Shannon, her former Navy Seal/now best selling author boyfriend, and her friends are back in book 8 of this great series. Shannon and her construction company have been enlisted by her friend Jane to renovate a part of The Gables, formerly known as the Northern California Asylum for the Insane, into a hotel. The setting, as she describes it, is a classic Victorian with a gothic edge. That description alone was enough to get me hooked, I love gothic, atmospheric settings and this one is done well. When other developers get involved protesters appear, wanting the buildings burned down. Are they behind the incidents that leave Shannon injured, and are they connected to the body she finds?
The author does a wonderful job of keeping me guessing, and I enjoyed the characters that have appeared in previous books, The sad history of asylums is a sobering but interesting part of the book.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy. I’m already looking forward to book 9.

Premeditated mortar by Kate Carlisle is the 8th book in the Fixer-Upper Mysteries series. I've been enjoying this series... As a DIY person myself, I enjoy reading about Shannon Hammers projects and feel I always end up learning something 😁 In this book, Shannon takes on one of the biggest projects of her career renovating the Gables which was previously an old state insane asylum. It was interesting to me because I visited an old insane asylum turned into shops and restaurants etc in my state so I kept picturing that while reading this book. Of course there is a dead body, injuries and drama, and a little romance on the way to a neatly wrapped up story in the end. This may have been my favorite book in the series so far and I'm really looking forward to where this is going in the next book!

Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant.
Another fabulous outing in this 8th book in the series. The usual cast of characters make this like visiting an old friend. Enough twists to keep you intrigued until the end. I can't wait until the 9th! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy foe review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, in return for an honest review. This is the eighth book in this series and easily read as a stand-alone. Shannon Hammer is taking on her biggest project yet. She’s renovating a wing of The Gables, a former mental institution in her hometown, into a luxury hotel for her friend, Jane. Jane’s mother was a former resident at the institution and Jane’s trying to change both her feelings and those of others about the building. The entire renovation of The Gables will take about a year, so Shannon knows her crew will be busy for quite a while. At the ceremony outlining the new plans, the spokesperson is attacked by a group of protestors who keep yelling, ‘burn it down’. When Shannon’s crew finally starts work, she finds a hidden wall and someone pushes her into a rubble pile, causing her to black out. That’s bad enough but finding the body makes it much, much worse. Aided by her novelist boyfriend, Mac, Shannon uncovers history, secrets and murder.
This is an interesting series premise with a strong heroine. This is the first in the series that I’ve read, and I like the relationships that Shannon has with others. Because it is set at a former mental asylum and delves into that history, I don’t classify this as a traditional ‘cozy’ as I consider it to be quite dark. The author did her research and gives credit to those who provided historical information on the sad treatment of people rightly and wrongly incarcerated for ‘mental’ issues in America.

Premeditated Mortar (A Fixer-Upper Mystery Book 8) by Kate Carlisle
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: December 1, 2020

Premeditated Mortar is the eighth book in A Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle. I have not read the previous books in the series, but was able to jump right into this book as a standalone cozy mystery.

Where has this series been hiding? I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the previous & future books in the series!

I loved the characters and how they acted with each other. The mystery was incredible and kept me guessing until the last second. I love the author's writing style and how captivating this book was. There is a great pace, the right amount of suspense and the sweetest romances!

I will definitely be reading the other books in this series, as well as looking for other books from this author!

I'm so grateful to Kate Carlisle, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Die ersten drei Bücher der Reihe habe ich gelesen, Bücher vier und fünf bisher noch nicht (plane ich nachzuholen), nun habe ich also den sechsten Roman in der Fixer Upper - Reihe gelesen. Der Wiedereinstieg in die Welt des Buches verlief absolut problemlos. Ich habe mich gleich wieder sehr wohl gefühlt und eine gute Verbindung zu den Hauptcharakteren aufbauen können.

Der Krimifall entwickelt sich eher langsam. Zunächst steht die Renovierung einer alten psychiatrischen Klinik im Mittelpunkt des Geschehens. Shannon ist verantwortlich für die Restaurierung eines der Gebäude der alten Klinik. Doch so einfach ist das alles nicht. Denn zum einen gibt es unschöne Protestaktionen gegen das Projekt und zum anderen geheimnisvolle Wände im Inneren des Gebäudes.

Darauf aufbauend entwickelt sich eine durchaus spannende Geschichte, die von der Geschichte der Klinik, ihres Gründers und der letzten Direktorin lebt. Ein gewisses Interesse an der Restauration von alten Gebäude sollte man schon mitbringen, da einem beim Lesen sonst langweilig werden könnte. Ich lese gerne über alte Häuser, daher passt dieser Aspekt der Reihe für mich gut.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist angenehm und ihre Charaktere größtenteils sympathisch sowie interessant. Shannon und Macs Beziehung ist schön und entwickelt sich in “Premeditated Mortar” weiter.

