This mystery was literally to die for. The characters are real and likeable. The world building was great. The clues were kinda hard and kept you guessing who did it. I had to wait for the reveal myself because I could not figure it out. This book was fantastic. I would love to read another. I definitely recommend this suspenseful and wonderful read.

Jazzi knows when they flip a house there are usually some surprises but this time it was a locked bedroom with no key. Once the door was removed it turned out to be a preserved girl's bedroom-a girl who had been murdered.

This was a great multi layered story with a plot that keeps you guessing until near the end. I enjoyed the characters and house flipping side story. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book - I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  I thought it was an interesting take on a cosy mystery, investigating the who killed a teenage girl & why they did it.  I liked the characters & it kept me guessing.

The Body From The Past is the fifth book in the Jazzi Zanders Mystery series written by Judi Lynn.

Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerrod are starting on their latest fixer-upper. This home is located in the small town of Merlot small community, and it reminds Jazzi of a country home one would find in an English novel.

On their first day on the job, they will be checking why one of the bedrooms is locked. Once they get the room unlocked, they can see that it had belonged to a teenaged girl. Jazzi contacts the previous owner and asks why it is locked, and she learns from her that it was that way when she bought the house and didn’t need the room, so she left it as is.

With cold weather coming, they would start the project by putting on a new roof. Just as Jazzi’s getting ready to start, the next-door neighbor approaches and asks about the project. Jazzi learns from the neighbor that the owner’s daughter was killed during her high school graduation party. She tells Jazzi that the girl's boyfriend was a suspect of her murder, but the police could never get enough evidence to charge him with murder, and the murder was never solved. Shortly after that, the family locked the bedroom. The family then sold the house and moved to the East Coast.

Before Jazzi left for the day, she decided to look through the bedroom and found a chest that contained pictures and diaries of the girl. She decided to take them home and see if she could learn more about the girl. Shortly after reading some of the journals, Jazzi meets with her girlfriend, and they end up discussing the home Jazzi is renovating. It turns out that her brother-in-law is the young man that was considered the prime suspect at the time. She says he still has nightmares about the event and asks Jazzi if she could investigate. Jazzi is hesitant about looking into this “cold case,” as she has told Ansel that she won’t get involved with sleuthing anymore, besides it is outside her friendly detective’s jurisdiction. She learned from the diaries that her father constantly belittled the girl, and her brother could do no wrong in their father’s eyes. Jazzi convinces Ansel that they should look into the murder so that her friend’s brother-in-law can get closure.

The book is another well-written and plotted story from Judi Lynn. The book’s characters are well-developed and very believable. There were enough twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.

There are recipes also included in the book.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this exciting series.

I enjoyed reading this book in the series but not as much as some of the others ones. The mystery is well-done and I had to keep reading to find out the killer. However, sometimes the details of work done on house and family dinners almost seemed to slow the story done. But, I will certainly read the next one in the seires.

The Body From The Past was a fun and engaging read. I loved the house flipping/fixer upper part of the book, in addition to the plot and story. The characters, such as Jazzi, Ansel and Jerod, was well written and complex.

Overall, it was a good and entertaining read.

This is the 5th installment in the Jazzi Zanders Mystery series. Jazzi, Ansel (her husband) and Jerod (her cousin) flip houses and they are flipping a house in another city Merlot. The house is large and in a very affluent area. They purchased the house at a great price knowing there was plenty of work to do. When inspecting the upstairs one of the rooms is locked so they call the previous owner and find out that it was that way when she purchased the house and never needed the space so never went in. Turns out the room belonged to Jessica Hodgkill who was the daughter of the family who lived there when the room was locked up. Jessica was killed at her graduation party by falling out a balcony window and Jazzi feels drawn to her and when she sees her hope chest with her journals. She reaches out to the family to see if they still want her things and her Mother is so upset she hangs up on her. The nosey neighbor has nothing nice to say about Jessica and a friend of her’s brother in law was a prime suspect and moved away as the small town gossip ruined his life. Jazzi tries to stay away but she reaches out to her detective friend Gaff and when a new murder happens Jazzi is helping out with Ansel at her side to protect her. I really love this series. Jazzi and Ansel’s life revolve around their family and it is always family first and they work so well with Jerod on the houses. This series is an automatic for me and I cannot wait for the next in the series.

