Cousins Whitney and Buck are house-flippers embarking on a project unlike any they've done before: a houseboat. All that's needed are a new motor, generator and cosmetic updates that can be done in a few weeks. That is a good thing since Buck is getting married soon. Easy-peasy, right? So it seems until an incident involving the boat in the adjacent slip throws a wrench into Whitney and Buck's construction plan. Without spoiling by going into the specific crime I'll just say this was an interesting and fun cozy. I enjoyed the different directions the plot took which kept me on my toes. I appreciated the possible suspects and red herrings added into the mix. I got to the point where I gave up trying to solve the crime and just enjoyed the ride to the solution. Honestly, that is the way it usually works out for me, ha. I think fans of the series will love the book. It's the first I've had the pleasure to read and I didn't feel lost.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Whitney and Buck are renovating an old houseboat but get more than they bargained for.

While spray painting the neighboring boat suddenly explodes. Seems the handsome owner might have made a few enemies as they will soon find out. What secrets will they discover might lead to a killer?

Delightful story that moves along.

Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly is book #5 in the House-Flipper Mystery series. I never imagined house-flippers would set their sights and talents on flipping a house boat. Made me think about finding a house boat to rent for a vacation. Aside from that, of course, Whitney and Buck, two of the main characters, have a murder mystery to solve at the marina where the house boat is anchored. I was totally engrossed in the story. Kept turning the pages. I just had to see what happened next. This was a fun read. I especially enjoyed the ending. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series

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Oh my goodness, I loved the fact that Buck and Whitney were rehabbing a boathouse! What a twist on the usual house flipper, and the different scenery was so fun! I always enjoy how much description Kelly puts into her stories of the actual repair/rehabbing process. It truly makes you feel like you're right there in the story with Buck and Whitney.
The only thing is I wish the ending wasn't rushed. It felt like Collin was hardly a part of this book, other than a few mentioned dates that weren't really described, so it felt really rushed/came as a surprise when he proposed to Whitney at the end and she said yes. It felt like, as a reader, I didn't really get to know him before they got engaged. I hope to see more of his character in the future, though, to get to know him!

This is an awesome and funny cozy mystery. I absolutely love that one of the story point of views is from a cat. Whitney and Buck are cousins who flip houses. They also find themselves solving cases. When an explosion happens in front of them they become a part of the investigation. The cast of characters are brilliant and funny. The story plot is entertaining with witty repertoire. It is a worthy page turner that also has romantic undertones.

Primer and Punishment is the 5th installment in the House Flipper Mysteries set in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck Whitaker, have decided to flip a houseboat called The Skinny Dipper located on Old Hickory Lake. They believe it will be a quick, uneventful flip. And while it doesn't take long to refurbish the boat, there is an extraordinary event that happens to the boat in the adjoining slip. To make things even more interesting, numerous people confess to the crime. Using her intuition and natural sleuthing skills, Whitney is able to help law enforcement catch the wrong-doer. What makes the book more fun is the wedding festivities for Whitney's best friend, Collette, and her cousin Buck. I can't wait to try the recipe the author has included for Mermaid Paradise Punch!

Whitney Whittaker and her cousin Buck's next rehab project is a houseboat. They've never done one before but think that they can do a quick turnaround. They need something quick because Buck's wedding to Whitney's best friend Colette is coming soon.

While they are working on the houseboat, they meet the guy whose boat is in the next slip. Grant Hardisty seems like a handsome and charming guy who is dealing with an injury to his knee. He has a black lab mix puppy who is a bit too much for him to handle. He also has a string of ex-wives and a number of women he's met on dating apps. Oh, and the couple he cheated out of the boat are also coming around often to try to get their boat back.

When Grant takes his boat out of the slip to grill his dinner and not mess up Whitney and Buck's new paint, his boat explodes. Fire investigators don't think that it was an accident. There are numerous suspects and, oddly, a number of them confess to killing Grant. When one of them confesses to the Nashville Police Department, Whitney's boyfriend Collin is assigned to the case.

Whitney begins looking around because she doesn't believe the confession one of the suspects gives. She liked the woman and didn't want to believe she'd killed her soon-to-be ex. Whitney finds a number of suspicious characters that she feels had a better motive for Grant's death.

This was another fun episode in this contemporary cozy series.

Primer and Punishment is book five in the House Flipper Mysteries but I haven’t read the others and did not have any trouble keeping up with the story starting here. Whitney and her cousin Buck flip houses for money but the current housing market is short on affordable houses that could be turned for profit. Buck finds a good deal on a houseboat and they are in business. Their neighbor in the next dock over is not a very empathetic character and it’s not a surprise that his murder leads to a whole list of suspects. Whitney has a real knack for finding evidence the cops miss and turning it over to her cop/boyfriend Collin. The whodunnit leaves you guessed right up until the end and the characters are an enjoyable lot for an entertaining cozy mystery. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Feb 21st

In general this was a really good cozy mystery. I found the storyline to certainly be one that was a new one for me, who would have ever thought of flipping a house boat for resale. I had not read any of the previous books with these characters, but that did not make it hard to follow along after the storyline. I would recommend it to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley amd St. Martin's Press for free. and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a copy of #PrimerandPunishment from #NetGalley , breaking my own rule of not getting books from an established series that I hadn't read. I made an exception because this book, the fourth in the House Flipped series, is written by Diane Kelly and other books I'd read by her are excellent.
I am so glad I did! The book stands incredibly well on its own, it's easy to get to know and like the characters, and the mystery itself is complex and intriguing. As an intrepid assistant to my husband through the renovations of our two houses, I found this book full of instances to which I can relate.
The book is well written and fast paced, as well as entertaining from start to finish.

