. That costs money. And causes headaches. And creates a work environment that’s not only hostile, it’s downright deadly . . .
Jazzi knows it’s a tough job. Which is why she hired Darby to lay the cement. But when Darby gets into a fiery argument with the furnace man—and then never shows up to lay gravel for the driveway—Jazzi starts to wonder if the rumors about Darby are true. Did he kill his wife and son and bury them in the yard like some folks claim? When Darby’s dead body comes pouring out of a gravel truck, murder upstages the real estate market as her biggest concern . . .

MY REVIEW
House-flipper Jazzi is back for the third book in the Jazzi Zanders Mystery series by Judi Lynn. Jazzi, her fiancé Ansel, and her cousin Jerod have a new project with a big home that requires a lot of work. One of their first tasks involves repairing the cement foundation and redoing the driveway. They contract with Darby, a cantankerous old man, for the cement work. When Darby turns up dead, Jazzi is on the case to find the killer.
I’ve read the previous two books in this series and recommend reading them in order: 1) The Body in the Attic, 2) The Body in the Wetlands. That said, they can be read out of order. The personal stories are continued, but the mystery is standalone for each book.
For me, this series is an okay cozy read. The writing is a bit clunky and I sometimes shake my head with the characters dialogue and actions. Still, I find it entertaining. My biggest fault with this series is how the detective on the case always involves Jazzi and asks for her help in solving the case. It’s a fictional story though, so I can gloss over that absurdity and enjoy the mystery. Mainly, I enjoy cozy mysteries with house flipper protagonists, so I’ll keep reading this series.
A light, cozy mystery. Likable characters and a decent mystery.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Books in the Jazzi Zanders Mystery Series:
- The Body in the Attic
- The Body in the Wetlands
- The Body in the Gravel
- The Body in the Apartment
- The Body from the Past
- The Body in the Beauty Parlor
- The Body in the Trench
- The Body in the Buick
- The Body in the Wheelbarrow
- The Body in Someone Else’s Bed
I haven’t read any books in this series, but I have the first one on my kindle. I should give it a try, as I do enjoy house flipping TV shows. Nice, honest review Darinda.
Thanks, Carla! Hope you enjoy the first book. 😊