This was a nice, different take of a plot. Jazzi doesn't stumble upon a dead body, but all of a dead girl's items from the girl's childhood. Of course, you do get a current dead body so that the police can get involved. Some jerks and some nice folk are involved in the story. Kept me guessing and was a fast read for me since I was interested in what had happened.

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

Finally able to jump into this newest book in the Jazzi Zanders series after choosing to catch up on the first four after getting this one on Netgalley.

Jazzi, Jerod and Ansel have snagged a great deal on a fixer upper in Merlot. While beginning the process of emptying the house to prepare it for renovation, they find a locked bedroom, shut away since the former resident, a recently graduated high school girl, fell to her death during her graduation party when she was pushed off a second floor balcony, a murder that was never solved and in small town Merlot, rumors abounded ever since.

First off, it’s a known fact that a secret locked room is a quick way to suck me into a book. I loved how the journals introduced and narrated Jessica and her tragic life. Without it, she would’ve been just words on a page, instead it brought her back to life. There was no shortage of suspects, including a few who were right up there on the list because of how odious they were but in the end, the killer was unmasked and what a twisted tale it was.

Part of the draw of these books is watching (well, reading) the gang as they renovate houses; what design choices they make (both good and bad. Still not over the yellow brick house with the red metal roof and green door in the last book) and all the different houses they find. So, I enjoyed Ansel and Jazzi’s vision of turning their basement into a playroom/man cave/spare sleeping space for guests. Truly enviable! Their family gatherings sound like such a warm, lively parties, with good food and lots of fun. Enviable!

Overall, a solid addition to a series that continues to grow and satisfy. Can’t wait for the next!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE BODY FROM THE PAST (Book 5 of the Jazzi Zanders Mysteries) by Judi Lynn in exchange for an honest review. Jazzi, her husband Ansel, and her cousin Jerod are house flippers. In the midst of their newest renovation, they discover a locked room contained the dusty, untouched remnants of a teenage girl’s life. They soon learn the bedroom’s occupant, Jessica Hodgkill, was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party, and the mystery, along with the slaying of a similar-looking young woman, was never solved. Rumors abounded, and one implicated a male classmate of Jessica’s; though he was never charged, his current interactions with the community of Merlot, Indiana, are still affected by the suspicion, so he asks Jazzi to clear his name. Jazzi’s involvement kicks off community interest; Jessica’s friends want justice while others resist and cause trouble. As Halloween approaches, the locals begin to seriously question the party goers and narrow the suspects. This spurs the murderer to resort to old tricks.

I enjoyed the storyline. I note that I haven’t read the previous books in this series. As a result, I struggled with understanding the characters and their connections to one another. I suggest reading the previous books before attempting this one. I recommend the series to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, home renovation, construction, interior design, and pugs.

#TheBodyFromThePast #NetGalley

Jazzi, her husband Ansel, and her cousin Jerod have purchased a house to flip and discover a locked room in the opening pages of The Body From The Past by Judi Lynn. Jazzi is immediately intrigued when she finds the untouched bedroom of a young girl murdered in that very house. As the mystery unfolds amid twisted relationships and a broken family, murder strikes again.

This mystery is well developed and the characters interesting and multi-faceted. I enjoyed the underlying themes of house flipping, fall, and Halloween. Jazzi is a strong female protagonist who enjoys cooking and has strong family/friend relationships. This book is one of a series but is easy to follow without have read earlier releases and I eagerly await the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy and all opinions are my own.

I really liked this book. This series is consistently good. I like the characters and how they interact. There's a good balance between the investigating and the daily life stuff. It's well paced without a slow spots.Can't wait until the next one is ready. #TheBodyFromThePast #NetGalley

The Body from the Past is the fifth installment in the A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series featuring house flipper Jazzi, her husband, Ansel and her cousin, Jerod set in small town Indiana. Their newest project is a house taken straight out of an English novel, three stories tall with arched windows and a stone exterior - the best part is that there is little structural damage so most of the renovations will be cosmetic.

The first day on the job Jazzi discovers that one of the bedrooms on the second floor is locked. Taking the door off a room is revealed straight from the past. Still full of the previous tenants belongings including a hope chest filled with diaries, Jazzi discovers that the girl who once lived in the room, Jessica Hodgkill had plummeted to her death from the upstairs balcony on the day of her high school graduation party.

