Cousins Whitney and Buck buy a houseboat to rehab. They meet charming and good looking Grant Hardisty who lives in a cabin cruiser in the boat slip next to them. They soon learn maybe he's not as nice as he first seemed, as he borrowed money from Buck. which he never returns. Apparently he has a habit of this as angry ex-wives, Ex girlfriends, and angry friends show up at the boat to confront him. When his boat explodes and several people confess to his murder. Whitney gets involved to find the real murderer. This was a fast paced, fun cozy, with plenty of suspects. I love this series and look forward to reading the next one! ☆☆☆☆☆


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Primer and Punishment is the 5th in the House Flipper series. It takes place in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker is the main character along with her cousin, Buck Whitaker. She and Buck fix up houses to resell. Colette is one of her roommates who owns her own restaurant and Buck's fiancé. Emmalee is her other roommate who works for Colette's assistant manager. Collin Flynn is her boyfriend who is a homicide detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department. Buck tells Whitney that he has found their next project. It is a houseboat called Skinny Dipper. It needs work but she agrees to buy it.

After buying the boat they decide to live on the boat while they work on it. Whitney brings her cat Sawdust as she did not want to leave him at home. They start work on the boat by clearing out the boat, sanding down the furniture, replacing the generator, etc. There is a boat named Sexy Sheila in the slip next to them. A boat pulls up and a man gets off it with fish and boards the boat. A dog named Jojo is in the cabin. He comes back out with the dog and some beers. He asks them if they would like to join him. His name is Grant Hardisty. He tells them that he bought the boat from a friend whose wife was named Sheila. He was a bartender but is not able to work because he hurt his leg. He is living on the boat as he is in the middle of a divorce.

Mick and Sheila come with a check to buy back their boat but he tells them he can't sell it back to them at this time as he is in the middle of a divorce and is living on the boat. Grant's two ex-wives - Jackie and Denna also have a lot to do with the story. This is where the story takes off with lots of things happening which I will leave to the reader as I don't want to spoil it. There is a build up with the death of Grant when the Sexy Sheila blows up with him aboard and finding out who killed him. The ending of the story is Buck and Colette's wedding and Collin giving Whitney a ring,

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next adventure in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Primer and Punishment, the fifth book in the very entertaining House Flipper Mystery series by Diane Kelly, once again had me guessing until the final chapters…Ms Kelly is masterful in misdirections with a plethora of likely and interesting suspects.

With the perfect combination of red herrings, believable plot twists and turns, a multitude of elements of the crime moving and shifting to keep the reader engaged, and a most dislikable victim who had wrong so many suspects that it was easy seeing any of them as the culprit…the pages couldn’t be turned fast enough. And that Whitney and Buck’s latest flip project was a houseboat gave a whole new perspective to their flipping enterprise. This author has been quite inventive in the duos projects…a church and rectory turned into a theatre and restaurant (respectably) are case in point.

Also, as the series has evolved and Whitney and Buck’s house flipping business has grown and developed, as well as their individual personal lives have evolved, it has been rewarding to have been along for the ride from the beginning, and to be emotionally invested in what the future holds for Whitney and Buck with their business and personal lives.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by NetGalley and the Publisher. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

#PrimerandPunishment. #NetGalley #AuthorDianeKelly #DianeKellyAuthor #StMartin’sPress

I enjoyed this book. It’s fast paced and a lot of fun. I loved that the flip was something unusual. The characters as usual are great. #PrimerandPunishment # #NetGalley

This is a fun cozy mystery series featuring Whitney and her cousin Buck. The cousins are house flippers and they really enjoy what the do.
When Buck presents them with a unique opportunity, flip a house boat, Whitney is immediately intrigued.
Of course nothing ever goes according to plan, and when Whitney and Buck witness a horrific accident, Whitney finds herself wrapped up in another murder investigation.
This is a series that gets better with each book. The characters are easy to like, and I do enjoy reading fixer upper themed cozy mysteries.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#PrimerandPunishment #NetGalley

I will not normally begin a series at book 5, but the idea of renovating a houseboat totally hooked me. Whitney, her cousin and friends are all delightful and I had no sorrow about the death. All in all a good series which means I will have to begin at book 1. (Not sad)

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of PRIMER AND PUNISHMENT (Book 5 of the House-Flipper mysteries) by Diane Kelly in exchange for an honest review. Property prices have skyrocketed, so carpenters Whitney and Buck Whitaker are having trouble finding an affordable property to flip. Buck eventually finds a houseboat they can work on to turn a small profit. However, getting to know the neighbors is a risky proposition. Whitney ends up having to deal with all of the irate visitors coming to see (and confront) the con-man next door. When the situation explodes, Whitney finds herself working to identify a murderer and to exonerate an innocent woman.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, home renovation, kitty side-kicks, and humor.


#PrimerandPunishment #NetGalley