Etwas unpassend und störend fand ich eine Szene der Geschichte, in der Shannon und eine Freundin über eine andere Frau gelästert haben. Die andere Frau ist wahrlich keine nette Person, ich kann mich noch lebhaft an ihr mieses Verhalten aus den vorherigen Büchern erinnern. Die Art und weiß, wie Shannon und Co. über sie hergezogen haben, empfand ich trotzdem als unangenehm und tief unter die Gürtellinie. Hoffentlich hält sich die Autorin damit in Zukunft zurück, denn diese Szene hat nichts positives zur Geschichte beigetragen.

An sich hatte ich beim Lesen des Buches eine gute Zeit und ich wurde mal wieder daran erinnert, dass eine gute cozy mystery wirklich eine schöne, angenehme Sache sein kann. Und ich mehr von ihnen lesen sollte. 🖤🖤🖤🖤

Loved, loved, loved this book. I read it so quickly, I couldn't believe it was over already. It's like coming home to old friends, Shannon and the gang are so familiar to me. Great story and lots of twists and turns. I can't get enough of this series!

Shannon Hammer is back, for her biggest renovation project yet. The Gables is a historic multi-building complex that used to be a mental institute. Now a new group of investors has bought it and plans to turn it into luxury stores, restaurants, and a hotel and spa. And building seven has been leased by Shannon’s friend Jane, who plans to turn it into a 5-star hotel. The renovation will take about a year, with Shannon and her crew transforming the neglected building into a gorgeous place for tourists, with huge windows showing off the beach views.

But not everyone is happy about the Gables being transformed. Just as the Gables’ spokeswoman, Rachel Powers, holds a press conference announcing the new plans, a group of protestors shows up and disrupts the announcements with shouts of, “Burn it down!” Shannon is upset about the disruption, but she’s also really excited about getting to work. She has hired an extra-large crew, and they are ready to get started with the cleanup and stripping all the old paint and wallpaper from the walls.

Then Shannon’s crew finds a hidden brick wall. As she goes to investigate it, someone suddenly appears behind her and pushes her into a pile of bricks. She loses consciousness for a few minutes, but she is okay, aside from a nasty scratch and a pounding headache. She can’t figure out who would have any reason to hurt her, but she wonders if that had something to do with the protestors. Could someone be trying to stop them from renovating the Gables? Shannon shakes off her concerns and keeps working.

Until she finds the body.

A murder at the Gables means that there is definitely more going on than a simple renovation. With the help of the local police and her novelist boyfriend Mac, Shannon tries to find out the secrets of the Gables and why someone is so desperate to stop the work. But will she be able to find her answers and keep everyone alive, or will the Gables take another victim?

Premeditated Mortar is number 8 in Kate Carlisle’s Fixer-Upper Mystery series. Contractor Shannon Hammer keeps up her renovation business with her pink tools and hard hat and her dedication to professionalism.

I have been a fan of this series for several years now, and while the mysteries are always well written, Premeditated Mortar was not as meaty as some of these books have been. There was more relationship talk than talk of the crimes, and most of the investigation took place online. It was still an enjoyable read, but the murder mystery seemed to take a back seat to everything else, so it wasn’t as much of an escape as I was hoping for.

Egalleys for Premeditated Mortar were provided by Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Premeditated Mortar was an unexpected pleasure of a read. Shannan Hammer is a determined sleuth and makes a fun story.

Shannon Hammer is all set to help her best friend Jane turn one of the seven Gables buildings, that made up an insane asylum, into a beautiful and welcoming hotel. Taking something with bad and horrible memories and giving it a new light. It’s an ambitious project with an ambitious timeline and Shannon is more than willing to give it her all. Shannon very quickly learns that all still many secrets are still left within the Gables. From the beginning of the ribbon cutting ceremony the trouble begins. Protesters arrive, projectile fluids are flung, accidents, injuries, trespassers and dead bodies.

Premeditated Mortar was a fantastic and compelling cozy read. It’s an intricate story with a lot of details, but yet was easy to read and kept you guessing with every page. There is the edge of creepiness that comes with asylum stories yet is not too deep you will be having nightmares. Shannon was an awesome character. She’s smart, good at what she does and her eye for detail is spot on. I so enjoyed the romantic element of Shannon and Mac! Their chemistry is fun and you can tell they will complement one another very nicely. They encourage one another and all that they do even if something might be a bit more dangerous.

