A fun and enjoyable cozy, well written and entertaining.
i liked the cast of characters, both human and pets, the setting and the plot.
The mystery was good and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn takes us back to River Bluffs, Indiana. Jazzi Zanders along with her cousin, Jerrod and boyfriend, Ansel are helping Olivia and Thane roof their new fixer upper home. During this time, Jazzi makes friends with Olivia’s neighbor, Leo and his dog, Cocoa. Leo tells her about Miles Lancaster who went missing three weeks ago with the police only finding his bike. One day Jazzi is working on the landscaping when a bloody Cocoa comes up to her. She rushes to Leo’s home where she finds his wife, Louisa has fallen, and that Leo never came home from walking Cocoa the night before. Jazzi contacts Detective Gaff who rushes over to investigate. When Jazzi takes Cocoa for a walk, the little brown Labrador leads them into the woods near the wetlands and digs up two decomposing corpses. They also find a torn piece of Leo’s sweater nearby. Detective Gaff now has two murders and a missing person’s case to solve. While Ansel and Jerod move inside to work on Olivia’s house, Jazzi accompanies Detective Gaff to question suspects. Will they be able to find their serial killer before he strikes again?

The Body in the Wetlands is the second novel in A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not picked up The Body in the Attic. I thought The Boyd in the Wetlands contained good writing and it proceeded at a fixed speed (I am tired of saying steady pacing) which makes it pleasant to read. The main characters are friendly and relatable. It is kind of Ansel, Jerod and Jazzi to take time off from their current flip to work on Olivia and Thane’s new home despite the hot August heat. I like that Jazzi is close to her family and that they have a big Sunday dinner each week. Ansel is estranged from his family after they forced him to depart from the family dairy farm after he graduated from high school. He is shocked when his brother calls because they need his help after Ansel’s father had surgery and his other brother fell off the roof breaking his leg. I could feel Ansel’s emotions. He is hurt by the way his family treated him and that they have only called him because they need help (and cannot afford to hire assistance). The mystery has red herrings to distract readers from solving this multifaceted whodunit. George, Ansel’s pug, is back plus Jazzi adds two new furry friends to the household who are adorable and mischievous. I was turned off by the excessive alcohol consumption by our characters, the focus on appearances and the attention paid to intimate relations. It was a little much for a cozy mystery. I am curious as to why permits are never mentioned when they plan their work. There is an especially sweet and romantic scene towards the end of the book that will delight readers. The Boyd in the Wetlands is an entertaining cozy mystery with house flipping, close friends, adorable fur babies, family drama, romance, two dead bodies, one missing person and a cagey killer.

A wonderful second book with a cracking cast of characters, this is a series to read and re-read.

Jazzi's sister Olivia (and her partner Thane) have bought a house that needs some TLC, Jazzi, her cousin Jerod and her boyfriend Ansel (aka The Viking or Norseman!) are contractors and so they take a week between house flips and do some of the heavy work (namely the roof, kitchen and bathrooms!), Thane is acting as their assistant (doing some of the lifting and shifting of things like roofing materials, which saves time), Olivia and her Mum are doing the decorating or the bedrooms etc.

One day Jazzi gets talking with a neighbour who is out walking his dog and is concerned about the work (and is very pleased to hear that they are getting the house sorted and so forth), Leo (the neighbour) is obviously starved for company as he chats on more than one occasion, but then there is one day when he doesn't turn up, but his dog Cocoa does and she is obviously injured, Jazzi, Ansel, Jerod and Thane hurry to his house only to find Leo is missing and his disabled wife is laying on the floor. With a friend called Jazzi takes Cocoa out for a quick walk, only to have the dog dig up a dead body - and it isn't Leo! Now their friend Gaff (the police detective) is on the case, Ansel had to head back to the family farm to help out there, Jerod is ill and there is a murderer on the loose, Jazzi and Gaff need to find out who it is before Jazzi ends up being another body in the Wetlands.

This house again has "good bones," so much of the work will be cosmetic as opposed to the sledgehammer they took to the walls of the last house. In the middle of the remodeling, Ansel is called back to the old family farm to help with their urgent repair problems and her cousin comes down with the flu.

Jazzi and the neighbor's dog find (not one, but) two bodies near their flipper. With Jerod sick, Jazzi is free to flit around with Detective Gaff, whom she got to know very well last episode. Detective Gaff, it would appear, loves to invite her along on his interviews. And, unfortunately, two is not the end of finding bodies.

The mystery moves at cozy pace with snippets of remodeling interwoven with red herrings and twists. The characters take the spotlight. There is more fleshing of Ansel, as well as the explanation of Jazzi's reticence due to a previous relationship failure. The antagonist begins to materialize as a bit obvious rather soon after he is introduced.

