Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant.
Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked-out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work . . . until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her. . . .
Release Date: Dec 1, 2020
Series: A Fixer Upper Mystery
Book: 8
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $7.99
Contractor Shannon Hammer is working with a good friend on a huge project that would convert part of a former mental hospital into a beautiful hotel, spa, and restaurant. Rachel Powers, a local developer, wants Shannon’s boyfriend, a successful crime novelist, to invest in the overall retail project. Mac is intrigued by the project, but others in town are not so enthusiastic. Protests against the development start and quickly get out of hand. When a murderer strikes, Shannon and Mac search for clues to catch a killer and prevent another death.
This book is the eight book in the “Fixer-Upper Series”. Although I’ve seen some of the Hallmark movies based on these characters, this is the first book in the series I’ve read. I found the book to be fast-paced fun and it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read any of the prior books. Shannon is smart, hard-working, and a loving daughter, sister, and friend. I love the chemistry between her and her boyfriend, Mac, and their banter is fun to read. I really like the fact they work together to investigate the crime and actually report the clues they find to the local police chief who is their friend and is a competent investigator.
The setting adds to the mood of the book. It’s creepy and described so well, I could picture the mental institution the way it would have been years before. The scary backdrop adds to the suspense of what the killer might do next. One of the villains is very over-the-top, but most of the book is realistic which adds to the tension. I had some ideas about the solution but wasn’t able to guess the whole story behind the crimes. Likable main characters who all get along, a unique setting, and an interesting plot all come together to make Premeditated Mortar an excellent mystery. I hope the series continues and in the meantime, I plan to go back and read some of the earlier books I missed in this series.
~ Christine
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play