The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn is the first book in River Bluffs mystery series and it is off on a good start.

Jazzi and her cousin Jerod are house flippers. So when they start working on a house they bought, they find a skeleton that turns out to be her aunt but then things only get more complicated.

I liked the theme of the story and characters are quite charming. I enjoyed reading about Jazzi's close knit family and how they all try to help her out.
However I found some things slightly hard to believe and one of them was how detective let her tag along and question possible suspects. That usually happens after several cases when amateur sleuth has proven their ability and ""expertise"".
Although I liked the romance it somehow happened too quickly and sometimes over shadowed the mystery.
I appreciated that it is fast paced with many possible suspects to keep it interesting. I also enjoyed mouthwatering recipes and I am planning on trying some out.

What a delightfully different premise for a cozy mystery! A house flipper--and a female at that. It has "good bones" and they will be only be doing cosmetic work on the home of the former fiancé of her Aunt Lynda. She disappeared twenty-six years ago before she and Cal married and was never heard from again.

Jasmine (Jazzi) and her cousin Jerod won the auction on the old home and have a history of rehabbing. Jerod is knowledgeable, capable, level-headed, and "two years older" than Jazzi, may be around 25 or not. There are several engaging support characters, including the 6'5" Viking god, Ansel who works with she and Jerod. He is a "construction" contractor (perhaps general?). A trunk in the attic is found to contain a skeleton.

I could not get completely invested in the protagonist and she doesn't appear to enjoy sleuthing as much as work with Ansel (especially Ansel!) and Jerod. (The "cosmetic" work here begins with a sledge hammer and wall removal.) Jazzi seems to have some kind of rapport with the detective, however, who begins to invite her along on his investigation and little by little whittle at the mystery. The investigation ramps up when they find a second body out back of much more recent origin.

The author writes with a keen sense of humor, and the well-plotted storyline folds out in a steady, even pace. The narrative begins with a hook and engages interest through to the conclusion. The writing style is easy, fast, the dialogue natural, and I appreciated the affection intonated between family members as well as the location and the little pug. The antagonist becomes a bit obvious, however, and perhaps too soon. There is a romantic tic that interrupts the mystery and seemed a bit fast although is explained plausibly.

I received this ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. I'll be interested in the next entry to the series and be looking for a more complete fleshing of Jazzi next installment as well as further exploration of Ansel, without the romance. Recommended for any who enjoy a cozy with a different premise.

Jazzi and her cousin Jerrod flip houses to make a living. Some they do real well on, some they don't make much on. They can do their own work with the help of a contractor and they enjoy it even if it can be hard work. But they never expected to find a dead body in a trunk in the attic. Now Jazzi knows what happened to her aunt...

Lyrical Underground and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It is being published today.

This death was a long buried secret. The man who lived in the house didn't know she was there and mourned her loss his whole life. Then Jazzi finds out her son was coming to see Cal but didn't show up. When they attempt to work on the plumbing, they find him buried in the backyard. Who killed him?

Is it one killer or two? The son had never been to that town before, how could he have enemies? And which one of her lovers might have killed her aunt?

In between the murders, Jazzi is developing a new love interest that's fascinating and fun. I'd love to read more in this series!

Review of THE BODY IN THE ATTIC
by Judi Lynn

THE BODY IN THE ATTIC is #1 in a new series by Judi Lynn, a series I plan to read in its entirety, as I adored this cozy mystery novel. I should say “multiple mystery,” plus family, friendship, romance. Ms. Lynn is very good writer and certainly maintained my attention and interest throughout, to the point that I was disgruntled to have to set the engrossing story aside for real life
concerns!

In a good-sized city in Indiana, a town that still maintains its “community feel,” Jazzie Xanders and cousin Jerod are “flippers,” who buy houses at estate sales and foreclosures, renovate and improve the structures and interiors, and then sell them for a small profit. Jerod got the house he and his wife and children inhabit this way, and now Jazzie is sure hankering for their newest venture, a beautiful older house in the country who belonged to a wealthy, compassionate individual—who just happened to have been engaged, twenty-six years ago, to Jazzie's mother's older sister.