Premeditated Mortar is my first adventure with Shannon Hammer and the Fixer-Upper Mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I’m looking forward to going back through previous books in the series and getting to know these characters a little bit better. If you enjoy a mystery that will make you think, with a little bit of romance and just enough of a creep factor to keep you intrigued this is definitely a book for you.

Love this series. I found this to be a page turner till the end. Shannon and Mac are such great characters, add in the rest of the friends and family and it makes for a great read.

I love this series! Shannon and her pink tools are amazing. The setting is spelled out so intensely that you feel like you are right there in Lighthouse Cove. All the characters put some humor in the mix and what more would you want...............oh yeah, murder!!! The protesters have gone a tad bit overboard with trying to stop this project but Shannon, with help from her friends, will save the day. A must read it you like cozies.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

I have to admit that it's been several books since I've read this series. I meant to keep up with it, but life being life, it didn't happen. I left the series off at book 2, and here we are with book 8. If you're new to the series, have no concern. As I read this book, I never felt holes or gaps from previous installments in the series. The author keeps you in the loop of anything you may have learned in the books leading up to it.

Shannon's best friend, Jane, has very personal reasons for renovating her wing of the mental institution: her mother was a patient within the same wing. So she's determined to turn a sad and dark location into one that is loving and welcoming. However, the protestors have different feelings. They'd much rather see in no longer exist at all. As the story unfolds, you learn why they feel the way they do. You also learn the protestors are connected to the asylum and how. You learn how the asylum began as a great place, but a change of hands changed all of that. You get to know several of the protestors and their stories. You discover the dark side of the person who took over and her approach to treating mental illness. Not to mention the scars it leaves behind on those who endured it, or watched it unfold. I felt Kate Carlisle did a great job of telling this dark and twisted story, but in a way that wasn't overwhelming or approaching thriller level. I was definitely gripped to the plot and seeing how it unfold further.

I have to say that cozy mysteries usually don't tackle these types of subjects. While this book focused more on the characters and their lives, I did enjoy the mental health storyline. In fact, I wish Kate Carlisle went a little more into that part of the story than the characters. I enjoyed the book and revisiting these characters. I plan to read the books in between where I left off and this one in the new year.

Shannon is getting ready to start a huge new job, The Gables, was a hospital that a buyer is now turning into a variety of stores and such. Shannon's friend Jane has bought a section to turn into a luxury hotel along with a spa and shops, she just needs Shannon to make it all happen. On the day her crew is suppose to start the job a protest is happening ing out front, a group of people don't want this new project to continue. Shannon isn't going to let it get in the way and gets to work but when she is looking to find out what is behind a wall some pushes her into the hole leading into the hidden room. It looks like someone doesn't want her working on this new job. things go from bad to worse when she finds the body of one of the protesters. Shannon knows she must figure out who is behind everything before something else bad happens. Can she put all the pieces together before someone else gets hurt and this new venture falls through? Jump in and find out, this was a fun read filled with an enticing mystery.

4.5 Stars ⭐️- Top Pick

Contractor Shannon Hammer is working with a good friend on a huge project that would convert part of a former mental hospital into a beautiful hotel, spa, and restaurant. Rachel Powers, a local developer, wants Shannon’s boyfriend, a successful crime novelist, to invest in the overall retail project. Mac is intrigued by the project, but others in town are not so enthusiastic. Protests against the development start and quickly get out of hand. When a murderer strikes, Shannon and Mac search for clues to catch a killer and prevent another death.

This book is the eight book in the “Fixer-Upper Series”. Although I’ve seen some of the Hallmark movies based on these characters, this is the first book in the series I’ve read. I found the book to be fast-paced fun and it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read any of the prior books. Shannon is smart, hard-working, and a loving daughter, sister, and friend. I love the chemistry between her and her boyfriend, Mac, and their banter is fun to read. I really like the fact they work together to investigate the crime and actually report the clues they find to the local police chief who is their friend and is a competent investigator.

The setting adds to the mood of the book. It’s creepy and described so well, I could picture the mental institution the way it would have been years before. The scary backdrop adds to the suspense of what the killer might do next. One of the villains is very over-the-top, but most of the book is realistic which adds to the tension. I had some ideas about the solution but wasn’t able to guess the whole story behind the crimes. Likable main characters who all get along, a unique setting, and an interesting plot all come together to make Premeditated Mortar an excellent mystery. I hope the series continues and in the meantime, I plan to go back and read some of the earlier books I missed in this series.

~ Christine

Premeditated Mortar is book 8 in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle.

This is the first book I’ve read in the series, though I am a fan of the movies.

Shannon is renovating a building of a former psychiatric hospital, the Gables, that her friend, Jane, plans to open as a 5-star hotel. Not everyone is happy about the plans for the facility and protesters show up.

I enjoyed the characters and settings, though the Gables was a bit creepy.

