Unfortunately for me, this wasn't a good series to jump into with the tenth book. The description was intriguing and I loved the idea of renovating an old church (and have enjoyed other similarly themed series), but I found myself scrambling to figure out who was who and what their relationships were and there's much, much more time spent on the building project than the murder or anything else.

I loved this book, it’s a fun mystery with great characters. I have enjoyed the entire series. In this book. Shannon and her crew are renovating an old church that’s going to be a museum. Progress comes to a halt when a dead body is found, and it’s the assistant art director. No one has any idea why she was targeted.
Shannon steps in to help solve the case.
I highly recommend this book and the series, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Shannon is a busy lady after appearing on sister Chloe’s home renovation tv show and the premiere of boyfriend Mac’s new movie. She returns home to take on a monumental renovation of a 160 year old church into a museum. The job is going to be challenging so finding a body on the first day on the job is not going to help things move smoothly. The body is the assistant of the museum director and there are a number of suspicious ladies attached to the church that used to reside in the building.

She finds all sorts of hidden tunnels and cubby holes and it becomes apparent that the killer is looking for something. What and who is a puzzle although I had suspicions about the who early on. The why is a big surprise when all is revealed. The interactions of the characters keeps the reader involved especially between Shannon and Mac. I was entertained throughout. Five purrs and two paws up.

Shannon and her construction crew are ready to start renovations on the old church in town and turn it into a museum. When they meet for the first day they discover a dead body in one of the rooms. When they discover a 2nd body in a secret tunnel it becomes apparent that someone doesn't want the project to continue. A good story that is book 10 in the Fixer-Upper series and could be read as a stand alone. Lots of catching up with characters from the previous books.

Kate Carlisle gives us another Fixer Upper mystery in Dressed to Drill. Contractor Shannon Hammer is renovating an old church as an art museum when the body of the assistant artistic director is found in the church. The church and its former congregation spew out suspects and a hidden passageway is discovered that reveals another body. The church has many secrets and Shannon is determined to find them out. Whodunit?

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Almost every construction project Shannon Hammer and her crew become involved with is unique with its own beauty and challenges. The newest project sees them renovating Lighthouse Cove Church, built over one and one-half centuries ago. It is being repurposed to be the new Lighthouse Cove Art Museum. The structure is an incredible Victorian church with Gothic influences, and the descriptions brought to mind a class for which I walked around my hometown taking photos of churches with flying buttresses, rose windows, and similar influences of the era. The building itself was as fascinating to me as the mysteries!

Shannon and a few of her specialty crew members and foremen did a walk-through with Madeline, the new artistic director of the museum, to look at specific areas of concern or special needs. When they attempted to enter one of three tiny chapels, called the Blue Iris, something was blocking the door. When they finally discovered why it didn’t open, Shannon and those with her were horrified. Inside, lying dead, was Sarah, Madeline’s right-hand person who they assumed was running late.

This isn’t the first time a body has been discovered on one of Shannon’s construction sites. She was on a first name basis with Police Chief Eric Jensen long before her sister met him on one of her visits and began dating him. While he still doesn’t want her doing any investigating on her own, he trusts her instincts and will listen to what she says. In this case, before he arrived, she discovered Sarah had been murdered in the sacristy and dragged to the chapel, but she didn’t find what the killer used to move the young woman.

That evening, Shannon and her boyfriend, best selling author Mac Sullivan, discussed the murder and the church. Mac writes a series of thrillers and sometimes learns interesting things from the cases she is involved in. They did a question-and-answer session of sorts, discussing various people who know the victim and consider motives and other details to see if they can come up with a suspect list. I found it interesting, to see from different points of view how people might have motives that could make them suspects. When they are allowed back in the church, Mac wants to see the inside, as he is certain he can use features from the gorgeous old structure in a novel.

Purely by accident, as she didn’t even know it existed, Shannon found what Mac would consider the most interesting feature of the church. It was the kind of thing, especially considering what she found there, that was at once eerie and creepy, yet exhilarating! The author is adept at describing the church and the town setting, and used the church to its full advantage.

The author also has designed a group of characters that fit together well. Those who are only peripheral or short-term are defined as needed for their role in the mystery. The mainstays, such as Shannon, her family and friends, and her regular crew members are described well through realistic conversations and behaviors. I definitely enjoy the interactions with Mac and Shannon, and with Shannon and her sister Chloe. We have a new crew member this time that I look forward to seeing more of, as well as his dear family member in the area. Then there is Whitney. Every protagonist apparently has a nemesis, and Whitney reminds me of the one person in almost every workplace who annoys everyone or is determined to wreck someone’s reputation.