So many personalities comprise this book, and multiple mysteries, and a lot of deep emotional currents. Ms. Lynn fantastically weaves present and past and gently unravels the mysteries, keeping her readers glued to the page!

A good start for a new series.
The book is enjoyable and entertaining.
I loved the cast of characters, Jazzi above all, well written and likeable.
The plot was interesting and fun to read, the mystery kept me guessing till the end and there was no plot hole.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

This was a great start to a new home improvement, cozy mystery series. Jazzi, her cousin Jerod and their attractive Viking contractor Ansel work together to flip houses. Their latest project has a bit of a family connection. Especially when they start clearing out old antiques and discover a skeleton in a trunk in the attic. Turns out, it’s Jazzi’s aunt who supposedly left town years ago. As they start looking into her disappearance, they find quite a few hidden secrets and several local suspects.

I really enjoyed this story. Jazzi is a wonderful lead. I love seeing a character that actually works hard and has true friendships with male characters. You don’t find either too often. Her relationship with her family is really sweet and genuine. Loved all of those Sunday get togethers and the numerous meal descriptions in every chapters. The renovations were easily woven throughout the book and provided just enough detail that you could imagine the changes. I adored the sweet love interest. Talk about great chemistry. The mystery was really done well too. I loved how Jazzi worked with the detective and they slowly, but realistically uncovered more clues. I honestly kept second guessing all of the suspects until it was finally revealed.

The book does include a few recipes. Overall, this was an entertaining cozy that I would definitely recommend. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Body in the Wetlands, that will come out in the spring.

This cozy had a very intriguing premise and I was excited to read it. The mystery was good and kept me guessing. I liked the characters especially a cutie little dog named George. I didn't love this cozy but I enjoyed it and I would read another in this series.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Well-balanced blend of cozy mystery, hobby subject (home remodeling and decor), relationship novel (with plenty of family members for supporting cast), and romance. Kept my attention throughout, with the retrospective approach -- solving a decades-old mystery once the body of a long-missing relative is found -- providing a remote gloss that keeps events from getting too dangerous. I was thrilled to see that the tired cliche of putting the lead in danger to prove the real bad guy was avoided. I'd like to read more with these characters.

The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn is the first book in the all new cozy The Body mystery series. Most that follow my reviews know I have a soft spot for small town stories and cozy mysteries so being from Indiana myself this series immediately caught my eye being set in a small town in my home state.

The Body in the Attic introduces readers to Jazzi Zanders who along with her cousin Jerod are in the flipping houses business. Now if anyone isn’t familiar with house flipping it’s buying up properties at a low cost then renovating them to sell for profit. I blame plenty of doctor/hospital trips for my new found love of HGTV and these type of shows since they seem to air in waiting rooms everywhere.

So anyway back to the book… Jazzi and Jerod obtain the home of a man that was once engaged to Jazzi’s aunt who had left town years before and never contacted her family. The homeowner had never married again and spent his life alone before passing from a heart attack. When Jazzi and Jerod tackle cleaning the attic they come across an old trunk that when opened contain the bones of Jazzi’s aunt.

Now with this almost thirty year old cold case hitting close to home it was easy to see why our protagonist would become involved in the outcome but don’t worry the investigation takes a step up too when a more current murder is discovered making the whole mystery side of this book easy to become engaged in.

However, as much as I liked the setting, mystery and even the characters this one had a down side in my opinion… the “romance”. I have no idea why in the world the author had to write the love interest for Jazzi as having a girlfriend but I’m not a fan of pushing in on someone else’s man. The side we get is how terrible said girlfriend is and that she doesn’t deserve the guy but this only made me feel sorry for the unknown girlfriend. So before I go into a long rant about respect and boundaries I’ll just say if that hadn’t been included I probably would have rated a lot higher than the 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Book one in The Body series, The Body in the attic is an engaging mystery. Judi Lynn is a new to me author and has penned a promising start to this series. Good story and characters interaction I look forward to seeing what comes next

