Deadly Flip: A Home Renovator's Mystery

A Home Renovator Mystery #2

by M.E. Bakos

Flipping houses can be deadly!Katelyn takes on a craftsman style home renovation that

Genres: Cozy Mystery

218 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2018

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read

This is an excellent read and a great cozy mystery. Kateyn "Kate" Baxter, house flipper and amateur sleuth, is back in the second book in this series. Shes in charge of the renovation of a house where a murder occurred years ago. It is a great book.

[C.J. Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katelyn Baxter has an interesting vocation. She renovates and flips houses for a living, helped by her trusty handyman Wayne. Kate buys a house, she and Wayne start a renovation, and they immediately run into trouble. Strange noises, windows and doors left open, a flooded basement, and the discovery of a diary hidden by a murdered young woman named Skye are just the start of this adventure. This cozy mystery started a little slow but ramped up mid-way into a really suspenseful mystery. One of the strengths of this book is the author’s ability to come up with some fully-developed characters who are best described as “quirky” or even “eccentric.” In addition to Wayne, who firmly believes ghosts are haunting the house, there’s Kate’s best friend Myra who always has Kate’s back, and a couple of guys interested in Kate – Eddy the ex-husband, and Sheriff Don who has potential as a love interest. And there are the oddball characters such as the lock-and-key guy, an occasional vagrant, a neighbor, and a missing young woman named Willow. And of course, there’s Boots, Kate’s cat, who takes on a bad guy in a heroic attempt to protect his mistress. Stay with the story, and you’ll be rewarded. Recommended. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katelyn plans on flipping a house in Hiptown, Minnesota. Problem. The house has history. A young woman had been killed there.

Hidden diary. House secrets. Haunted house. Everything that makes for an interesting and scary read.

I enjoyed this book, even though I'm not a fan of "ghost" stories. I never knew what was going to happen next. Another element that made the book interesting was the remodeling. I rent a house and recently had to do some remodeling when water flooded the basement from a torrential downpour. I identified with Katelyn's emotions when she saw water in the house she was redoing.

Well written with colorful characters. Each made the story interesting. The plot was exciting with twists, making it hard to put the book down.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Restless ghosts?

A great little fast paced read but she could have been a bit more clued up especially about her car battery. That was really just too obvious. Loved the characters and the interplay between them. Plus their very susceptibility to believe in ghosts.
She has bought the house but is still unsure whether it was a good move or not. After all a young girl had been killed there and the killer had been left off before admitting that he had indeed been the murderer. Doors slamming, windows left open, flooding and more hamper their every move. Then her BFF sets off another bombshell with more history about the house. Seances, ghost busters and an explosion. As if that wasn't enough her ex-husband wants to get remarried, her new 'beau' wants to be friends and her cat freaks out in the basement. Can she find out what is behind it all?

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home Renovation Specialist Katelyn leaps to purchase a lovely Craftsman-style home at auction, at a remarkably low price. Renovation is going smoothly--until she learns what occurred four years earlier, a gross miscarriage of justice. As if guided, she finds the victim's concealed diary. Soon odd events and inexplicable damage plague the job, as well as she and handyman-neighbor Wayne. Is it accidental? Vandals? Malicious trespassers? Or is an innocent victim crying out for Justice from beyond the grave?


DEADLY FLIP is a cozy mystery set in Minneapolis, in the Home Renovator Mystery Series. Home Renovation can be fun, expensive--or deadly.

[Adpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting her third home renovation project, Kate runs into one problem after another, to the point they all think the place is haunted. After all, a missing girl was found buried there.
The story reads quickly and easily and it seems Kate just can't seem to catch a break!
I really enjoy reading Ms. Bakos' books in this series. I find renovation projects fun to read about, and watch on tv. The books always have some helpful hints at the end of the story, too. I also hope there will be more books to come in the series!
I was provided with a copy of the book by the author. This review is my honest opinion.

[Elizabeth Borns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking forward to more of Katelyn's adventures and this second book met and, in fact, exceeded my expectations. She is an irresistible sleuth. The mystery keeps you guessing to the very end. Friend Myra and Sheriff Don are two characters I want to watch develop in the next book. A must read for cozy mystery fans.

[Ponyst · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book.

I found the writing cumbersome. The author repeats obvious ideas over and over. The main woman seems to have very low self esteem, constantly comparing herself to her richer, better dressed "best" friend.

And the ending is a non ending.

I am glad it only too a day to rad.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read. Lots of history in the current house Kate is renovating. Some of the strange activities are attributed to ghosts. The clues are there for the reader to figure out the culprit(s), but some surprises still occur. The romances and friendships drive the story along.

[Randall. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Round up to 3 1/2⭐️.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first book, I had trouble staying engaged with this book. The renovations became more of a daily clean up from the ghostly? sabotage.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant bokk and the second cozy mystery featuring house flipped Katelyn "Kate" Baxer and her group of fri3nda in a Minneapolis suburb. It wqa great and entertaining with a wonderful mystery plot.