Wreck the Halls

Home Repair Is Homicide #5

by Sarah Graves

When Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree plans a visit to Faye Anne Carmody's house, she doesn't expect to find it covered in blood. She also doesn't expect to find Faye Anne dazed, yet alive. But she is. All looks fine, until Jake takes a trip to the butcher's shop, and finds a bunch of meat packages wrapped in brown paper in the display case. Realizing that this is unusual, Jake investigates, only to find Faye Anne's husband's, Merle, body wrapped in those little packages. Then another person is found murdered, and Jake immediately decides that it's up to her to solve the crime, instead of spending time with her family and working on rehabilitating her home. Who can get anything done during the holidays, when there's a killer on the loose?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Christmas, Audiobook, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sarah Graves lives with her husband John, a musician and luthier, and their black Labrador Retriever in a house very much like the one Jacobia Tiptree is remodeling in Eastport, Maine. When she's not writing Jake's adventures, Sarah works with her husband on the house and she plays the 5-string banjo.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more dour than most cozies, This one is set in a decaying Maine town, struggling for its very existence. With very few differences, this could be the setting for an HP Lovecraft story.

An abusive husband is found, vivsected and wrapped in butcher's paper, like something from an old EC comic book. The sleuths get involved, because the state troopers are dumber than rocks. They find a gaggle of suspects, and the murders keep happening. There's no big climax like in most cozies, though the solution isn't bad.

Probably not for the Joanne Fluke fan.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read in this series, so maybe I'm not being fair. I felt a little cheated based on the description I read of the story. I expected 'Jake' to be a female handyman (competent if not a professional), instead she's a spineless woman who's teaching herself to fix up an old house she bought. The story also reads like the author has a major case of ADHD with the constant tangents, parentheticals and proverbial 'butterflies' in every scene. Everyone in her life seems to take advantage of her (and she lets them--especially her ex-husband) with the exception of her current husband who's so laid back he's barely there. I put this one down and read a couple of short novellas before going back to finish it. I only finished it because I'd purchased two of her books and wanted to see if the other one was going in the 'if I'm desperate for something to read' pile or the 'to be read' pile.

If this book is an aberration in the series, I'd consider trying the other one I bought or even going back to the beginning of the series but otherwise this was my one and only book by this author.

[Cindy Veneris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty painful to read and it took me forever to plow through it. These two women ran around like two of the three stooges getting into situations where they are almost killed over and over again but somehow they escape each episode with no lasting damage. And they keep on suspecting practically every person in town except for the actual killer. I couldn’t even keep track of the suspects and their vehicles. Really just an awful story without much home improvement in it either.

[Krystle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Below average cozy. Didn't care for the ending or the characters.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okay. Jake and Ellie spend most of the holiday season trying to solve several murders, in the process they put themselves in danger, overlook vital clues and pretty much accuse everyone and the kitchen sink EXCEPT the actual murderer 😒

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a good series. Not too complicated, but also not too easy to figure out who the villian is. The characters are likeable and interesting, and I always enjoy all the references to Eastport, where my parents have lived happily for many years.

[Jakalak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jacobia is at it again, this time investigating a particularly sadistic murder in an incongruously cheerful holiday setting. Wade, Victor, Sam, and all the rest are back to help with solving the case and keeping the house in one piece as Jacobia and Ellie race to find the culprit before their friend is convicted of a murder they believe she didn't commit.

I have enjoyed the Home Repair is Homicide series so far because of the character development and the suspenseful writing, but I have noticed in the last couple of books that my ability to suspend my disbelief has been stretched to the breaking point. Some of the medical-related plot points in this book are entirely absurd. Jacobia has been involved in at least a half-dozen murder investigations, and yet here she repeatedly puts herself in harm's way to to have long, drawn-out, private conversations with people who she suspects of murder!

Without giving anything away, I was completely dissatisfied by the ending. A good mystery should provide clues that, even if they don't enable you to solve the crime yourself, should at least lay bare the path that leads to the conclusion. This murderer appeared to be chosen entirely at random, and the convoluted denouement was preposterous.

