I enjoy this series, although Jazzi exhausts me. How can any person work construction all day, help solve murders, keep her house and yard work done and cook for 14 family members who come over every Sunday?
But I like the characters of Jazzi, her family, and Jazzi's boyfriend, Ansel. There are no annoying family members and the police are fine with her helping. I enjoy reading about the house flipping repair work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jazzi, Jerod, Ansel and George are back and are still flipping houses…and finding dead bodies. In the second installment we see the team helping Jazzi’s sister, Olivia and her husband Thane rehab their own fixer upper.

While working on the house, Jazzi becomes friendly with one of the neighbors and his lab. She also ends up coming across dead bodies and finds herself working along side Detective Gaff as he looks into the murders, because it’s every day that a detective brings along a civilian to interrogate people, since they’re more likely to talk to her than him. This is the one part of this series that seems to fray on my nerves…it is totally unrealistic. But aside from that I actually enjoy the characters and the writing and the second book was far more enjoyable than the first.

This is the second book to this series and I loved the first Body in the Attic .
I found this one is good as the first book and enjoyed very much.
Jazz has her hands full helping cousin Jerod and boyfriend Ansel put a new roof on to her sister Olivia and Thane house .
Love all the characters and the bond they all have ,the humour that runs through out the mystery.
Brilliant story line I couldn’t put this down. A perfect book for me.
If I could give more stars I would.
Many thanks to Kensington and Nettgalley for giving me a chance to read and review this book.
Can’t wait for the 3rd to come out .

The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn
Book #2: Jazzi Zanders Mystery Series
Source: NetGalley and Lyrical Underground
Rating: 4½/5 stars

Jazzi Zanders is some kind of devoted to her family! When her sister, Olivia and Olivia’s boyfriend buy a new home that needs some work, Jazzie, the sisters’ cousin, Jerod, and Jazzi’s boyfriend, Ansel get the call to do the work . . . for free 😊 While the trio of house flippers are happy to help out, Jazzi isn’t quite as excited about the neighbors.

Just across from Olivia’s house is the home of Leo, his wheelchair bound wife, and their walk-loving dog. All three are perfectly delightful, Leo is full of neighborhood gossip, and the dog is simply adorable, but through no fault of their own, they drag Jazzi into a triple murder investigation. Yeah, Jazzi isn’t at all happy with the neighbors.

As work continues in Olivia’s home and at another site, Jazzi gets even deeper into the investigation. As ever, when Detective Gaff needs a second set of eyes, a new set of questions, or just a friendly face to tag along, he calls Jazzi. Jazzi’s quick mind and skill with problem solving makes her a good match for Gaff and between the two of them, they begin to unravel what happened to the three unfortunate souls they have discovered. Though none of the three victims initially appeared to be connected to one another, a web of connections quickly unfolds and tells both Gaff and Jazzi there is a serious killer out there willing to go to great lengths to protect his/her identity.

On top of the murders, Jazzi also has an absent boyfriend thanks to a load of guilt from his beloved sister. Though he is hesitant to be gone for a variety of reasons, Ansel agrees to go home leaving Jazzi to fend for herself with the murders and the renovation work. For both, the separation is difficult and brings into sharp focus just where each stand as far as their long-term commitment to one another and their relationship. To be sure, Jazzi has a great deal on her plate and most of it has nothing to do with her amazing cooking.

The Bottom Line: I have to say, this series evolved quickly, and I am loving the direction it is taking. Here are the highlights: 1) I liked the craziness of this plot with three seemingly unrelated deaths being intimately connected and tied together beautifully by the author, 2) I liked the inclusion of some many animals, 3) I liked the increased backstory as it related to Ansel and his truly terrible family, and 4) I liked the absolute evolution in nearly every major character. This is really a very solid book that speaks to the skill of the author and the bright future Jazzi Zanders has. YAY for us, dear reader, YAY for us 😊

This is the second book by Judi Lynn that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. When I learned there was a sequel to The Body in the Attic, I had to read it. I knew if it was half as good as the first one, I’d love it. And when I saw a dog on the cover, I was hooked.

The story lived up to all my expectations. And then some.

We’re once again visiting characters we know and love, and they’re once again rehabbing a home. That’s a familiar world to me, and I was happy to enter it again. I could smell the wood stain, hear the power tools, feel the heat of the day reflecting off the shingles. The author did an excellent job of bringing the setting to life.
But it’s definitely the characters that kept me turning the pages.

Jazzi is a no-nonsense heroine. Her somewhat-rough exterior is tempered by her soft and caring core. I enjoyed watching her character arc, as she had some emotional hurdles to jump in this story. Meanwhile, she was the driving force in the plot.

Cozy mysteries aren’t violent or scary, but there were moments I got a skitter up my spine. Judi Lynn seamlessly wove that element of suspense into a whodunit plot full of suspects and red herrings. It was so much fun trying to solve the crime before the reveal.

I suspect there will be a third book, and I sincerely hope there is. This one ticked all the right boxes for me and has me clamoring for more.

Jazz and compAny always bring a good story and friendship. The crew excel at detecting but make more money at flipping

The Body in the Wetlands is the second book in Judi Lynn’s River Bluffs series. As with the first book, I feel like the seasoned detective assigned to the case and his investigative style are unbelievable. He requests the protagonist to accompany him on his interviews and voluntarily shares his findings with her. While professionals and lay people often work together in cozies that usually doesn’t happen until a relationship has been developed later in a series. There are more adult overtones than usually found in cozies. The characters are likable, the storyline is entertaining, and there are lots of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing in this steadily paced book.

Jazzi Zanders, her cousin, Jerod, and her boyfriend, Ansel, are in the business of flipping houses in the River Bluffs, Indiana area. Jazzi, who is very close to her family, hosts a family meal every Sunday. Her sister, Olivia, and their mother co-own a beauty shop. Olivia and Thane recently purchased a fixer-upper and Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel are helping with renovations between their regular projects. While replacing the roof, Jazzi spoke with Leo, an elderly neighbor out walking his dog, Cocoa, about Miles, a mentally challenged man who had recently disappeared from his parents’ home. Jazzi’s working in the yard when Cocoa grabbed her T-shirt and tugged to get her attention. They went to Leo’s house where Jazzi found Louisa, Leo’s disabled wife, on the floor and learned Leo never came home last night. Jazzi called Ansel and Detective Gaff, and then Cocoa led Jazzi, Ansel, Jerod, and the detective to the nearby wetlands and began digging, revealing a body in a shallow grave and then another a few feet away. One of the bodies had a wallet with Miles’ driver’s license in it, the woman’s body is unidentified, and they found evidence of a body being dragged through the weeds. Ansel reluctantly returns to Wisconsin to help his estranged family on their dairy farm for a couple weeks, and Jazzi misses him more than she thought she would.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

New to me, but I find renovation mysteries so much fun to read and wasn't disappointed in this one. Loved the bond and interaction between the characters. Will probably check out more in this series.

I love every book in this series. I love Jazzi but the chemistry between her in Ansel in the last few books has been off the charts. I love the bond that her family hands and the way her and her cousin interact on the job. I love mysteries with romance, humor, and fun and this book has it all. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

I love little cozy mysterys thank you net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience

Another good read in the series. Really looking forward to book #3 coming later in the year. Enjoy all the characters.