A Home repair is homicide mystery

Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree abandoned Wall Street to its bankruptcies and bailouts for a far more rewarding life fixing up an 1823 Federal-style house in Eastport, Maine. But in Sarah Graves's chilling new mystery thriller, Jake discovers that no matter what your address, the most terrifying crimes always hit closest to home.The infamous Dodd murders are hardly among Eastport's proudest legacies. So when bestselling true-crime author Carolyn Rathbone arrives to research the case for a new book, the locals in the seaside town let her know that she's about as welcome as a spoiled clam. But surely no one would harm a crime writer out of a sense of civic pride--or would they?Jake has her own problems, from the mysteries of old-house insulation to an anonymous caller plaguing her with death threats. But with Carolyn's arrival, the slayings of the wealthy Dodd women suddenly go from cold case to hot topic--much to someone's dismay. For Carolyn Rathbone's untimely investigation hasn't only reopened old wounds and stirred up new suspicions; it's unearthed a string of deadly secrets--ones that a cunning killer is grimly determined to rebury right along with Carolyn herself.Suddenly Jake finds herself inescapably targeted by one of the most deranged criminal minds she's ever encountered. For as much as she fights to insulate herself from his grisly compulsions, someone with a taste for terror has already crept closer than she dares to imagine. She'd rather die than lose the home and family she's built--and that suits her nemesis fine, because her death is just exactly what he has planned.From the Hardcover edition.

Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree left her high-powered career for a dilapidated fixer-upper and the dream of a quiet existence in the quaint town of Eastport, Maine. But she found that no matter how carefully you remodel your life, murder can take up residence anywhere.It's Eastport's most notorious landmark: the old Harlequin House. Named for the disgraced physician Chester Harlequin, it was used as a hideout for gunshot gangsters and their molls during Prohibition's heyday. Now fixer-upper enthusiast Jake Tiptree and Harlequin's only living descendant, Ellie White, are refurbishing the mansard-roofed mansion to host the local Historical Society's upcoming gala. But when stripping down old wallpaper reveals a secret door to a room containing not one but two corpses, Jake and Ellie once again find home repair leading to homicide.One of the bodies is a skeleton dressed in 1920s flapper chic. But the other is that of real-estate mogul Hector Gosling, and in his pocket is a paper bearing the single word "Guilty." The less-than-scrupulous tycoon has been poisoned, and when it's learned that the offending substance is the poison that Ellie's husband George has been using to kill red ants, he is immediately taken into custody. Then it develops that George had recently accused Gosling of a scheme to scam George's vulnerable old aunt out of her life savings--and George out of his inheritance. With George held for murder, Jake and a pregnant Ellie swing into action. In between Ellie's Lamaze sessions, baby showers, and CPR classes taught by Jake's ex-husband Victor, the two amateur sleuths must sift their way through a trail of seemingly contradictory clues. Then another corpse surfaces and suddenly Jake and Ellie realize they must find this killer fast. A clever culprit is not only building an airtight case against Ellie's husband. He--or she--is planning to nail everyone who stands in the way.From the Hardcover edition.

Back in the day, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree turned profits managing the fortunes of Manhattan's most fortunate. Then she fled the rat race for a stately old fixer-upper in easygoing Eastport, Maine. But now a rat from an even darker corner of Jake's past has turned up...a killer with a blueprint for demolishing her new life.As a home repair enthusiast, Jake knows that nothing lasts forever--not windows or doors, not plaster or plumbing. And not good fortune.After more than three decades eluding justice, the man who murdered her mother is finally about to stand trial--until he vanishes into thin air. Jake has a terrible foreboding of where Ozzie Campbell will turn up next. And while the local police chief is sure she's overreacting, the truth is far worse than even Jake's worst fears.With her normally full house empty for at least another week, Jake has been looking forward to the unaccustomed peace and quiet. Now her cozy, well-loved home feels more like a big empty death trap ready to snap shut. First a pair of out-of-towners clearly not in Eastport for vacation turn up asking questions about her. And if she has any doubt they're connected to Campbell, those doubts are erased when he calls her with a grim warning. But exactly what Campbell wants from her isn't clear, only that he'll stop at nothing to hurt those closest to Jake. And his first victims are the most defenseless of all. Suddenly Jake can't help but feel that her house--and her life--has far too many windows. And in any one of them she might see the face of her killer.From the Hardcover edition.

Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree took the dangerous plunge from Wall Street power broker--to homeowner! Now the do-it-yourself enthusiast is about to discover that her own dream house is built on a foundation of murder.Buying a beachfront fixer-upper to lease out to Eastport, Maine's, burgeoning tourist crowd seems like a good idea to Jake Tiptree and her best friend, Ellie White. But working double-time as landladies to a coven of wannabe witches isn't what they had in mind. And it only gets worse when Jake is called out one stormy night to make a repair--and stumbles on a dead body in the utility shed.A small-time thief and street preacher with a particularly violent message, the deceased was no favorite of Jake's--nor of anyone else in Eastport. But what's he doing shot to death on Jake's property? Jake's bewitching tenants--including an ex-cop, a con man, and a mute teenage girl--claim to have been too busy conjuring spells to have heard or seen a thing. Then a member of the coven disappears without a trace and Jake doesn't think it's a case of witchcraft--but a kidnapping...or worse.Scandal, secrets, and a mysterious box buried deep in the foundation of her own home are just the beginning of a mystery that threatens to bring Jake's house--and life--crashing down. Now she and Ellie are racing to find a missing girl who may be the key to it all...or lead them to a killer holding the final nails to their coffins.Praise for the Home Repair Is Homicide Mysteries of Sarah Graves:"Anyone who can mix slaughter and screwdrivers is a genius. Plus, anyone who has bought a home that needs even a new toilet seat is probably consumed with murderous thoughts."--Boston Herald"Like the old Victorian homes she describes...Graves' stories seem to grow better with the passing of time....Readers who enjoy solving mysteries and fixing up older homes will appreciate Jake's do-it-yourself expertise in both areas."--Booklist"A sleuth as tough as the nails she drives into the walls of her 1823 Federal home enhances a clever plot, which comes to an unexpected and explosive conclusion. Many will relish the vividly described Down East setting, but for anyone who's ever enjoyed making a home repair it's the accurate details of the restoration of Jake's old house that will appeal."--Publishers Weekly"Think Diane Mott Davidson with a tool belt instead of recipes!"--Denver PostFrom the Hardcover edition.

Once upon a time, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree was a hotshot money manager to Manhattan's rich and dreadful--until she left city life behind for a centuries-old fixer-upper in the quaint seaside town of. Eastport, Maine. But even this timy haven has its hazards and they can be astonishingly deadly ...