A House to Die For

Darby Farr Mystery #1

by Vicki Doudera

Red-hot real estate agent Darby Farr has spent years trying to forget her hometown of Hurricane Harbor, Maine--especially the painful memories of being raised by her controlling aunt following her parents' tragic deaths. Then one morning, she learns her aunt is dying, and the calculating woman has one final demand: clinch the multimillion-dollar sale of Fairview, a breathtaking waterfront estate.

The deal seems simple, but trouble is brewing on the rocky coast. Within hours of Darby's arrival, an obscure deed restriction scuttles the sale just as the backup buyer is found bludgeoned to death on the property's grounds. Assisted by handsome journalist Miles Porter, Darby uncovers dark secrets that reveal an ugly scandal . . . and even uglier motives for murder. As a brutal storm surges up the coast, Darby must salvage the deal, find the killer--and somehow stay alive.

Praise:

"An appealing debut . . . the author does a good job portraying Darby in her efforts to make peace with her childhood past and solve a murder on a picturesque Maine island."--Publishers Weekly

"A superb prologue, wonderful story, atmospheric with a good plot."--Crimespree Magazine

"Light and entertaining, A House to Die For is a fun mystery and fantastic way to spend an evening!" --Suspense Magazine

"[Doudera] expertly weaves a tale of suspense on a Maine island, where murder and real estate are an explosive combination."-Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Mephisto Club

"Here's a fast-paced and well-told story with a smart, savvy real estate agent as the heroine, solving crimes while making sales. Bring on the next one!"-Barbara Corcoran, real estate contributor for NBC's Today Show and author of Nextville: Amazing Places to Live the Rest of Your Life

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Detective

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Vicki has written scores of magazine articles, two travel books for people interested in Maine, a CD walking tour about her town, and a new mystery series featuring red hot Realtor Darby Farr. First in the series, A HOUSE TO DIE FOR, has received rave reviews, and KILLER LISTING, Darby's second mystery, comes out in April of 2011. (Midnight Ink.)

Vicki likes to say she is "all about houses." She writes about them in her mystery series, sells them as a real estate agent on the coast of Maine, and helps build them through her longtime involvement with Habitat for Humanity.

She is an avid reader, hiker, knitter and skier and enjoys writing the kind of books she herself loves to read.

Reviews

[Susanne Leist · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to find a good mystery. A mystery where all the clues come together perfectly at the end. It is easy for some people to say afterward that the ending was obvious. In hindsight, everything seems obvious. I'm a die hard mystery reader, and it wasn't obvious to me. The important clues weren't revealed until later in the book.
I found this book in a bookstore. I took a chance. And it paid off. I love looking for new authors. Most authors get a little boring after they've written book after book. I'm always looking for new talent.
I liked all the characters. I thought the main character was a little full of herself. But otherwise, the story was great. I was able to picture the house, its gardens, and the beach.
I have a new author to follow. I wish her the best of luck.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent first in a series. I guessed one major plot point early on, and the book took me forever to finish, but it was overall a wonderful book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice entry to the series. Successful Real Estate Agent Darby Farr travels from California to Maine as her only living relative, Aunt Jane Farr, has died. Darby needs to bury her aunt and finish up the sale of a mansion that her aunt had been handling. She also needs to overcome some demons of her own as she left her aunt many years ago following the death of her parents.

There's a convoluted real estate deal, the death of one of the buyers (murder) and all sorts of suspects. One suspect is a friend, and Darby involves herself to clear her friend's name.

i did suspect the murderer but I thought the whole thing was well done. Not sure at the end if Darby will return to California to her own life, or stay in Maine. I suspect we will find that out in the next in the series, which I will be reading as well.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome read! In the mood for a new cozy mystery, then you should pick this up. Darby Farr is a hotshot real estate agent from California. She is called back to her hometown in Maine because of her Aunt being near death. The first body found is Emerson Phipps, a surgeon who is the surprise second buyer for Fairview estate. Found battered and stabbed in the shed out back. This mystery will keep you guessing until the end. A fun read with engaging characters!!!

[Janifowose · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a fast easy read this is it. I was not overly impressed with this book. The chapters will leave you feeling short changed for suspense. Darby is a real estate agent in California with a past that resurfaces with a phone call. She heads out to her hometown in Hurricane Harbor,Maine, to sell a house for her dying aunt. One of the buyers is found dead in the shed. Darby has to scramble to solve the mystery before the final sale, or end with a listing of her own six feet under.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in coastal Maine, the setting for this book is engaging. A small island is no place for a murderer to hide as the sale of a large waterfront property brings back old memories. There's an engaging cast of characters and the well told story will leave you guessing until the end.

