The Body From the Past by Judi Lynn is the fifth in the Jazzi Zanders series. This book has a unique spin.
Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod have bought a new house to flip. On the first walk through, they find a locked bedroom. Once in the room they find it was apparently a teen agers room. It has not been touched and all the belongings have been left untouched, including a hope chest. Jazzi starts going through the hope chest and the journal she found. It's discovered the girl died at her graduation party. Jazzi is drawn into getting answers what happened at the party. When she starts asking questions, one of Jessica's friends is found murdered. Jazzi knows she is on to something. Throw in planning a Halloween party and Jazzi is being stretched to the limit.
This is an easy to read cozy with enough plot twists to keep you guessing. I love the characters and the setting. I really enjoy all the meal planning and the recipes included.
I was given an ARC by Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for an honest review.

Jazzi is back for the fifth book in the Jazzi Zanders mystery series. Jazzi, her husband Ansel, and her cousin Jerod renovate homes. The house they are working on has a locked door that hasn't been opened in years. When they get into the room, they discover it belonged to a teenage girl who died. The girl's murderer was never found. Jazzi is curious about the case, and looks into finding who killed the girl.

This book is part of a series. I've read the previous books, and recommend reading this series in order. That said, this can be read as a standalone.

The Body from the Past is an enjoyable cozy mystery. Jazzi works as a house flipper, and sometimes finds herself with a mystery to solve. The reason I like this series is because I enjoy reading about the remodeling jobs the crew take on. The mysteries are light, and the characters are likable. A good read for fans of cozies. Delightful and fun.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 5 in the Jazzi Zanders series and I think it's my favorite so far. Jazzi, her husband, Ansel, and her cousin Jerod are renovating a house to flip in a small neighboring town. They find out that a girl was murdered there years ago and the case was never solved. Now the main suspect from the past is asking them to investigate so he can clear his name. Now two more are dead and they are no closer to solving the original murder. I love the interaction from all the extended family and of course their pet pug. Can't wait for the next installment. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jazzi is eager to get started on the next house she is going to flip in partnership with her husband, Ansel and her cousin Jerod. It's located in an upscale neighborhood about 45 minutes away and the price was to die for. Turns out there's a good reason for the low price for such a large, stately home. Many years ago a young woman, on the eve of graduating from high school, fell to her death from an upper story balcony. Nobody was ever arrested or charged with the crime but many people suspected her boyfriend of being responsible. As soon as Jazzi, Ansel and Jerod check out the house in preparation for gutting the kitchen, bathrooms and replacing the roof and basement flooring they get a big surprise. Jazzi is checking out the various rooms upstairs, pulling out furniture for Jerod's wife to refinish/restore when she finds a locked door and no key. Taking the lock apart and gaining entry to the room she discovers a sad time capsule. It's the dead teens bedroom, frozen in time to the night she died. Her parents sealed the room and the next owners of the house had no interest nor need to breach the locked door.
Solving another homicide isn't part of the plans, getting the house ready to resell is all that matters. No matter how much Jazzi may want to turn her back on a cold case, she keeps the girl's chest containing photos, journals, etc. and finds herself drawn to her story. Soon she is asked by the boyfriend for help in clearing his name but it's not long before there is more than that to investigate. So much for trying to complete a house flip without a connected death or two.
This series can be read out of order. I have read them in order and I think each is even better than the previous entry. Spending time with Jazzi, Ansel, Jerod and her wonderful, loving family is a great de-stressor. There is lots of family love, good food, and also a couple of kitty furbabies and their dog, George. It's a receipt for a great mystery that is well crafted.
My thanks to the publisher, Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

best one on the series yet. Jazzi reminds me of me when I get a new project of idea going. Each character is detailed in a great way and makes them relatable and keeps the story flowing. The three characters working to solve what happen to the victim. However the ending was quick and too the point, leaving me to look forward to next one.

Well, Jazzi has done it again. Or Judi Lynn has. Let’s call it a perfect partnership. This latest installment of the Jazzi series once again delivers everything we love about it: good food, good friends, good pets, a good mystery, and Ansel.

These poor house flippers can’t seem to get away from murders landing on their projects’ doorsteps. This time, the crime is from the past, but the trouble takes precedence in the present, and suspects abound. Jazzi’s investigation unearths horrible truths the victim suffered through her too-short life. Then the danger becomes all too real, all too immediate.

Kudos to the author for crafting such a wonderful compilation of characters—good and bad—as well as bringing the settings to life. It was a delight revisiting with old friends (and Ansel, George, Inky, and Marmalade) and so fun solving the mystery with our favorite house-flipper/amateur-detective.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five well-deserved stars.

The Body From The Past is an intriguing story about the death of a teen at her graduation party. It was never solved. Can Jazzi dig up the clues to solve this murder? You'll enjoy seeing how she keeps digging until she gets answers.