Bottom Line: I do enjoy this series, the setting and family characters become engaging, and I will continue to look for the next one. The pacing is even and well-plotted into a downplayed, almost anticlimactic conclusion. While dialogue is clean and for the most part natural, I still felt some relationship problems between she and Ansel. So, my problems: (1) Disbelief in the speed and description of the rehabbing process, (2) too much romance in a cozy mystery, and (3) support role with the detective--unrealistic.

I received this ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest opinion and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for those who enjoy a different type of backdrop in a cozy with some romance.

The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn is the 2nd book in the Jazzi Zanders mystery series, and another great addition. I found this book to be very interesting and enjoyable. Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod buy houses together and flip them with the help of contractor Ansel, who is also Jazzi boyfriend. While putting a new roof on Jazzi's sister house, her elderly neighbor goes missing, than a body is found in the wetlands. Jazzi is determined to find out what really happened. This book has a bit of everything, humor, mystery, romance, and great characters. I look forward to the next book in the series, and I recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Jazzi, with her cousin Jerod and her boyfriend, Ansel, are house flippers and have some time between projects to help do some work on her sisters fixer upper. While her mother and sister do the inside decorating, Jazzi and the guys, assisted by her sisters boyfriend/partner, work on the roof, etc. It's hot work and tiring. But this is what family does for each other. When Jazzi comes down from the roof, she strikes up a conversation with a neighbor, Leo and meets his dog, Cocoa. One thing leads to another - Leo is a bit of a neighborhood gossip, learning lots about people as he is a frequent dog walker - and he tells Jazzi about a missing young man. He lives with his parents after suffering a brain injury and is often seen riding his bicycle in the neighborhood. Not long after, Cocoa shows up but without Leo and, when Jazzi goes to check on him she finds his invalid wife in distress and no sign of Leo - he never came home the previous night. Jazzi calls her friend, Det. Gaff and Cocoa takes the lead - straight to a couple of decomposing bodies but not Leo, he's still missing. As all of this starts to unfold, Ansel, estranged from his not so nice family, gets a call from them. Even though they have turned their back on him because he didn't want to stay on the family dairy farm, now that his brother has had an accident, they are short handed so would he come home and help out. They would rather drag him back home than pay for an extra hand. Quite the opposite of Jazzi's large and very close knit family with their regular Sunday dinner gatherings. Off he goes, leaving her to try to stay out of trouble.
This mystery can be read as a stand alone. The characters and the mystery are well developed and there are enough of the expected twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I have to say, I like the romance between Jazzi and Ansel. She may be a strong female but he makes her go weak at the knees. One thing I have gotten used to in cozy mysteries is the, sometimes, close partnership between the amateur "detective" and the cop on the case.. No way would it happen in real life but anything goes in a book. This relationship makes for a nice change from the usual conflict between the two parties investigating in other cozy series. Add some really sweet furbabies and this was a very satisfying read. I will be looking forward to read the next entry in this series.

This is a really low grade cozy. The police procedures are very strange, like when they find a little blood and are already sure a certain person is dead.
The rest of the writing is also very strange, as we get a lot of details of quite few meals, and then we don't hear about food other days. Didn't they eat every day? Was there a special meaning behind the menu the days we followed the meal?
The cover is beautiful, but the book is really a waste of time.

What I like: I love the mystery that runs through each book in the series. The mystery is very interesting and both books have kept me guessing almost to the end.

I enjoy the animals featured and was very pleased to see Jazzi get the kittens from the little boy and not go to a pet store. I imagine those kittens are going to give George the Pug a run for his money shortly.

What I don't like: Ansel’s insecurity with Jazzi is very disturbing almost to the point of being controlling. Yes, they’ve known each other a while but only been dating two months and already he is pressuring her to let him put a ring on it. A comment is made almost every day. I am tired of reading how handsome he is. We get it, he is the perfect Nordic God. How he acted while away at his family was sickening. Where is the trust he says he has in Jazzi? He is not showing it.

There is a lot of beer drinking while working. Every time they take a break, it's "Let's go have a beer." Maybe they should drink some water every now and then.

The lead detective asking Jazzi for help in notifying next of kin was very far fetched for me. Seemed absurd. Yes, I realize this is fiction but it made the story hard to believe. No police officer that I know would be asking a civilian to help him break the news to the next of kin that someone has died.

I would not give this to a young teenager to read as there are adult situations (no details but heavily implied), drinking and the controlling behavior of Ansel.

I like the Jazzi Sanders Mystery series but it is not my favorite. I will continue to read the series.