Finally, what's up with all the cars backfiring?! I'm thirty years old, and I have never heard a car backfire in my life. The fact that nearly every vehicle mentioned in this book backfires copiously is distracting and dumb. I'm going to need a long time to forget this installment if I have any hope of getting this series another chance.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know how I managed to finish that one. Between falling asleep while reading and thinking I was playing a game on my phone, to having to read sentences over and over again because they make no sense, I felt for sure I would abandon it. And I probably should have. I couldn’t keep the characters straight and I thought the whodunit required too much explanation. I didn’t care if there would be a next body and I wanted them all to freeze to death in the storm.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas is just weeks away, but what Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree discovers at Faye Anne Carmody's house is far from festive: a dazed Faye Anne covered with blood. Her no-good husband, Merle — Eastport's butcher and least-liked citizen — is nowhere in sight. Nowhere, that is, until Jake finds his body — wrapped in his own butcher paper. It looks like an open-and-shut case, but Jake isn't convinced. Then another resident turns up dead, and Jake knows the trail doesn't begin — or end — with Merle. Jake had planned to spend the winter rehabilitating her old house, but now she'll have to work on nailing a killer before her beloved town gets even smaller.
So many characters. So many suspects. So many possibilities..... 4 stars.

[Sheila Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in this series. I'm really enjoying Jacobia and Ellie's adventures. This story was creative and entertaining, kept my attention, and was hard to put down. Better than expected, and worth the time to read. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Kayla Wilcox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a cozy Christmas mystery but instead of mentioning Christmas I got “sometimes even I hankered for a taste of squirrel…just a wee taste.” I am honestly not even sure how or why I finished

[Gale Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Great characters and always a great mystery with lots of twists and turns.

[Awwwtrouble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I"m slowly - a couple of books a year - working my way through this series. I like the protagonists well enough, but this one was a weaker entry, I think. The ending was rushed and forced and kind of a mess. Here's my mark of whether a book is good or not - I stayed up late to finish it, and today I really wish I had chosen to sleep instead of to read - it wasn't really all the compelling or worth the tiredness today. I really read these for the setting (isolated coastal Maine) and small town feel, but after 5 entries now I'm a little frustrated that she's not building the town. By that I mean in each book we meet a cast of colorful local characters, but other than the main ones (2 protagonists and their immediate families, plus I guess the police chief and his wife, but that seems to be it) the surrounding colorful local characters are different in each outing. There's little flow within the books, reminders of one character or another who was in a previous book. This entry in the series though does introduce what will become a storyline throughout the series, it appears: we know from past books that Jacobia had a rough home life before she moved to the big city, but we learn more about her parents and their deaths, with flashes of what seems like might be a mystery in the making. Which does bring up another point that I have read in other reviews - her writing style does get a bit tiresome, with these flashes of insight/foreshadowing done poorly (we decided to call it a night, or so I thought at the time, dun dun dun). It gets to be a bit much throughout this book, but I think it's just the weak storyline that exposes the technique. For what it's worth, I'll get the next book, and I'm sure the next and the next, so there's enough here to make it a basic, light read. I guess at 3 or 4 a year I'll finally catch up in 3 years or so!

[Linda Gardiner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly could not get into this book despite the promising opening. The narrative jumped all over the place making the story hard to follow. I found the characters one dimensional and not very likable. The story line seemed very convoluted. This was the first book in this series I read and that was because I enjoy Christmas themed cozy mysteries but there was hardly any mention of Christmas at all. I will not be reading any other books in this series. Very disappointed.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy series set in Maine, amusing characters, intricate plot and enough details to keep ones interest.

[M Jane Olbricht · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book

I thought it was harder to get into but once I get into it I really enjoyed it and I was very glad that I spent the time

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It has been a few months since I read the previous book of this series, but I have to admit I don't remember protagonist Jacobia what's-her-name being so dumb. I also don't remember Graves's writing be so all over the place and so, well dumb. A few of the many points that irritated me in this book:

>It is super convoluted

>there were too many times I said 'well, wasn't that a coincidence?'

>The ending was really a wtf?!? moment

>how can Jacobia describe being in an ice storm one moment and then two paragraphs later be surprised that it is an ice storm?

>how would a skunk break a window?