This, along with other mysteries in the series, are written with excellence. Plot twists grabbed and held this reader’s attention, including two huge surprises near the end. Events occurred that led me to think I knew who the killer really was, but then a different twist would point to someone else. When the second murder victim was discovered, I should have known for sure who the bad guy was, but still wasn’t quite convinced based on the actions of a couple other people. I was shocked and saddened at the motive for Sarah’s and the second person’s murder. I am very much looking forward to the next mystery in the series, and the project that they have already begun to discuss. I highly recommend this novel and series!

Love this series and this is another fun entry. I recommend this book for its characters and feel good vibe. Kate Carlisle is one of my favorite cozy authors.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Things are going great for Shannon and Mac. They just walked the red carpet for the movie premiere based on Mac's latest book. While she had a good time she is anxious to get home to start her new project. A Victorian church that needs a lot of updates and TLC so that it can be reopened as a museum.

Her entire crew plus a new hire is excited to get started on the renovations but they make an eerie discovery on the walk-through to firm up the project schedule. A door to a chapel was hard to open. When they finally get it open, they see that the dead body of the young assistant art director had been blocking the door. Shannon is devastated by the discovery and she soon realizes the old church is full of secrets, secrets that bring forth several suspects. It's time for her and Mac to drill down on all the clues to hammer out the real killer before they strike again.

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It won't take long for new fans to fall hard for contractor Shannon Hammer and her beau author Mac Sullivan. Fans like me who have loved this series from the start will be delighted as Shannon and Mac's story continues.

I love the way the characters in this series keep growing and evolving in such good and realistic ways. Ms. Carlisle has created such strong women in Shannon and Chloe along with their male counterpoints Mac and Eric. I am really happy that Chloe can be in Lighthouse Cove much more often. A wonderful supporting cast supports these key characters. With each story that supporting cast gains more depth. The author also introduces book-specific characters that evolve nicely over the course of the story.

The Victorian church setting this time was so interesting. Stained glass windows always gain my attention and the author's detailed description of those and all the other nooks and crannies of the church put me right there. I was able to visualize everything so clearly.

The way the mystery developed was so well-written and plotted. It was clear that someone associated with the church or heaven forbid someone on Shannon's crew was the killer. A really unique clue really blows open the possibilities of who could have committed the crime and some great twists move the story along. I appreciate the way Shannon works closely with Police Chief Eric even when she knows her findings could slow down or shut down her project. I also like the way she negotiates with him so that doesn't happen often. Their close relationship also means she calls him when all the clues start to fall into place. The reveal surprised me a lot. It was like an entire toolbox dropped on my foot as everything came to a head. Ms. Carlisle did an excellent job of diverting my attention.

Dressed to Drill is a terrific mystery with a fast pace and sensational characters set in a place that will be so awesome when all Shannon's renovations are completed. After that mystery is wrapped up the readers are treated to an awesome epilogue. There are bright things ahead in Lighthouse Cove and I can't wait to find out how it all comes together and plays out.

I'm so jealous of Shannon Hammer! It's absolutely irrational, but I am so jealous of her job and all the really amazing building projects that she gets to be a part of. LOL, ok so they all come with a side dish of murder, but seriously, can I grow up to be her anyway??? Shannon has her crew ready to get to work renovating an old Victorian church into an art galleria/museum when a body is found and the suspects are many! Add in surprising discoveries and personal drama for an entertaining read that once again makes me exclaim that this is the best book of the series! I totally mean it when I say that, then the author weaves the next amazing tale and I am saying it all over again! I am now waiting on pins and needles or should I say nails and screws, for the next Shannon Hammer book to be born!!! If you love a good cozy mystery with relatable characters that involve a lot of home and building reno that will make you drool, then this is absolutely the series for you! Join me in the lovefest!

I enjoyed this book in the series and look forward to more. I liked the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.

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

Shannon Hammer and her boyfriend Mac Sullivan are in Hollywood attending a premiere for the newest movie based on Mac’s latest book. While there, Shannon makes a guest appearance on her sister Chloe’s home renovation program. The trip is fantastic, but when Shannon returns home to Lighthouse Cove there is plenty of work to be done. Her construction company has been hired to renovate a Victorian church into a museum. Shannon and her crew are eager to get started, but on their pre-construction walk-through, they find a dead body in one of the chapels. Shannon is determined to help find the killer and get justice for the young woman who was murdered.