If you like the Hallmark channels, I think you’ll enjoy this book. I loved the story and the characters. What fun to work with your husband and cousin. These characters are so family and friend oriented. You can tell they love each other, their families and their fur babies too. George made me laugh out loud. I would love to have the talent that Jessie, Ansel and Jerod have. Guess I’ll just have to enjoy living through them. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

This entry to the series has our rehabbers discovering a locked room that had been the bedroom of the deceased—untouched and locked.

Jazzi, her hubby Ansel, and cousin Jerod are working on another flipper, this time in the little town of Merlot. The house has been sold with furnishings and the room in particular left just as the young graduating teenager had prior to her untimely death.

They don’t get too deeply into the project before Jazzi is asked to dig into the cold case as the girl’s boyfriend was the prime suspect but never charged or exonerated and is still left with the stigma.

Jazzi balances her full-on rehab work with the boys as she also prepares their lunches and snacks, meets the girls for their weekly gab fest, and provides a big family dinner every Sunday, as has been her routine now for some time. They have a pug, George, and two kitties. In between, she begins to read the journal left by the teen.

Then a body is found obviously connected to the case which involves Gaff, their local police connection
The narrative is well-plotted, the mystery just under the surface, as the three work through their plan for renovation, choosing colors, textures, materials, and equipment.

I enjoy the characters and see a subtle change now in the dynamics of the main characters. The pacing is just right, working on the mystery, working on the house, working on the family relationships, and working on some pretty interesting food dishes. An easy-in conclusion and the promise of Book 6 and I’m a happy reader.

The Body from the Past is the 5th Jazzi Zanders house flipper mystery by Judi Lynn. Due out 22nd Sept 2020 from Kensington on their Lyrical Underground imprint, it's 204 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
Despite being the 5th book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone. The backstory is provided without the reader feeling spoon-fed or overwhelmed. The plot moves along at a good clip and the characters are mostly believable and well rendered. The relationship between Jazzi and her husband Ansel is wholesome and heartwarming and a lot of fun to read. If some of the dialogue between Jazzy and her "suspects" is a bit stilted occasionally, it's not egregiously so, and certainly not in this type of amateur sleuth mystery cozy.

I love cozy mysteries but I've often joked with other fans of the genre that it's amazing that there are any people *left* in these small rural towns since they seem so enthusiastic about bumping one another off. ("It's fine, Aunt Jessica, just send a card, you don't have to travel all the way here for the graduation!!!"). So it was refreshing that this mystery didn't actually begin with Jazzi and co. tripping over a literal body. Old crimes cast long shadows, however, and it's not too long before Jazzi has a stable of suspects to winnow through, along with the ongoing house repairs and an occasional new crime to figure out.

The language is very clean and there's very little graphic violence and no sexual content.

Four stars. A fun undemanding fast paced house-flipper cozy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second Judo Lynn book I've read and I'm still not sure how I feel about the writing. It takes me several pages to "roll" with the writing but I love Jazzi, Jerod, & Ansel. Interesting, well thought out plot but areas are verbose. Enjoy!

The Body From The Past is the fifth book in Judi Lynn’s Jazzi Zanders Mystery. The mystery is well plotted, and the characters are well developed and affable. The steadily paced mystery is interesting, and the twists and red herrings that kept me guessing.

Jazzi Zanders Herstad, her husband, Ansel, and her cousin, Jerod, flip houses in the River Bluffs, Indiana area, and are currently refurbishing a home in the small town of Merlot. Jazzi discovers one of the bedrooms on the second floor is locked, and after removing the door, she finds it’s full of a previous resident’s belongings, including a hope chest filled with memorabilia and journals written by a young girl. When Jazzi’s best friend, Leesa, and her husband, Brett, find out she is working on the Hodgkill home, they introduce Jazzi and Ansel to Brett’s brother, Damian, and his wife, Kelsey, who fill them in on the sad history of the house. Jessica Hodgkill, the girl who once lived in the room, plummeted to her death from the upstairs balcony at a party celebrating that she’d been named class valedictorian and that she’d been pushed off the house’s balcony and died. Although the case was never solved, Damian had Jessica’s senior prom date and the main suspect in her murder, and he asks Jazzi to look into it and help prove Damian didn’t do it. Jazzi contacts Jessica’s family, who doesn’t want any of the furniture or personal possessions. Jerod takes the furniture home so Franny, his wife, can restore them, but Jazzi can’t bring herself to throw Jessica’s memories away, so she and Ansel take the hope chest to their home. As Jazzi reads the journals and talks with some of Jessica’s friends, who still struggle with her death, she becomes determined to find the girl’s killer. Even though it’s not within his jurisdiction, Jazzi contacts her friend, Detective Gaff, who agrees to speak with the local authorities. Not only do they discover another unsolved death of a young girl with similar physical traits, but also uncover multiple secrets, lies, and betrayals.