>how would a skunk climb down a basement wall, and more to the point climb up it again?
-Maine has striped skunks and striped skunks are such poor climbers they are known to get stuck in window wells

>what was the deal with all of those back-firing cars?

>how can Graves mention salmon farms repeatedly, and gratuitously, throughout the book, often as if she is endorsing them, and yet not once mention, even in passing, their very well-known negative impacts on marine ecosystems?
-she needs to stay in her lane

>how is it that no one in the entire Jacobia-Ellie group, including a medical doctor for f's sake?, has heard of ruffies?
-and how is it that even when they have heard of ruffies they still apparently have not really heard of ruffies?!?

>that is not how ADHD works

>Seriously?!? Graves not only does the 'make the horrible person (usually woman) short' cliché, she does it three times over.
-crazy lady living in the bush is "squat"
-pretentious, ditzy but somehow also manipulative woman is "tiny"
-spoilsport, ugly sister is "little"
-UGH! As a short woman I am more than tired of authors equating (usually female) people of my stature as being horrible
--just once, could the horrible woman in a book be excessively tall? Or how about even average height? why do authors insist on equate short with terrible?!?
-UGH!!

>etc.

As I was slogging through this book, and slog is literally the word that kept coming to my head, I kept getting snagged on these irritating points along the way. It detracted greatly from the - ahem - enjoyment of the read, and there was little enough of that as the book was just bogged down in so many other subplots and storylines and random events and people that had nothing to do with anything related to the plot.

I have generally enjoyed this series, but now I am not sure if I will bother reading any more books in it or not. Maybe one more to see where it goes, but maybe not...

[Karen Keyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the Best of this Series, Not by a long shot, but still entertaining, for the most part.

This series has always had a few continuity problems: natural blondes becoming natural brunettes from one book to the next, infant girls becoming toddler boys, etc. The most irritating ones, however, are the name changes. In this series entry, for example, Tommy Daigle, long time best friend of Jacobia Tiptree’s son Sam, has suddenly become Tommy Pockets.

As to Sam himself, well, his back story has changed. What kind of substances he abused back when they lived in New York, how much and for how long,etc. Maybe you can attribute this to Jacobia (hardly anyone ever calls her Jake, at least not so far in the first five stories) being an unreliable narrator. Maybe. And don’t get me started on Victor, Sam’s father and Jacobia’s ex. His personality veers from controlling, narcissistic abuser to neat freak comic relief with stops at all points in between, depending on the story at hand.

Now there is Jacobia’s father, or at least, her recollection of him. In an earlier book in the series, she mentions that her 60s radical Dad was in prison, a survivor of a statement bombing gone wrong that had killed all of his associates (including her mother) and left him to take the blame. In this story, he was also killed in that bombing. Where the hell was the proofreader when this text was approved, I wonder.

Me pointing out all of this might make you think I don’t like this series, but that would be wrong. I do like this series, very much. Generally, the continuity problems are nothing more than a mild irritant (except Tommy’s name change. Pockets? Seriously?) But this entry in the series has some serious problems, all its own. There are a few moments of levity, but Wreck the Halls is overall darker and less fun than the earlier books. And Jacobia, who to be fair, usually figures things out only as the murderer is about ready to do her in, stumbles from one theory to another here, each more ludicrous than the last. And the final twist, the big reveal is even more ludicrous, especially the part about how the murderer just happened to stumble into the right town. The clues were there though, I’ll admit it. One or two anyway. Just not enough of them to be fair to the reader.

[Darlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I jumped into this series at Book #5. I had it sitting on my dusty bookshelf, and it is a Christmas cozy so I threw caution to the wind. That might have been a mistake on my part, because I had a lot of trouble getting into the story.

It started off with a bang, after the main character and her BFF, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and Ellie, let themselves into a neighbour's house and found the kitchen looking like a bloodbath. Their first thought was that Merle, the abusive alcoholic, finally murdered his wife, Faye Anne. However, what they find is even more disturbing. In Merle's butcher shop, someone has taken the time to dismember Merle's body and wrap it in butcher paper and place the pieces in the display case. Faye Anne is arrested, but Ellie can't believe that her friend is guilty. Ellie and Jake set out to prove her innocence.

