Premeditated Mortar

October 1, 2020
A dream job quickly becomes a nightmare for a California contractor. Shannon Hammer has a thriving business in Lighthouse Cove specializing in rehabbing Victorian homes. When her bestie, Jane Hennessey, invests in a project to turn the Gables, a moldering but architecturally stunning former mental hospital, into a hotel and destination resort, Shannon is thrilled to get the job. Because she developed a romantic relationship with bestselling author Mac Sullivan while restoring his home, she's excited that Rachel Powers, who's running the project, has approached Mac as another possible investor. A smattering of protesters spoil the moment of groundbreaking with their demands that the Gables be burned down. Wondering whether the protesters were patients or workers there, Shannon can imagine why they might be unhappy after hearing an unhinged speech from the doctor who last ran the place. Even Jane, whose mother was a patient there, has plenty of unhappy memories. After her crew has started working, Shannon is pushed over a partially demolished brick wall and is lucky to escape with minor injuries. Removing the wall reveals the body of one of the protesters, leading Shannon and Mac to research the protester's earlier life in order to help the police chief, who's engaged to Shannon's sister. Certain the answer is in the past, they uncover some horrifying stories of cruelty that suggest many possible motives for murder. Like the Fixer Upper movies it's spawned on the Hallmark Channel, this popular series hits just the right notes: mystery, romance, historical detail.

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December 1, 2020
Construction-company owner Shannon Hammer is thrilled to be working with her best friend, Jane Hennessey, renovating one of the buildings of the Gables, formerly a hospital for the mentally ill, to turn it into a boutique hotel. Jane hopes to banish her unhappy memories by turning the building where her mother spent many sad days into a warm, happy place. At the groundbreaking, protesters chanting "burn it down" disrupt the proceedings, and then a murder stops all work on the project while the police investigate. With her boyfriend, best-selling thriller writer Mac Sullivan, Shannon tries to find the killer. Meanwhile, Shannon is worried about the status of her relationship with Mac as her friends move forward in their relationships. Framed by the details of a female contractor running a major project, and by interesting background on Victorian architecture, the engaging story is propelled by the large cast of well-drawn characters and is buffeted by numerous satisfying plot twists. Suggest this eighth in Carlisle's Fixer-Upper series to readers who enjoy Sarah Graves' Jacobia Tiptree home-repair mysteries.

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