I received a complimentary copy from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Body In The Wetlands is the second book in the Jazzie Zanders Mystery series.

Jazzie Zanders, her cousin, Jerod, are house flippers and are usually busy renovating their recent purchase with the help of Jazzie’s hunky boyfriend, Ansel. Instead, they are helping out Jazzie’s sister renovate their recently purchased house. As they are starting to re-roof the house Jazzie notices an elderly gentleman, Leo, walking his retriever, Cocoa, and stops to chat with him. Leo tells her about a mentally challenged young man from the development who has gone missing. A couple of days later Cocoa comes running up to Jazzie and grabs a hold of the hem of her t-shirt and leads her to Leo’s house. She learns from Leo’s disabled wife that he never returned from the evening walk the previous night. Jazzi senses that Cocoa wants her to follow, so she grabs Cocoa lead and the set off. Cocoa soon leads Jazzi to a wetland area next to an apartment complex, where finds what appears to be a shallow grave. She immediately phones Detective Gaff to report her find. Once the crime scene begins their investigation, they are able to identify the body as that of the missing man. As they are searching for evidence, a second body is found in another shallow grave. This being the body of a young unidentified female. While the police begin to try and identify the young female, Jazzie sets off to find out what has happened to Leo. Gaff, having worked with Jazzi on a previous case for her help in learning who the young female is and what, if any, connection she might have to with the young man that was killed.

This is a wonderful follow-up to the first book in the series. It’s a well-plotted and told story and reads at a nice pace. The book has an enjoyable cast of believable cast of characters. I particularly like the gathering of family for Sunday dinner that Jazzi hosts. Also, recipes are included for some of her Sunday dinner items.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this enjoyable series, A Body In The Gravel, coming this September.

Title: The Body Into The Wetlands

Series: Jazzi Zanders mystery #2

Author : Judi Lynn

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pub date:April 23,2019

High summer in River Bluffs, Indiana, is always sweltering and sweet. But the heat is really on when a decidedly dead body turns up in the neighborhood.



When established house flippers Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod donate a week’s worth of remodeling work to Jazzi’s sister Olivia, they’re expecting nothing more than back-breaking roofing work and cold beers at the end of each long, hot day. With Jazzi’s live-in boyfriend and partner Ansel on the team, it promises to be a quick break before starting their next big project—until Leo, an elderly neighbor of Olivia’s, unexpectedly goes missing . . .



When the friendly senior’s dog tugs Jazzi and the guys toward the wetlands beyond Olivia’s neighborhood, they stumble across a decomposing corpse—and a lot of questions. With Jazzi’s pal Detective Gaff along to investigate, Jazzi finds her hands full of a whole new mystery instead of the usual hammer and nails. And this time it will take some sophisticated sleuthing to track down the culprit of the deadly crime—before the killer turns on her next .


My thoughts

rating: 4.5

Would I recommend it? yes

Will I read more of series? yes

Will I read more by this author? maybe

Its a cute cozy mystery that is easy to read and get lost in to , the characters are very lovable and its easy to get lost in to the story , plus its different because the main character buys and flips houses which I've never read about someone doing that in a cozy mystery before now. With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting read and review it exchange for my honest opinion

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a fun, thrilling, wonderful book! The characters are like the neighbors you wished you had and the story is well thought out. I look forward to reading many more Jazzi books. Enjoy! 📚

Flipping Houses and Murder
This is a fun and interesting cozy mystery. The story takes place in Indiana and our inner circle of friends renovate and flip homes. There is plenty of fun meals for foodies and a few recipes are included. There is a lot of closed door sex. The story keeps the reader's interest and the plot is very well done. I was not certain of the murderer until the final scene when the identity was revealed. I enjoyed this book so much that I am planning on buying the first book to read. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Overall I would give this book 3.5 stars. As far as the mystery part of this book that gets a solid 4 stars. It kept me guessing between a few different suspects and the mystery flowed well. I would give the rest of the book 3 stars. It’s a little heavy for my tastes on the bedroom innuendos and observations of the opposite sex as well as the drinking, which detracted from my enjoyment of the book overall. I do look forward to the next book because the mysteries are good and I like the characters.