The beginning of the book had a great hook, but then it lost me from there. The pace of the story moved so slowly, and I had a really hard time getting into it. I ending up switching to the audiobook, which did make it easier to get through the book but the pace of it remained slow. I enjoyed learning about Jake and the relationship with her ex, Victor, and their son with her new husband. I think I'd like to go back to the beginning of the series just to get the back story on those characters. I'm willing to give this series another shot.

The narrator, Lindsay Ellison, is new to me and she did a fine job.

This review was posted on my book blog:
https://darlenesbooknook.blogspot.ca/...

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

5th in the series, 9th or 10th I've read. The mystery itself is the biggest strength of this novel. It's complex and not easy to figure out; on the downside the plot borders on convoluted and stretches credibility some. Not a ton, but some. The second biggest strength is the detailed Eastport, Maine setting, which has always stood out in this series.

While I've enjoyed this series overall, Wreck the Halls is not without its faults. My biggest complaint is that it is billed as a Christmas-themed cozy, but the tie ins to Christmas are negligible. Then there are the many scenes where the characters seem to carry on multiple conversations simultaneously. I give credit to Graves for writing these scenes at all, because it can't be easy to write that way. On the other hand, it's also not always easy to read that way either. While Jacobia has always had/expressed an admiration for Ellie's personal qualities, she goes overboard in this novel, lavishing praise on nearly every page. Finally, and this is no fault of the book or author per se, but as it was written in 2001, it feels just a bit dated.

In general, if you're a fan of the Home Repair is Homicide series, it's worth a read. This series also bears a tonal resemblance to Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Shutlz mystery series, so recommend to her readers as well.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so obviously if I've read 5 of thesenow I liked something about then so let's start there. I like that Jake has a steady love interest with no drama. I like the writing style (people complained about it in other reviews, but I think I liked it better because I listened to the audiobooks). I like Jake herself, she makes me laugh.

Now let's go on to what I don't like. The town doesn't feel like a town. I'm fairly new to cozies so my big example for small towns is Gilmore Girls. There were characters that popped in and out of the main characters lives, they had relevance and then they didn't. But this series isn't like that, other than rhe main cast there are really no recurring characters. No one from one book who was involved on that one needs is ever seen again! In and town of 2000 people, the author is rapidly using bodies up only to never mention them again. Letying us see characters from previous mysteries serves to make it real.

There is also always an "unrelated murder" that doesn't get much attention and is always related. After five books it's not an interesting plotting device anymore, sorry.

All of that said, I'm probably goinh to keep reading them. I'm listening to then at work and they're good enough and interesting enough to make rhe day go by.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree is still working on her magnificent but neglected large home on an island in Maine. With every step forward, something else breaks down, or needs fixed, etc. As she is busy making plans for Christmas, her friend Ellie asks her to help find out what happened to one of her (Ellie's) friends - a woman who has suffered domestic violence for years, and whose husband's dismembered body was found wrapped in pieces in his butcher's shop. The woman was found in their home, covered in blood, and not remembering what happened.

As Jake and Ellie start poking around, they deal with possible suspects, severe winter storms, Christmas plans, and unwelcome visitors of the human and other varieties. Just when they feel they have found the perfect suspect, something happens or someone else shows up who is a better choice. There is a lot of winding road - literally and figuratively - to get to the final discovery of who and why.

There are also some really amusing parts of this book, particularly when/how they find out how one woman who never wears a coat in winter in Maine manages it - that discovery is highly amusing!

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jacobia and Ellie show up at Faye Anne's on Monday morning they find her covered in blood and unable to remember what has happened. Her husband is in pieces in the butchering annex. Faye Anne is taken to jail but Jake and Ellie are sure that the obvious is not the truth. Soon a long list of people surface who are glad to see the end of wife beater, blackmailer Merle, but who is the real killer. Interspersed throughout the story are Jake's daily minor hassles, a missing fishing boat and crew, dealings with new husband, son and ex-husband, getting ready for Christmas and lots of home repair. Another good mystery set in Eastport, ME. Unfortunately ME is freezing in December and Graves made me feel that cold, the freezing rain and the brutal winds that her main characters were out in a lot!

[Cara W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake (Jacobia) and Ellie are looking into a death - again.