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

4 Stars




Jazzi, her other half Ansel and her cousin Jerod are back at it, flipping their latest house in the town of Merlot. The home is not overflowing with wine but contains a lock room with the belongings of a murdered young lady. Feeling it’s wrong to throw out the contents of a chest Jazzi discovered within the locked room, she soon become to the go to woman on a murder case that the killer is still running free. With the cooler weather approaching Jazzi and Ansel try to get the renovations done on the flip house, do some renovations on their own home. They themselves deep in a murder investigation, new murders occurring just as they’re finding answers and they have to find Halloween costumes for their party.

The Body From the Past is a good mystery that unfolds layer by layer. I love how the story started as a cold case and added to the complexity of the plot line throughout the story. It was different and a bit refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist to the plot. The characters are well developed but yet you can see growth within the story. Ms. Lynn balances the story extremely well with mystery, renovation and cooking. I love the large family that Jazzi and Ansell are part of. They bring another level of humor and the ability to relate with a larger group of readers. I did figure out the who done it but yet I was second-guessing myself until the end when the mystery was revealed.

A visit with Jazzi Zanders is like visiting a friend with all the best gossip and even better food. Not only do readers get a good mystery, this book just may have you looking for things to improve in your own home or you’ll definitely be figuring out what kind of soup you will be making now that you are craving soup. The Body From the Past is a great seasonal read and wonderful edition to the series. Author Judi Lynn delivers an entertaining story.

The Body From the Past by Judi Lynn is the 5th book in the Jazzi Zanders mystery series, and another great addition. I found this book to be very interesting and enjoyable. Jazzi, her husband Ansel, and her cousin Jerod buy houses together, renovate, than sell them. In this book they are renovating a large home, when they find a sealed room, which open into a shrine for the teenage girl that died years ago. Jazzi can't let go of the mystery of who pushed her off the balcony to her death. Jazzi is determined to find out what really happened, and the sleuthing begins. 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 highly recommend this book and series, if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It is always delightful to be back home again in Indiana with my favorite house flippers and foodies, their pets, families and friends. Comfortable and pleasant story that keeps one guessing. An untouched room with a set of diaries sets our protagonist off on another murder mystery. Many suspects and many lies.

Jazzi has promised Ansel to not get involved in another murder investigation and to avoid dead bodies. All is well until she finds a locked room in the house they are renovating. Unlocked, the room contains the life of a teenage girl who died at her own graduation party. When her family isn’t interested in any of the items, Jerod, Jazzi and Ansel clean out the room and Jazzi keeps the hope chest filled with Jessica’s diaries and precious things.
Jazzi reads the diaries and get drawn into Jessica’s life. The person responsible for Jessica’s death was never found and some of Jessica’s friends ask Jazzi to find out what happened.
We get to spend time with Gaff, detective, but he isn’t as involved because the house resides in Merlot not River Bluffs. Grandma provides some clues and the family and extended family fill Jazzi and Ansel’s life with happiness and blessings.
This is the fifth book in the Jazzi Zander’s Mystery series. It could easily be read as a stand-alone because there is plenty of introduction to the characters. The setting is at Halloween and Jazzi and Ansel have a fun party. The mystery flows well. My only complaint would be that the wrap up feels a bit rushed and the book ends. I would have liked a little more story at the end. There was a bit of a teaser that makes you wonder what the next book might bring.
I thoroughly enjoyed returning to River Bluffs and spending time with Jazzi and Ansel.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review a pre-release copy of the book.

What a wonderful seasonal entry into a great cozy mystery series. The mystery kept me guessing right up until the end and the included recipes inspire me to get in the kitchen. What a great escape!

Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod are back with a new project- and a new murder to solve! Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in this series about a husband, wife, and cousin team that make their living renovating and flipping houses - Lynn gives you enough info to hop right in! This time, the trio are in the small town of Merlot, where they are working on a. big house with a sad history,. When Jazzie opens a locked room and finds a trove of material left behind by Jessica, she wants to know more about her. Turns out, she died the night of her high school graduation and while the police thought her boyfriend was responsible, there's been no resolution. Of course, this being a cozy, Jazzi is going to investigate because someone they know might be culpable but even more because she doesn't like unsolved crimes. it's a well done cozy with good characters and a fine small town setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one!

I always enjoy reading the books in this series. I love Jazzi and her gang. I love reading about home remodeling and I think Jazzi and the detective make a great team. Good story. Very interesting twists.

Flipping houses doesn't normally lead to solving murders unless you're Jazzi Zanders. When she and her husband and cousin start their latest project, they find a locked room that turns out to be the bedroom of a teenage girl murdered on the night of her high school graduation party. The sadness of the unsolved murder draws Jazzi into reading the journals and investigating the death. The mystery is solid and well clued, additionally the daily routine of their lives, flipping houses and family is just as compelling.with each book, I'm becoming a bigger fan of this series. Rounding up from four and a half to give stars.