A nice start to a new series. What happened to Aunt Lynda? Well, Jazzie and Jerod are about to find out. They are house flippers and when they clear out the home once owned by her boyfriend they sadly find her remains. In classic cozy fashion, Jazzie investigates (Lynn takes her involvement with local law enforcement too far btw). There's also a romance between Jazzie and contractor Ansel. Family secrets abound. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Body in the Attic is the first in a new series by Judi Lynn. I always enjoy getting in at the start of a new series of books. I liked the idea of the main character, Jazzi being a "House Flipper" since I'm a big fan of the show, (Fixer Upper). - I enjoyed that aspect of the book.
Of course the title gives away the fact that a body is found in the attic but it's who the body turns out to be that makes the story plot. It's none other then Jazzi's aunt who went missing 26 years ago. The mystery of the story is trying to figure out who murdered her aunt and why.
I thought the characters in the story were interesting and fun people which made the book enjoyable to read.
At times though I thought the book was a bit, choppy and not fully developed.
If you want a super suspense murder mystery this one isn't going to fulfill that desire. - However it is easy to read and provides enough mystery to hold your attention and make you want to finish the book. - One thing I thought was really "rushed" was the romance aspect of the story. I felt the author could have maybe drawn that part of the story out more through the book instead of waiting till a few chapters before the end of the story.
I would have given this a 3 1/2 star rating but they don't have 1/2 ratings and I couldn't really justify a 4 star rating because there were aspects of the story that I felt were rushed and could have been better developed. Over all I enjoyed the story and would read the next book in the series when it comes out.

I enjoy discovering authors who are new to me so I jumped at the chance to read this first mystery novel by Judi Lynn, a romance novelist. I don't usually read the romance genre at all....but decided to give this a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The Body in the Attic is the first book in the "Body in the.....'' mystery series. Judi Lynn is the author of several romance books including the Mill Pond Romances series.

The basics: Jasmine "Jazzi'' Zanders flips houses along with her cousin Jerod. After four years they are pretty good at it. Most of the time they make good money. This time, their project is a home of a recently deceased family friend. In fact, the man was engaged to Jazzi's Aunt Lynda before she ran off to New York more than 25 years ago and never came back. Lynda was a bit of a wild, free spirit having been engaged multiple times, breaking it off with each man when she found someone more interesting. Jazzi and Jerod are both completely shocked when they begin cleaning out the attic and find a stained cedar trunk. Inside is a skeleton, red hair still clinging to the skull and a silver locket around its neck. Aunt Lynda.....she never ran off to New York after all.....

When I request review copies of books, I promise to give an honest review. I carefully read each book....and then I give my honest opinion. And I'm going to do that with this book just like all the others. That being said.....

I really wanted to like this book. I tried....but it really felt like a formula romance novel with a bit of mystery sprinkled on top. A lot of fluff and little substance. The plot of a long-time missing family member being discovered dead is one that has been used so many times, it just fell flat for me. The minute I read the first chapter and learned about the missing aunt, I knew they would find the body in the house. There is very little character or setting/background theme development. The writing style is choppy, and the mystery is just too simple with very little suspense or investigation. I knew the identity of the killer before I even reached the half-way point of the story.

This book just isn't for me. That doesn't mean that others won't read it and absolutely love it.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

cozy-mystery, romantic, law-enforcement, women-sleuths, murder-investigation, red-herrings, twisty

A fun trio of house flippers, a beautiful but abused house which was recently rented by a slob who sold off most of the contents, and a skeleton resting comfortably in a trunk in the attic.
The chief of detectives enters the plot, helps to identify the corpse, and utilizes Jazzy to help to deal with the family, one of whom is Jazzy's mother and sister to the deceased. Lots of twists and red herrings, interesting characters both good and vile, threats and warnings, as well as a sleepy beloved pet dog.
It held my attention so well that I stayed up reading till finished!
A very good read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is new series and a new author for me. I felt the book was very well written and the characters were well developed and likeable. Interesting, witty, and fun. Enjoy! 📕

I liked this book. It has a good story line and the main characters are well-developed. I feel that the emotional attachments/feelings are missing about the murdered aunt. Discovering her body didn't have much drama to it., just oh it that who I think it is, yeah it's my aunt, then life went on. It's a little better with Noah, presumably. due to his 'newness" in his murder. The story/characters doesn't really evoke any or feel any emotions that I can tell., but it is a good story. #TheBodyInTheAttic #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this. It’s a solid start to a cozy series, building a nice foundation for later books. I like the big family dynamic and the use of history and old secrets.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

The Body In The Attic is the first book in the A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series.