Dressed to Drill is the tenth book in the Fixer-Upper series, but works well as a standalone. I’ve read some of the prior books, but that’s not necessary to enjoy this one. The best parts of the book and of the series as a whole are those devoted to the projects Shannon works on. There are unique buildings and locations in the series, this time a church. The descriptions were so good I could visualize the church as Shannon and her crew were participating in their walk-through of the building. Shannon, her work crew, and her sister are all very likable characters. My least favorite character, who has appeared before, is Whitney Reid Gallagher. Her interactions with Shannon seem more like the things a middle-school mean girl would say than an adult woman. Whitney could be removed from the story and would not be missed. Other than that, I enjoyed getting to know most of the new characters, even those who become suspects in the murder.

The book is a quick read, even though the pacing is uneven. It starts out strong with the red carpet event in Hollywood, the beginnings of the church project, and the dramatic discovery of the body. Then things slow down, and the investigation doesn’t go anywhere for what seems like a long time. On the positive side, I like that when Shannon does learn something, she shares the information with the police chief, who happens to be her sister’s fiancé. I was disappointed that Shannon and Mac don’t work together on the case as much as usual, but the scenes in which they do are excellent. Things come together in a surprising way in the investigation, and the resolution is satisfying. I was really pleased by something occurring in Shannon’s personal life, which helped the book end on a high note that fans of the series will especially enjoy.

~ Christine

This was a fast and entertaining read involving church politics, renovation, and secrets. Oh and a dead body or more of course! When the book starts we are in Mac and Choloe's world at a premier of a film adaptation of one of his books. Since we are normally in Shannon's world it was kind of fun to see what happens outside of Lighthouse Cove.

As soon as Mac and Shannon return to Lighthouse Cove Shannon is pulled into the next renovation project - this time turning a church into an a museum. While trying to get the project going and get the bits and pieces left behind by the previous tenants out of the building Shannon and her crew stumble over a dead body. The young woman was well liked and had no enemies so just who could have wanted her dead.

I really enjoyed the mystery and watching Shannon try and figure out just what is going on. Her relationship with Mac is sweet and I enjoyed the new developments. Shannon does suffer a bit from being a bit too perfect but I liked her and the side characters enough that it didn't detract to much from the book.

I love the characters in Kate Carlisle’s books! It’s always fun to see what Shannon Hammer’s construction company is up to in the Fixer-Upper mysteries. In Dressed to Drill, mystery #10, Shannon and her crew are trying to refurbish an old church. Unfortunately, on day one we have a dead body. As they work, Shannon can’t help but do her construction detective work.

There’s only so much you can do with a mystery in a tiny seaside town but I keep coming back for Shannon and her peeps. I love the relationship between her and Mac and her and her sister, Chloe. Another cute cozy mystery from Kate Carlisle!

Contractor Shannon Hammer is about to take on a new job, taking the historic Lighthouse Church and turning it into an art museum. There will be many challenges to the job, from restoring some of the wood surfaces to finding ways to light the art while filtering the natural sunshine coming through the gorgeous stained glass windows. Shannon has brought together a team of experts and artisans to help her make over this church, including poaching a lighting director from her sister Chloe’s makeover television show. But that’s what it will take to make this job as successful as some of her past projects.

Shannon and her team assemble at the church their first day to walk through the space and start to make notes on what needs to be done. She had been in the church already, walking through with the new director of the museum, Madeline. But for much of Shannon’s team, it will be their first time seeing the inside of the church. Madeline takes them through the narthex to the nave and talk a little about how they want to set it up as a lobby, for the guests coming in, and a small gift shop to the side. She takes them through the sanctuary, including some ideas for the pews, and on to the altar.

Beyond the altar is the sacristy and several small rooms named for their exquisite stained glass windows. These small rooms would be ideal for small collections of art, but when Shannon tries to open the door of the Blue Iris Chapel. When she’s finally able to force it open, she discovers Madeline’s assistant. But the woman had clearly just been killed. Shannon backs out of the room, to preserve as much evidence as possible for the police and she waits for them to arrive.