I love cozy mysteries and am always looking for a series to try and I'm glad I stumbled upon the house flipper mysteries. Whitney and her cousin Buck are house flippers and I loved the uniqueness of this one-a houseboat. They move into the houseboat and the fun begins! There's accident at the marina involving a neighbor or is it? With plenty of suspects and red herrings Whitney noses herself into getting to the bottom of her neighbor's demise. Although I started with book 5 I enjoyed the relationships of the various characters and enjoyed the party scenes. I am definitely going to pick up the other books. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins' Press for an advanced copy of this entertaining book. All opinions are my own. I recommend pouring yourself a drink (may I suggest trying the recipe provided-it's delicious) and enjoy this entertaining cozy! #PrimerandPunishment #NetGalley #StMartin'sPress

What a take on flipping houses. Whitney and Buck are trying to flip a houseboat but it is not as easy as it sounds they witness a horrific accident and then things start rolling. Really enjoyed this fun cozy mystery and look forward to reading more from this author.

Whitney and her cousin Buck flip houses for a living but this time they’ve purchased a houseboat to rehab. They plan to live on the boat during the renovation in order to finish before Buck’s wedding. They weren’t counting on the boat in the next slip exploding with the owner on board.

This is a fun mystery with plenty of suspects to wade through and the unusual setting was interesting. I hope there will be more books in the series.

Whitney and her cousin Buck usually flip houses for a living, but Buck has a brilliant idea. Refurbish a houseboat! With only a couple of weeks before his wedding (to Whitney's best friend and roommate Colette), it should be the perfect quick project. They just need to learn a few new things, get boat pilot licenses, and motor into the sunset, right? Have you met them? Nothing is that easy.

They get to work on the boat, and everyone is friendly. Grant, in the boat one slip over is nice, if presumptuous. Until they get to know him better, and the string of people he has swindled, manipulated, lied to, borrowed from, and defrauded. Not so nice anymore. And he's mean to his dog.

One dark night, everything changes. Some for the worse, some for the better. But it's very final for Grant. (The dog's okay.) Now, time is ticking down for Whitney and Collin (boyfriend and detective; metro homicide) to find the real killer before an innocent but deluded woman is indicted for murder, and her son loses the only loving parent he's ever had.

A quick read, but a little bumpier than I prefer--still fun though!

3.4/5 Stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks, and NetGalley, for the temporary digital preview; any review is voluntary and my own opinion.

#PrimerandPunishment #NetGalley
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#DianeKelly #DianeKellyAuth
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Instead of flipping a house Whitney and her cousin Buck are redoing their first houseboat on Old Hickory Lake. Too bad there’s an obnoxious guy living on the boat next to them. With so many people mad at him it’s a wonder he’s still alive. Until he isn’t, when his boat blows up as he tries to light his grill.
Of course Whitney gets involved in solving the murder.
This was the most interesting of the books, in the series , maybe because the house boat brings it up a notch. I find the relationships between the couples to be too old fashioned, really antiquated. I still don’t understand what’s the point of Sawdust’s point of view. It serves no purpose and brings nothing to the book, except why?

Whitney and Buck are back and this time they are flipping a houseboat. Lake life is the best! Their marina neighbor has issues and one of them is going to blow him and his boat to bits. Of course Whitney has to involve herself in the investigation. It’s not like she doesn’t have enough to do with rehabbing the boat, planning a bridal party for Colette, and spending time with Sawdust. But her intentions are good. I love the amount of research the author puts into these stories and I always learn something new. The ending took me by surprise but boy did I love it. Another terrific adventure.

Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly was such a fun mystery! I love a renovation mystery and the Nashville houseboat setting made it even more unique! This one is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone! Bring it on your next beach trip!

I love this cozy series. Whitney and her cousin just want to flip houses they don't plan on finding dead bodies along the way. Especially with Whitney dating a detective. But that's what makes the series so unique. I also love that there are chapters from the POV of Sawdust Whitney's cat.

Primer and Punishment was a great mystery read. Whitney, her cousin Buck and her
cat, Sawdust work together to rehab and flip houses. In this book it is a houseboat they
are redoing. The neighbor in the next slip seems a bit unusual but is something illegal going on with him or is he just a bit of a charmer who gets what he wants? Very nicely done
and the mystery has lots of suspects before it’s solved.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest
review.

I jumped into this series with this book (the fifth) and had absolutely no trouble following along. The characters are engaging and the mystery kept me guessing. It was an entertaining read that I couldn’t put down

I do feel the chapters told from the cat’s point of view are extraneous and don’t add anything to solving the mystery but perhaps flesh out the protagonist.

I received an ARC from the publisher via net gallery but the opinion expressed is my own