This is the seventh book in this series, and in my opinion it is the best one yet!

Whitney and Buck are helping Uncle Roger with a project. A former student has purchased the old boarding school and is turning it into a retirement community. However the developer does not want the huge Victorian house next door. The headmaster and his wife died in what they said was a murder suicide. But Whitney has already fallen in love with the house, complete with everything inside, which may include a ghost?!

As work begins, Whitney finds evidence that may prove the couple were murdered.

This was such a fun history lesson and ghost story and just all around great story.


NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press April 01, 2025

I had such a great time reading this book! I love this series, and a lot happened in the previous book in their personal lives, which carried over into this one. This mystery in this book, that happened so long ago, was interesting to investigate, since it happened before she was even born! I think this is the one that takes place over the longest period of time, which made sense given how long ago the crime happened.

This is the first book where the main project isn't really connected to the mystery. Sure, it used to be the same plot, but the house flip is the headmaster house, and they're helping her uncle with the school for more ost the book instead of the headmaster's house, which is the focus of mystery. So that was interesting.

How it was solved was really interesting, with the slow gathering of what evidence might still remain after all this time, with interviews, and putting the pieces together! That ending was pretty shocking, but satisfying to read!

Of course there's updates in their lives, with the birth of Buck's baby girl, and her and Collin being married, with questions about when they'd have a child of their own, but you know, they haven't been married for a year yet. At least not until the end of the book! That ending was so sweet!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Diane Kelly!

Whitney and her cousin Buck buy a derelict Victorian mansion near an abandoned prep school. The school and house were abandoned after the last Headmaster and his wife died in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. But the sheriff at the time was never confident in that seemingly obvious conclusion and the case had never been officially closed. Forty years later, as Whitney and Buck prepare to turn the mansion into a boutique hotel, Whitney finds an overlooked piece of evidence that turns the entire case upside down.

I actually started reading this series with book five, Primer and Punishment. Though I know I missed a lot of back story and character growth from the first four books, I didn't have any trouble following the story or connecting with the characters. I've continued reading the new books as they come out and I love that Whitney has a non-traditional job and how her cousin and her new husband support her in her investigations. This book in particular is a bit of a departure from the typical cozy mystery in that the crime being investigated took place 40 years earlier and this book takes place over the course of several months instead of a few days or weeks as is normally the case. It all works, we get a fun, retro story and it advances Whitney to a pretty big life milestone at the very end (no spoilers!)

The villains in this story are many and it's very interesting to see these characters as their 1982 selves and then again as their current day selves. I think there's a message there about how people can change and how people can stay the same and also how some people may never have been who you thought they were. I particularly appreciate how the title plays on the movie Dead Poets Society, which takes place at a boarding school in the 50's but was made in the 80's.

Another thing I like about this series is how Whitney and Buck work to save old buildings while salvaging so much of what's inside them. Instead of smashing everything up and throwing it away, they repair and refurbish what can be saved and recycle whatever is usable but maybe not needed for the projects they're working on. I love the home renovation shows but I can't stand how they demolish and trash so many perfectly good things, things that others may be extremely happy to salvage, just for the sake of a good camera shot. That kind of waste of resources is so taxing to the environment. Whitney and Buck get big props from me for being responsible earth citizens!

All that to say, this was a non-standard cozy so it may not be everyone's cup of tea but it was a fun jaunt into the 1980's, along with a very interesting investigation and some big surprise twists.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books

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

Courtne and her crew next project where two murders had taken plsce near a boarding school. Is there a connection going on or is it just a concidence?nn Is it time to destroy the house where the headmaster and his wife died or should it be saved. What really happened to them is the mystery? It’s one secret that will be unraveled in this fascinating story.