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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly is the second book in A House-Flipper Mystery series. Dead in the Doorway can be read without having picked up Dead as a Doorknocker. However, I recommend reading the cute debut of this series. A House-Flipper Mystery series is similar to A Paw Enforcement series written by Diane Kelly with chapters from an animal’s point-of-view. Sawdust, Whitney’s cat, is cute and smart, and I like reading about his perspective on things. I would like his chapters to have a wee bit more humor (I love Brigit’s snarky comments from A Paw Enforcement series). I thought Dead in the Doorway contained good writing, steady pacing and friendly characters. Whitney Whitaker works as property manager as well as a carpenter (for her uncle’s carpentry business). Her true love, though, is flipping houses which she does with her cousin, Buck Whitaker. They are both hoping for a better experience after the murder that happened in their first slip that prevented them from selling it (Whitney and two roommates are currently living in it). Whitney arrives early on demo day to find a woman dead at the base of the stairs and the deceased owner’s grandson squatting in the house (that gets the blood pumping). At first blush, it appears the victim fell down the steps during the night. Unfortunately, Detective Collin Flynn soon informs Whitney that the victim did not fall on her own. Whitney, who was going to snoop anyway, is thrilled when Detective Flynn asks for her assistance. There are definite sparks flying between the detective and Whitney (and he is a cat lover too). The mystery had a handful of suspects along with misdirection. There are clues to aid a reader in solving the crime. I would have preferred more sleuthing and less speculation. There was too much conjecture for my liking (I ended up skimming through some of it because it was repetitive). My favorite line from Dead in the Doorway is courtesy of Detective Flynn when he said, “You again?” when he sees Whitney at the crime scene. I did enjoy reading Dead in the Doorway, and I will be reading the next A House-Flipper Mystery with Whitney, Buck, Detective Flynn and Sawdust. Dead in the Doorway is a purr-fect cozy mystery to cuddle up with in a comfy chair.
kxlsix's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was a little disappointed that the cat wasn't a more prominent character, based on the cover art and the synopsis. The relationship between the main character and the detective was a bit too far fetched from reality and often took me out of the story. The house-flipping of the story was entertaining, but it almost felt like that was most of the story, as opposed to the actual mysterious murder on hand.
On the positive side, I really liked all of the characters. The older ladies of the cul de sac were delightful and well written.
On the positive side, I really liked all of the characters. The older ladies of the cul de sac were delightful and well written.
kitty101323's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
miamyya's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
hollynichole88's review against another edition
3.0
This book seemed like it explained too much. I feel like it kept telling me things I already knew or could easily have figured out. I'm not sure if the author was trying to cover for those who didn't read the first book, but having read both I feel there was too much detail in this for me. However, the storyline was good and I enjoyed the characters. The old ladies in the neighborhood had such wonderful personalities. I hope the next book in the series does not rehash the previous books repeatedly!
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
5.0
With this second book in the series this has become one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I love that the heroine has a non-traditional job and isn’t close to perfect. This installment has a cul-de-sac full of suspects and a victim that won’t be missed by any of them. I love the slowly growing relationship between Whitney and Colin and what looks to be a burgeoning relationship between Buck and Collette. As always Sawdust is too cute for words. I can’t wait for the next installment.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Dead in the Doorway is the second House-Flipper mystery by Diane Kelly. Released 31st March 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint, it's 352 pages available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an engaging and well written cozy mystery with a full complement of quirky neighbors, old houses, plucky female amateur sleuth, requisite grumpy (but handsome) law enforcement officer, much hated (and violently deceased) neighbor, resultant investigations, and a cat who gets some 3rd person narrative alternating with his owner, protagonist house-flipper Whitney. The chapters are labeled with the primary PoV character, so they're easy to keep track of.
The writing is appealing and entertaining, very light and engaging. The language is clean, the violence is off scene, there's nothing to horrify or scandalize. The author does refer unnecessarily to the house which Whitney and co. are flipping as the "flip-house" about a zillion times (I counted 66 instances, which is about 60 too many). It wasn't a huge deal, it's easy enough to glide over, but it did get to the point fairly quickly where it yanked me out of the story every time. Other than that, the denouement is well written and the book moves along at a good clip. I enjoyed it. I was previously unfamiliar with the series and this one worked well enough as a standalone. I will keep an eye out for more books in the series. It's exactly the kind of fun cozy I enjoy on a lazy weekend afternoon.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Dead in the Doorway is the second House-Flipper mystery by Diane Kelly. Released 31st March 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint, it's 352 pages available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an engaging and well written cozy mystery with a full complement of quirky neighbors, old houses, plucky female amateur sleuth, requisite grumpy (but handsome) law enforcement officer, much hated (and violently deceased) neighbor, resultant investigations, and a cat who gets some 3rd person narrative alternating with his owner, protagonist house-flipper Whitney. The chapters are labeled with the primary PoV character, so they're easy to keep track of.
The writing is appealing and entertaining, very light and engaging. The language is clean, the violence is off scene, there's nothing to horrify or scandalize. The author does refer unnecessarily to the house which Whitney and co. are flipping as the "flip-house" about a zillion times (I counted 66 instances, which is about 60 too many). It wasn't a huge deal, it's easy enough to glide over, but it did get to the point fairly quickly where it yanked me out of the story every time. Other than that, the denouement is well written and the book moves along at a good clip. I enjoyed it. I was previously unfamiliar with the series and this one worked well enough as a standalone. I will keep an eye out for more books in the series. It's exactly the kind of fun cozy I enjoy on a lazy weekend afternoon.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4
Characters: 4
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 3.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 4.75
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.47
Characters: 4
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 3.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 4.75
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.47