I’ve purchased the earlier books in the series and can’t wait to read them

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Whenever I need a well-written cozy to take my mind off things, Kate Carlisle's Fixer-Upper series always does the trick. In Premeditated Mortar, she's got the perfect setting for a mystery-- an old rundown former insane asylum. There's just got to be strange goings-on in a place like that, right? This is an engaging story with excellent pacing, and I had to laugh at Shannon's reaction when she learns just how far her reputation for stumbling over dead bodies has spread.

Like all good cozy series, the reason why readers keep coming back for more is the cast of characters. Shannon is smart, funny, and I love the work she does. I also love how she keeps her tools from disappearing-- they're all pink-- and let me tell you, it works. Carlisle gives out pink measuring tapes from time to time at her book signings. I took mine home, and I still have it, which is more than I can say about other measuring tapes I used to have. My husband has borrowed my pink one twice, but he always gives it back. I wonder why...

Carlisle recently said in an interview that her favorite characters are her men, like Shannon's boyfriend, Mac Sullivan, a drop-dead gorgeous hunk who has a great sense of humor, who's smart and funny and brave. Oh. And he also happens to be a best-selling thriller writer and former Navy SEAL. It just occurred to me what Carlisle's male characters remind me of. Remember the Bond Girls in all those James Bond movies? Carlisle has her own Bond Boys, and they are certainly tasty.

A spooky setting, an engaging mystery, and a fun cast of characters. Premeditated Mortar is good for what ails you, and I can't wait for Shannon's next adventure.

Premeditated Mortar will keep you guessing as who is responsible for protest and then murder at the Gables. You love learning its history. Seeing the couples finding their happy everafter.

Premeditated Mortar, the 8th in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series, by Kate Carlisle offers the unique setting of an abandoned “insane asylum” as contractor Shannon Hammer takes on a project to transform the building into a luxury hotel for her friend Jane. The plot is tight and the setting positively eery as we follow Shannon through the hallways with their dark shadows and peeling paint. This book is a somber reminder of the not so distant past when those with mental illness were often “warehoused” and treated with less than compassion. Even with this dark underlying theme, this book was so mesmerizing that it had me reading far into the night until I turned the final page. This book is definitely on my recommended reading list for cozy mystery lovers. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.

Shannon Hammer is eager to start n the restoration of the Gables-a former insane asylum - that her friend Jane Hennessey invested in. But when a Dr Lorraine Fairchild , a former doctor at the Gables, shows up Shannon finds her a bit creepy. If not downright evil. During the construction Shannon's crew finds a hidden passage that was bricked over. Where does it lead ? Why brick it in. Before they can get answers Shannon finds herself pushed over the opening and lands on a pile of bricks. Luckily she's not seriously injuries. After finally being able to get inside the chamber they discover another mystery. Another bricked wall and a locked door. Once inside the locked room they find a really Big surprise. The dead body of Judson Jillian. How did he get there and why was he killed?What secrets does the Gables hold and who wants to keep them hidden ? Too many questions and too few answers. Shannon starts digging deeper and someone associated with the former doctor provides some scary insight to things that took place there . Can Shannon connect all the dots before things get really ugly ?

Although I enjoy Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile series, there’s a reason her Fixer-Upper Mystery series is one of my favorites. Premediated Mortar, the eighth book in this fantastic series, is no exception.

Shannon Hammer and her construction crew have been commissioned by her friend, Jane Hennessey, to turn a wing of the Gables, an abandoned mental asylum, into a luxury hotel and spa. The prospect of construction, however, has attracted protestors with a vested interest in seeing the Gables destroyed. After a planned presentation goes awry, halting any progress on the project, Shannon and her boyfriend, Mac (who is an investor in the project) begin to investigate. Their probe intensifies when one of the protestors is found murdered, a murder that is somehow connected to the asylum’s sinister past.

The characters that populate Lighthouse Cove are the heart of this story. Shannon is strong, level-headed and practical, always thinking outside the box. Her boyfriend, Mac, is both charming and real, with a clever sense of humor. Even the protesters were drawn as complete people, each with a personality of his or her own. The mystery itself is multi-faceted and compelling, with so many clues (and red herrings) that you might just overlook the most important one.

It is worth noting that this book had a harder edge to it that some of its predecessors, in large part due to the subject matter at hand. Ms. Carlisle’s exploration of mental illness and its treatment in institutions is both realistic and disheartening. And while it is obvious that a great deal of research went into the book, it only served to enhance the story. Premediated Mortar is a thoroughly entertaining and suspenseful read. I can hardly wait for the next book in this delightful series.

Note: I received an ARC of Premeditated Mortar from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. The above is my honest review.