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Wall-to-Wall Dead (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery #6)
Avery Baker never thought she’d leave Manhattan, until she inherited her aunt’s old Maine cottage and found her true calling—home renovation. But when Avery goes to work restoring a condominium, she discovers it’s another condo owner who’s been condemned...
Avery and her partner, Derek, are fixing up a cute little condo in homey Waterfield, Maine, hoping for a quick turnar...more
Avery and her partner, Derek, are fixing up a cute little condo in homey Waterfield, Maine, hoping for a quick turnar...more
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 4th 2012
by Berkeley
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Nov 07, 2012
Suspense Magazine
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The real estate market is an “iffy” business these days. Less than a decade ago, investing in a property—for a very cheap price—then fixing it up and re-selling it was a sure way to make money. But in today’s volatile buyer’s market, flipping properties can be dangerous. In fact, it can be deadly, as Avery Baker and her partner, Derek, discover in “Wall-To-Wall Dead,” the newest title in the Do-It-Yourself mystery series by Jennie Bentley. When Avery and Derek purchase a rundown condo unit in th...more
I always enjoy Jennie Bentley's writing, although I really don't like Derek and Avery. I did figure out the killer right away in this one, although I enjoyed watching it unfold. Avery was her usual annoying self and Derek brought himself to a new low with visiting a strip club and his continued open flirting with everything female. The end has a few interesting tidbits showing where the next book will lead with everyone's soap opera and I am sure I will buy it when it comes out, just like every...more
This book had a good murder mystery or three, a true romance story, and humor. This all made it one lovely, to read, cozy murder mystery for me.
An engaged couple, Avery Baker, and Derek Ellis find a small condominium to update and turn over. It turns out that their Police Chief's son, Josh lives there as does other members of the small community of Waterfield, Maine.
One apartment, on the ground floor, has a resident, Hilda Shaw, that the rest of the complex can not stand. Hilda is beyond nosy, h...more
An engaged couple, Avery Baker, and Derek Ellis find a small condominium to update and turn over. It turns out that their Police Chief's son, Josh lives there as does other members of the small community of Waterfield, Maine.
One apartment, on the ground floor, has a resident, Hilda Shaw, that the rest of the complex can not stand. Hilda is beyond nosy, h...more
I have enjoyed this cozy series and this one fit along with the others. The location , characters, and "real" occupations are interesting to me. While I've given it four stars, I think this book took a couple missteps that has put it a little behind the other books. (The four stars are more for the series as a whole, then this book stand-alone.)
In short, I think a bit too much was crammed in - too much character advancement, too complicated a story - that the whole suffered a bit. At the end of...more
In short, I think a bit too much was crammed in - too much character advancement, too complicated a story - that the whole suffered a bit. At the end of...more
When their new nosy neighbor is found dead, the cops deemed it an accident, but not our Avery who sense something sinister, especially when she uncovers the dirty deed that Mrs Shaw was doing. Who wanted her dead? When another of the neighbor dies, the stakes are higher and a killer must be stopped before another life is lost.
This was a great read that I enjoyed immensely. This fast-paced, non-stop action whodunit kept me on my toes as I followed the moves that Avery made in unraveling a crime i...more
This was a great read that I enjoyed immensely. This fast-paced, non-stop action whodunit kept me on my toes as I followed the moves that Avery made in unraveling a crime i...more
Derek and Avery are fixing up a cute little condo in Waterfield, Maine. It reminds Avery of her tiny apartment in Manhattan. She hopes to use some "tricks of the trade" that she has learned to make the small condo into a place with a more open feeling. It should be a quick job and a fast sale as the need the money as they wait for the right buyer to come along for the huge project they had just completed.
The only drawback to the project is the little old lady in the downstairs condo. She watches...more
The only drawback to the project is the little old lady in the downstairs condo. She watches...more
Wall To Wall Dead is the 6th book in the DIY Mystery series by Jennie Bentley. Another series where the reader can learn something useful and read a good story.
Avery and Derek decide to take on renovating a condo in Waterfield, hoping for a quick job and a quick turnaround.
Josh Rasmussen, who father Wayne is the police chief and close friends with Avery and Derek, invites them to take a look at the condo in the building where he lives. Once the paperwork has been completed, they begin the renova...more
Avery and Derek decide to take on renovating a condo in Waterfield, hoping for a quick job and a quick turnaround.
Josh Rasmussen, who father Wayne is the police chief and close friends with Avery and Derek, invites them to take a look at the condo in the building where he lives. Once the paperwork has been completed, they begin the renova...more
Started out with a bang, but quickly fizzled out and is not my favorite in this series. Avery and Derek buy a condo in Josh's complex, but there is not a whole lot of renovating going on. When the nosy neighbor kicks the bucket, it's up in the air for a while whether or not this is even murder, and then when another neighbor bites the dust, murder is still in question. In addition, there were a few things that just plain out irked me:
1) At one point when suspicions are aroused that someone with...more
1) At one point when suspicions are aroused that someone with...more
This series featuring a New York designer transplanted to Maine when her great aunt leaves her a house, is both typical cozy territory and yet refreshingly filled with normal people instead of kooks. The ucnventional has become conventional in this genre lately. The action is set in a small town in Maine, featuring recurring locals. The other appeal is that the heroine has thrown in her career and her life with that of a doctor-turned-restoration expert, so the book had lots of DIY tips and disc...more
I gotta say, I really didn't love this one. It started out with promise but the mystery came around too late and Avery just seemed off.