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

An interesting and clever cozy mystery. Family, friends and pets are the basics. Neighbors become involved, along with the friendly detective who uses our protagonist to get answers. Not especially realistic, but a nice change of pace from the usual cop tells lead character to stay out of police business. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Nicely done cozy with the benefit that it's set in small town Indiana- and the small town-ness comes through. Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod make quite a trio as they work on houses. Unfortunately, this time, while working for her sister Olivia, they find themselves ensnared in not one murder but two. Detective Gaff imho goes too far by wrapping Jazzi fully into the investigation but it does make for a good read. There's a romantic issue (Ansel? Gaff?), some sibling dynamics, and poor Coco the dog (it all works out for Coco). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I love books that showcase a tight family and Jazzi's family is really fun to be around. This book had sad overtones since all the victims were good people, but the mystery itself was very good and the ending was a surprise. Very enjoyable read!

I was hoping to read the first book before this one, but sadly ran out of time. This is the second book in the Jazzi Sanders series by Judi Lynn.

When established house flippers Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod donate a week’s worth of remodeling work to Jazzi’s sister Olivia, they’re expecting nothing more than back-breaking roofing work and cold beers at the end of each long, hot day. With Jazzi’s live-in boyfriend and partner Ansel on the team, it promises to be a quick break before starting their next big project—until Leo, an elderly neighbor of Olivia’s, unexpectedly goes missing . . .

A fast paced plot with interesting characters and I like the big family dynamic. But I did have a problem with the idea that a Police Detective would contact an ordinary citizen and ask them advice and to accompany him when he goes to question suspects or investigate crime scenes. (Unless they had some kind of former relationship). This is the only reason I gave this a 4 rating,

I highly recommend this book. and I look forward to reading more books by Judi Lynn.
Recipes are included.

I requested and received a Advanced Reader Copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley, all opinions are my own..

The Body in the Wetlands by Judy Lynn is the second book in Jazzi Zanders Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.

Jazzi and her cousin are flipping houses and making a living. Quite often they stumble onto a mystery that she can't seem to be able to leave alone.
This time cousins and Ansel, Jazzi's boyfriend are dedicating time and skills to fixing Jazzi's sister Olivia's newly purchased house. However, when their elderly neighbor goes missing and his dog takes them to the decomposing body situation dramatically changes.
Jazzi is in the middle of things again and simply has to solve the mystery.

The story is well paced and easy to read. There are enough red herrings to keep things interesting.
Although I have to say that some things, such as leading detective requesting help and taking lay people to the official interviews seems less than credible. at least so soon after meeting them and establishing a passing relationship.
I like that there are many animals featured in the book and romance element certainly add to the charm.

It took me awhile to settle in to Judi Lynn's second offering in her A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series. The murders were painful and on the dark side of cozy. The joy Jazzi has in her family and friends was offset by the angst and negativity she carries emotionally. Ansel is much the same way. When they finally got it together I could relax, but by then the tension began to build and I was anxious until the conclusion. One thing I greatly appreciate about Jazzi is her cooking skills. Her mom and her sister seem more the norm in today's world, but Jazzi gets it with recipes included. I look forward to more in the series.

i received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions express in this review are entirely my own.

The Body in the Wetlands is the second installment in the A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series featuring home renovator/flipper Jazzi Zanders set in the River Bluffs, Indiana. Jazzi and her partners, Cousin Jerod and her boyfriend Ansel have agreed to spend a week helping Jazzi's sister Olivia and her boyfriend Thane renovate their new house.

Jazzi notices the neighbor Leo walking his dog Cocoa daily and strikes up a conversation with the man. From Leo she learns that a young man Miles has gone missing in the neighborhood. Miles had suffered a head injury a few years ago and as a result was back living with his parents and riding his bike all through the subdivisions, unfortunately he also had a bad habit of being a peeping Tom. Several days later Jazzi is accosted by another neighbor who claimed that Cocoa had pooped in his yard, Leo didn't pick it up, and the man was livid. It's the next day that Cocoa comes running up to Jazzi covered in blood, when she takes the dog home she finds Leo's wheelchair bound wife lying on the kitchen floor and Leo had never come home the night before.

Setting out with Ansel to scour the neighborhood, Cocoa leads them to two buried bodies. Joined by Detective Gaff, Jazzi is determined to track down a killer and find the missing Leo. It seems as though everyone Jazzi questions is a prime suspect and the author does a good job of keeping you guessing until the end.

A fast paced plot with interesting characters. The problem for me with the series is the idea that a Police Detective would constantly contact an ordinary citizen and ask them advice and to accompany him when he goes to question suspects or investigate crime scenes. The subplot revolves around Ansel and his strained relationship with his family. An injury on the family farm requires him to go back home for a few weeks and the nightly conversations between him and Jazzi will having you cringing, how can such a strong character be so insecure and needy?

I enjoy the premise of this series and now the addition of two cute kitties and a new development in Jazzi's relationship with Ansel will have me reaching for the next addition.

I received an advanced copy of The Body in the Wetlands from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.