This time the pair were looking for Faye Anne, who hadn't been seen for a couple of days - thinking that Faye's husband Merle had killed her.

Found Faye Anne alive but Merle dead and butchered.

Faye Anne was arrested for murder. She couldn't remember what happened, but was found in a bloody apron and gloves.

Much running around with convoluted stories between various natives and a couple of non-natives to Eastport. Sam is in danger of getting in trouble with an online purchase. Ellie's husband comes dangerously close to being lost at sea. Monday, Jake's dog, is acting odd anytime she's in the house.

Did Peter the CA transplant kill Merle and frame Faye Anne? The neighbor Kenty lies to Jake about seeing something - and Kenty ends up dead. Bob the Sheriff is brutally attacked by an unknown assailant. The snoopy pair think all this is related.

Victor, Jake's ex, is dating pretty Joy, but joy's grumpy sister Wiletta is getting in the way. Melinda is a town native hanging out with Peter. Her brother Ben is a suspicious character - turns out he helped a woman escape a stalker.

This all comes to a head - Peter is nasty, but not the killer. Ben can be angry, but didn't kill Merle (who was blackmailing the escaped woman), and Joy turns out to be a psychotic murderer - she killed Merle and Kenty, and attacked Bob (who ultimately survived). Her sister had been trying to keep her under control, but had failed.

A mouse in the house was what was bugging Monday the dog. Victor left his cat at Jake's to get the mouse. Faye Anne would be released.

A good read. SOmetimes the convolution of stories got a little confusing.

[D]

Where did I stop reading? 17.5% in

Why? The storytelling was all over the place. It was a struggle to keep my attention for the 50ish pages I did read, let alone trying to get through the rest of the book. There’s a lot of exposition for the fifth book in the series. As a reader who’s jumping into it at this point I don’t mind some to set the stage, but these were just constant wandering tangents to the point where I kept losing the plot. The opening was strong, but it just got watered down with all of this superfluous detail that really dissolved any tension or suspense the story could have had.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves is a fun cozy mystery. Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree is happy with her life in Eastport, Maine in her old clapboard house. Then Jake and her friend Ellie discover butcher Merle Carmody and then Kenty Dalrymple dead. Of course they begin trying to piece together what happened. There are a few good suspects that keep you guessing until the end. There are many great lines in the book including: The man had more spares than a bowling alley. The sun over the bay was like a lemon slice hovering over an iced drink. If you like cozies, you'll like this one!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For cozy mysteries, I find Sarah Graves to be one of the better authors. I'm not head over heels for the cozy mystery genre, but pick it up for times when I need something I can pick up and out down (I prefer to read fantasies cover to cover in one sitting - getting into that world and staying there). Cozies are for dentist's appointments, jury selection (arrgh - got this book for the one last week but at 10am it was resolved - yoo hoo). So, if you're not at fan of cozies, this probably won't convince you otherwise. If you are a fan, definitely pick this up.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as holiday selection of f2f mystery group. It was ok but might have been better had I read earlier bks in series as there are lots of characters and relationships to figure out cold. I also do not enjoy books featuring snow and cold which was a prominent here. Brrrrrrrr. Did enjoy the snippets of home repair on Jacobia's old house, loved the dog, nice relationship with her new husband but could not fully wrap my head around the mystery- too many potential perps and motives to keep straight. Doubt I'll read others.

[W.]

I’d never heard of Sarah Graves, just saw this book displayed at the library. I sat down to read a few pages, decided to check it out, and read it in two days, which is pretty quick for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like that the narrator doesn’t consider herself a detective, and that her best friend does a lot of the sleuthing and figuring things out, too. The vivid descriptions of Eastport, Maine, and what it’s like living there in the winter added a lot to keep me interested. I’m about to find myself another of her mysteries to read.

[Lacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost didn't pick this book up when I ran across it at a used book sale & honestly wish that I hadn't. This book didn't grab my attention nevermind hold my interest. I was hoping for a cozy Christmas book, but this fell far short on cozy & barely mentioned Christmas. The characters were not relatable at all. The twists & turns at the end were just all over the place. While fiction may require a suspension of reality, this just stretched way too far. Overall, it was boring & a painful read.