As the mystery is getting wrapped up, something became so obvious that it begged for a deeper investigation. So obvious that I figured it out and the ended up figuring out the whole thing.
Also, Avery was particularly sanctimonious in this installment and it rubbed me the wrong way (view spoiler)...more
As the mystery is getting wrapped up, something became so obvious that it begged for a deeper investigation. So obvious that I figured it out and the ended up figuring out the whole thing.
Also, Avery was particularly sanctimonious in this installment and it rubbed me the wrong way (view spoiler)...more
So I'm really only giving this 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because this is usually a strong series. First, I loved the Prologue - it was a nice surprise and made me start the book off with a smile. I love the relationship between Derek and Avery and the 'supporting cast' is both strong and likeable. The author has really created a very likeable world in this series.
It lost that half star because through a good portion of the book Avery was almost unlikeable - she was suddenly acting like a go...more
It lost that half star because through a good portion of the book Avery was almost unlikeable - she was suddenly acting like a go...more
While I'm still enjoying the series, there were a few quirks about this installment that made it not-my-favorite of the series. For one, there wasn't as much renovation in this book. They started the condo project, but then Avery basically abandoned it to work the murder. Oh, and Avery got a lot nosier this time, it seemed! Derek's reminders that she better be careful/not get in trouble/not find any more dead bodies this time confirmed it.
To be a little more picky, I noticed that Avery still re...more
To be a little more picky, I noticed that Avery still re...more
While Avery and Derek are flipping a small condo the building's snoopy resident turns up dead, apparently from food induced anaphylaxis. Her prescribed epi-pen is missing. Was she murdered or did she die accidentally? There are no shortage of candidates who are glad she's dead.
I felt the book went a bit backward in Avery's character development, but it suited the plot so my logical mind is trying to deal with it. :) The story was engaging. Avery got to see a bit of herself through others eyes, always interesting. There was a bit of the "No one is perfect" so stop judging yourself so harshly homily in the telling of this tale. Which is probably something we all need now and then. All in all it was a worthwhile read.
This was very good. I eagerly await each new installment in this series and this was worth the wait. The characters of Avery and Derek are getting better and better developed each book. Can't wait for the next!
Avery and Derek are finally taking the first steps to really building a life together.
Will their latest project get in the way of what could be a fantastic life together?
So many lives are intertwined in this novel.
The new condo that Derek and Avery are renovating is in a great building, and the inhabitants are such a colourful group of people? Is it possible that one of their new neighbors is really a cold blooded killer... one who will stop at nothing to protect a life that has been founded o...more
Will their latest project get in the way of what could be a fantastic life together?
So many lives are intertwined in this novel.
The new condo that Derek and Avery are renovating is in a great building, and the inhabitants are such a colourful group of people? Is it possible that one of their new neighbors is really a cold blooded killer... one who will stop at nothing to protect a life that has been founded o...more
This was another enjoyable, mindless cozy. I figured out the murderer about 20 pages before the heroine, but it wasn't too blatantly obvious.
Another delightful addition to this wonderful series by Jennie Bentley! And the ending is definitely something I have been looking forward to a lot!
Jennie has definitely topped herself with this book. More action, more suspects, and more fun.
This was a cute installment in the series although predictable and quite easy to figure out.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Really fun, light read mystery series
Still a fun series. Good for the times when you want to be entertained without thinking too much.
While I liked the book, to me it had a bit of a different feel to it. I had to wonder why she was being so nosy....
I love a cozy mystery in which the main action takes place in a limited environment, much the way Christie's "And Then There Were None" did. In this case that environment was an apartment building, with each of the residents having a secret or two that made them all delightful suspects. The final revelation was tricky, and dastardly clever, and the lovely ending made this my favorite of the Do It Yourself mystery series.
Nothing really that original or interesting about this book to set it apart from others. A nosey amateur detective and her soon to be husband are renovating an apartment. When a neighbor dies mysteriously.
YAWN
YAWN
This one didn't have as much about the renovation as they normally do but it was still enjoyable. This one had a different cast of characters with series standards (Kate, Melissa, Shannon) only making very brief appearances. Overall, a fun light mystery.
This series is always a pleasure and the latest book doesn't disappear. Not sure I'd want to live anywhere near Avery and Derek but they make an engaging couple of amateur detectives.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. I like that the characters are so unique! Avery and Derek. Hard workers and I can almost picture the "poor man's runner". sounds so cool.
I do like this series, love the characters and I find it interested how the characters are changing throughout the series. Takes some guts to make changes.
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Sep 13, 2012 03:58pm