Waiting for the police to arrive, everyone else seems to appear at the church also. There’s Reverend Roy and his wife Lavinia, who are mostly done moving everything out of this church to their new location. There is Flora, who provides flowers at the church and is the aunt to the lighting expert Shannon hired from her sister’s show. And there is the secretary from the church and their longtime handyman. There is no shortage of potential suspects, but Shannon has no idea why anyone would have killed Madeline’s assistant.

As Shannon spends the next few days unable to get into the church (the police have it cordoned off), so she checks on her other jobs and talks to her friends. It turns out that most everyone knows someone involved in the case and can help out by asking some questions. But the more Shannon learns about everyone involved, the more confused she is about who would murder someone in a church. How will she be able to figure out who the killer is, and will she be able to piece it together before someone else ends up dead?

Dressed to Drill is the tenth book in Kate Carlisle’s Fixer-Upper Mysteries. This one has a lot of fun elements to it, from a red carpet movie premiere to a beautiful historic Victorian church. I loved these locations and thought they added a lot of fun and engagement to this story. The secrets behind the crimes were challenging to suss out, so this one was not easy to solve.

But as much as I loved the church setting for this one, I did find that some of the information we got about the church and the reverend were a little confusing. There was no mention of what religion or denomination the church was, so that was a little muddy for me, and that uncertainty colored the story for me, as I am someone who grew up with religion. Readers who didn’t grow up in church may not have that ambivalence.

That being said, I still really enjoy these books and I love spending time with these characters. Shannon is strong and smart, and her boyfriend Mac adds a lot of fun surprises, and these books are always well-written and strongly plotted. If you’re a fan of home makeover shows, then you should definitely give these Fixer-Upper Mysteries a try.

Egalleys for Dressed to Drill were provided by Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Dressed To Drill is the tenth book in the A Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle.

Shannon and Mac have returned to Lighthouse Cove from their trip to Hollywood to see the movie premier adapted from a recent novel of Mac’s. Shannon is glad to be home and exchanged her high heels for work boots with her construction crew to start renovating an old Victorian Gothic church. When the work is completed, it will become an art museum. She finds many church items the previous church hasn’t taken when doing a walk-through to plan a work schedule. Shannon asks for help from the earlier church members, fearing they may get damaged. Shannon decides to start packing some items in one of the small chapels, but the door won’t open. She gets a couple of workers to open the door. Once the door is open, the body of Sarah Spindler, assistant art director for the art museum; Spindler had died from massive head trauma. While the area Shannon was working is closed off as a crime scene, she can work in other locations and start talking with those members of the former church or individuals there to help pack items of the former church. Police Chief Jensen will warn Shannon about getting involved in any investigation. Shannon and Jensen have worked together reasonably well in the past. Besides his girlfriend, Chole is Shannon’s sister, and he knows she will watch out for her sibling. Shannon will soon find that there are several suspects. Shannon will find papers and receipts that show that some misdeeds that took place nearly a generation ago may have come to light and caused the murderer to act so that these misdeeds will remain a secret. Of course, Shannon will be able to rely on Mac to be there to bounce her theories off of.

Ms. Carlisle's writing is so descriptive that you feel you’re standing beside Shannon. Including what work is being done and how it is always a plus. She doesn’t overdo the information. The story is well-written and moves at a swift pace. The characters are well-developed, engaging, and friendly. Well, except for Whitney. For me, there is usually a character that I love to hate. There were enough red herrings that I kept guessing until the end of the book when the murderer was revealed.

I can’t wait for the next book about Shannon’s next project in this series.

Shannon is excited about her upcoming renovation project. Her crew and her will be taking on an old church which they plan to turn into a museum. Her sister Chloe is in town and plans to help where she is needed. On the first day of demo that happiness turns into shock when they find the body of a young woman in one of the chapels. It turns out that she is the assistant to the art director who is over the plans set for the museum. Shannon doesn't want to have to put the restoration on hold for to long so she jumps into investigating. She soon learns that the church holds many secrets, could one of them be a cause for murder? Follow along as Shannon delves into all the secrets, will she find a killer before someone else ends up dead?

Dressed to Drill: A Fixer-Upper Mystery
By Kate Carlisle
Berkley
May 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

Contractor Shannon Hammer can’t deny that attending a Hollywood movie premiere is exciting, especially when the blockbuster action movie is based on a book written by her boyfriend MacKintyre Sullivan. But Shannon is anxious to return home to Lighthouse Cove and resume her construction company’s latest project, renovating the Northern California Lighthouse Church into an art museum. It’s a big project, and she welcomes the help of the film crew’s lighting director Buck Buckner who just happens to have family living in the town. They’ve barely begun to explore the unique passages and narthex before they stumble over the body of a young woman, lying in a puddle of blood on the marble floor. Not only was Sarah Spindler the assistant to the art museum’s artistic director, she was someone well-known to most of Shannon’s old high school friends.