Jazzie Zander and her cousin, Jared, are in the business of flipping houses and they are helped by the handsome Ansel, their contractor.

Cal Juniper’s home has recently come on the market and Jazzi and Jared have determined that basically, the house is in good shape, except for trash the previous tenants left behind and should be able to be quickly turned around. Juniper’s home has a special significance for Jazzi. Juniper had wanted to marry her Aunt Lynda and there had been an engagement party at the house. But Lynda had said that she needed time to think about getting married and was heading to New York City for a year. But she never returned. And Juniper had headed off on a business trip the next day after Lynda had left town.

Jazzi and Jared ended up getting the home for a good price and have started to clean out the trash. Jazzi decides to check what might be in the attic that might be able to be used to decorate the house once renovations are completed. Jazzi finds a beautiful antique steamer trunk, but she is in for a horrible surprise when she opens it. Inside is a skeleton and Jazzi quickly realizes that it is the skeleton of Aunt Lynda by the neck that is with the skeleton and additionally confirmed when the ring that Juniper had given her is still on her ring finger.

Jazzi with help of her mom, sister, Jared, and Ansel sets off to try and learn who had wanted her Aunt Lynda out of their lives and why. She will find Aunt Lynda had secrets that she kept even from her family. Also, she finds that someone in Aunt Lynda past wants those secrets kept a secret as it might point to the killer.

This is a well-written and plotted story and has a wonderful and believable cast of characters. I particularly enjoyed her grandmother, she is such an interesting character.

I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in this interesting new series. I also will be looking forward to reading about the new projects Jazzi and Jared get involved in.

Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod are house flippers. They've just acquired an old Victorian previously owned by the estate of Cal Juniper, who was once engaged to Jazzi's aunt Lynda. But Lynda disappeared shortly after the engagement, and everyone thought she met someone else in New York and just never returned.

But while attempting to remove items from the attic, Jerod opens a trunk and they find Lynda's remains inside. Now the question has to be asked: what was she doing up there, who put her there, and was Cal in any way responsible? But as they start digging into the mystery, what they find out is there are people who loved Lynda and some who hated her; but finding out who killed her isn't going to be easy - not even for the police. Then when another mystery presents itself that's tied to Lynda, Jazzi knows somebody is hiding something - but how far are they willing to go to keep their secret?

This is the first book I have read by this author (she usually writes romances, and I'm not super fond of the genre) and I have to say that I was impressed. Yes, of course, being the type of book she's written previously, there is quite a touch of romance involved (had to say it for those who think there's too much) but it never overshadows the mystery involved, and that's a good thing.

I liked the idea that this protagonist is a house flipper (unusual for a cozy) and she didn't run back home with her tail between her legs because her previous relationship soured (although she's already home, she's not moping about it but has moved on). She's got a good business going, has money in the bank, and while she's interested in Ansel, who works with them, she's keeping that information to herself since he's involved with someone.

Back to the mystery - I liked the premise of the entire thing. A relative whom everyone thought ran off didn't, and then they had to figure out who knew her 'when' and who wanted her dead but left her body in a trunk in the attic of the man she was to marry. Then when the second murder is revealed, it only adds to the first question because it deepens the mystery and gives us something else to look at. Quite a conundrum, and quite delightful to decipher.

I also found the fact that while in reality the police detective probably wouldn't have involved Jazzi in the case, he was likable enough and reacted well with her; neither one was offensive nor pushy, and I can see them becoming friends over time. It seemed to work somehow and I was able to overcome this detail. To tell the truth, I loved the fact that the detective wasn't hateful and that there wasn't an 'evil nemesis' in this book as I find both of those distracting from a mystery.

In the end, when everything started coming together it all did so nicely, and while there were no hair-raising moments, it didn't seem to matter. The story was written well enough that I enjoyed the tale and I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

Fantastic book. Every page made me need to turn to the next one. What happens when you discover a body that is part of your family and the mystery continues to grow. Jazzi along with her cousin decide to buy a house to flip and as they decided where to start they uncovered a shock, a body. What happens after answers so many questions and leads to so many more. Thank you for allowing me to read this book NetGalley.