The trio soon learns that a relative of one of their close friends had been considered the killer although no evidence was ever uncovered to make an arrest. As Jazzi begins reading through the diaries she becomes drawn to Jessica and is determined to find the girl's killer. Plenty of suspects will keep the gang busy investigating and renovating.

A well crafted plot with the return of many series regulars and Ansel's beloved pug, George. At times the repetition of lunch descriptions in each chapter becomes annoying but can also be skimmed over.

I received an advanced copy of The Body from the Past from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Jazzi , Ansel and Jarod are renovating and find that a cold case is asking to be solved. Jazzi is wonderful. Plenty of twists and turns in this mystery. Kept me reading! Will definitely add to my library!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the fifth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Jazzi Zanders is a home restorer/flipper. She works with her husband, Ansel, and her cousin, Jerod. They’re restoring a two-story home with a dark past. Jazzi finds a locked room, obviously used by a teen-aged girl. Turns out the girl was murdered at her high school graduation party and her family sold the house to the person who sold it to Jazzi, Ansel and Jerod. In the room, Jazzi discovers a chest filled with diaries and other memorabilia from the young woman, Jessica. When Jazzi contacted Jessica’s family, they declined to have anything from the room so Jazzi takes it home to learn more about Jessica, since a good friend had been a prime suspect at the time. Jazzi is determined to get justice for Jessica and clear those who were implicated without cause.
This was the first book I’ve read in this series. Jazzi, Ansel, Jerrod and their extended families are well written, with clear characterizations (yah!). The story builds well, with multiple suspects and the final denouement is believable and well crafted. The recurring characters are kind and good people. My only caveat is that these two characters are Superwoman and Superman! They work all day, laying tile or painting rooms or other major renovation chores. After that, they come home to make amazing meals, bake incredible desserts, host large family Sunday get-togethers, remodel their basement, play with their animals and solve a murder. And they do it every day; whew! I recommend this as a solid cozy and look forward to the next in the series.

amateur-sleuth, cold-case, family-dynamics, friendship, murder-investigation, Indiana, small-town, small-business

Jazzi, her husband, and others work together to flip houses in a small town in Indiana. Earlier efforts have come with a skeleton or two, but none in this house. A young woman did die after being pushed and falling off the roof but the case went cold. Until now. Lots of good characters and some nasty ones, but all are lively and well portrayed. Good story with twists, red herrings, and real surprises. I've read a couple of earlier ones but the author easily inserts info about past investigations that make this one an easy stand alone. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Great story as always. I have read every book in this series so far and they just keep getting better. I love Jazzie and Ansel and the whole group. The mystery was interesting and a surprise at the end which I love. I think what I like most about these books is the characters and the dynamics between them, they are never boring. I am looking forward to the next book.



I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jazz and Ansel are always getting into more than they planned, this time involves a preserved bedroom and a teen death from the past. Well written with a solid mystery.

This is book five of the Jazzi Zanders series. Jazzi has promised her handsome husband, Ansel, that she won’t become involved in any more murder investigations. That all changes when Jazzi, Jerrod and Ansel are doing a walk through of their most current flip purchase. They discover a teenage girl's bedroom that clearly hasn't been touched in years. Dust covers the pink canopy bed, clothes still hang in the closet, and a hope chest remains full of journals and memorabilia. They've stumbled on a shrine to a dead girl.

They learn Jessica was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party. The murderer was never identified, but the brother-in-law of Jazzi’s friend, who went to school with Jessica, was suspected and never lived it down. He implores Jazzi to review the cold case and finally prove him innocent.

I love this series and this was another hit!!

Jazzy, Ansel and Jerod are still flipping quality houses. Their newest presents a mystery as they are working on it . A cold case murder of a young girl and Jazzy just can't let it go. She feels compelled to see if she can catch what the detectives on the case missed.
With the support of her friends and those of the dead girl, she comes across information the detectives hadn't been able to, but unfortunately, there are more deaths from the killer desperate to keep his secret.
The information she's able to provide to the police now working the case helps them close it.
This mystery has romance, humor and family, good strong values in some, dysfunction in others as well as strong friendships.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion just as freely.