Considering Shannon’s track record of becoming involved in local murders and having her projects vandalized, no one expects her to just sit on the sidelines and let the police take over. That includes Lighthouse Cove Police Chief Eric Jensen, who happens to also be the boyfriend of Shannon’s sister Chloe. For once though, Shannon is intent on completing the fascinating project and clearing out the belongings of the former residents Reverend Roy Patterson and his wife Lavinia, the former who may have had somewhat hoarding, packrat tendencies. As it turns out there are secrets hidden within the church, and their reveal will lead to tears and even another murder.

This 10th in the series rewards longtime fans with satisfying resolutions and hilarious dialogue. Shannon’s eternal nemesis Whitney Reid Gallagher continues to wage a one-sided Mean-Girl war against the contractor, but it looks as though Whitney may have competition as the chief aggravator when a tabloid reporter enters the mix. Mac’s life of a celebrity author who mingles with the gorgeous stars populating his films could jeopardize his happy relationship with Shannon, but fortunately they have built enough trust between them that it’s never truly an issue. Construction details and the architectural history of churches is made fascinating even to those who have never once spackled or had the urge to pick up a drill. Shannon’s girl-squad of friends and her fond relationship with her sister create a warm community both for them and for readers, who will enjoy their banter and supportive bonds. The natural growth of Shannon as a character continues to be one of the greatest aspects of this series, and readers will welcome the opportunity to spend more time with their favorite contractor in the enviable coastal town of Lighthouse cove.

Dressed to Drill is the latest release in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle. Once again Shannon stumbles upon a body at her latest work site. She then finds herself trapped in a secret tunnel where she comes across the murder weapon. Will Shannon figure out who the killer is before it is too late? Read Dressed to Drill to find out.
Kate Carlisle has done it again. I couldn’t put it down. I loved getting to visit the characters of Lighthouse Cove again and can’t wait to see what is to come. I highly recommend this book and series to anyone who loves cozy mysteries.

Dressed to Drill is book 10 in the fixer upper mystery series. The setting, restoring an older church, is an intriguing one. Unfortunately, the pace is quite slow with the mystery and it felt like there was more historical/construction technical stuff than moving the plot forward. Also, inexplicably, Whitney is back and trying to mess with everything. She's a grown woman with nothing better to do? Make it make sense.
Ultimately, it was fine. No real surprises, but the plod of a pace made it feel a bit like going in circles.

Whoosh! What an exciting read – there is never a dull moment in the book – and the last few pages are the most perfect yet! On the heels of attending the premier of the latest movie based on one of Mac’s books, it is time for Shannon to put on her steel-toed work boots and get started on the massive renovation of a beautiful Victorian church. The church congregation has moved to a new sleek new location and the now empty, centuries-old church will be made into a museum by Shannon and her crew. Everyone is excited to get started – until they almost immediately find a body and the police shut down the job until forensics could finish their examination.

When Shannon found the body, she noticed several ‘odd’ things – and immediately began checking them out while she waited for the police. The police chief, who is engaged to Shannon’s sister, Chloe, quickly berated Shannon for messing around with the crime scene – even though he appreciated her insights. As the crew is allowed back to work, they meet many of the former congregation – and Shannon realizes that they are hiding a secret of some sort – or maybe more than one secret. Was it a secret worth killing over? Then, another murder – how are the two murders connected? Shannon and Mac are determined to find out who committed these heinous crimes before their project gets shut down – and to get justice for the victims.

With a whole congregation full of suspects – along with the staff at the church, there is enough to keep them busy. Who could possibly wish to harm those lovely people? What secrets could be worth that? The victims weren’t really related – one was an employee of the church – and the other was an employee of the museum – what could they have in common?

Shannon, Mac, her crew, her gaggle of girlfriends, and, of course, the local police definitely have their work cut out for them. Luckily they are up to the task. The culprit may surprise you – and the reason may have your jaw-dropping.

It was a fun, fast-paced read and was, as always, excellently written and plotted. Then, as I mentioned earlier, those last few pages are to die for. You’ll love it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.