[Jim Hovencamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I slogged through this one, but wouldn't recommend it to the friends I know. It just didn't have any spark. There was an element of mystery, but it languished in the hinterlands too long to provide any fireworks for me.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in the Darby Farr mystery series revolving around a real estate agent named Darby Farr.

The Story
Darby Farr is a successful real estate agent in San Diego, California and every day she is happier and happier that she escaped her tyrannical Aunt Jane. Until the phone call that her Aunt Jane is dying and needs her help to close a sale. No matter how Darby argues, she just isn't getting out of it.

As soon as Darby lands, trouble begins. First in the shape of Soames Pemberton and his first attack on her in the bathroom at the ferry landing. Then the deed restricting what had been thought a slam dunk on a multimillion dollar sale. A buyer found dead on the property of Fairview mansion and the suspected killer broken at the base of the cliff. A killer with an excellent motive...if anyone knew their shared history.

The Characters
Well, obviously, Darby Farr is the lead character. Strong with a sense of invulnerability. I mean, how dumb do you have to be to continually poke at a mad bear?? I do like her, though. She's tolerant, smart, has a sense of humor, and is willing to examine her own actions. I suspect that Miles Porter, a financial writer for the London Financial Times, will be a regular although I don't see how Doudera will justify it. Since he's based in London. She is making a start by disclosing that Porter used to be an investigative journalist and has him both interested in Darby romantically and helping her with the current murder.

Lucy Trimble is a successful artist who has managed to kick her heroin habit—I'm jealous, for the successful artist part!—with several shows coming up. Her brother, Mark, seems to spend more time kickin' it on his boat. Then there's Tina Ames who has the low down on everyone on the island. She's been working with Darby's aunt, Jane Farr, for some time now even though Aunt Jane doesn't seem to have told her everything about the Fairview sale. Laura Gefferelli is a sweet, low-key minister on the island who appears to be very involved in all sorts of do-gooding activities. Donny Pease is a minor character with a major part in Hurricane Harbor operations as its general handyman and caretaker; he's also in a relationship with Tina. Chief Dupont is chief of police for Hurricane Harbor. He's also a lazy asshole with low intelligence and a chauvinist but a good heart, I think.

Emerson Phipps is a surgeon about to close on the house of his dreams. He wants someplace that his sister and her two sons can feel safe and happy. I have to wonder his underlying reasons for being so excited about buying Fairview...

While Darby is the positive lead, Peyton Mayerson is the antihero. What a b*tch!! Sorry, I should probably say sociopath as she hasn't a thought for right or wrong only for make Peyton happy. In trouble with the Mob, Peyton has to buy Fairview or she is in such deep doo-doo it doesn't bear thinking of. I do so love the turnabout on her! It certainly creates some interesting opportunities for Hurricane Harbor. Soames Pemberton is the resident bad boy and I do NOT understand how he has gotten away with the things he's done all this time! I certainly think less of Dupont---if that's possible.

My Take
Dang, this is a busy little island!! And, in spite of the holes that kept opening up in the plot, an enjoyable read with its twin themes of money and revenge. Using real estate as the plot device enables Doudera to introduce a wide range of people which opens up the possibilities for crime exponentially. Very practical. Many of us love taking a peek into other peoples' lives—such a lovely excuse for reading!—and real estate is such a voyeuristic experience.

Doudera had me jumping and guessing all over the place—I certainly kept expecting Donny Pease to either turn out to be the murderer or to get murdered!

Ooh, ooh, new bit of trivia [to me]:

Doudera mentions "enormous evergreens, a type that was once called 'mast pine' because of its usefulness to wooden sailing ships."

Normally, an author presents the series' continuing characters in the introductory novel. Considering Darby has a life on the West Coast, I'm not sure if we'll be seeing all the characters in this story again or if Darby's life will imitate her aunt's?

That said, Darby is both inquisitive and impatient to be out of Hurricane Harbor although, as she considers life with Aunt Jane from the perspective of an adult, that impatience slows down. Another indicator that life is circular.

The Cover
The cover is of a gorgeous mansion with more roof levels than it knows what to do with and lots of gingerbread placed at the very edge of a cliff and hemmed in by evergreens and trees. So I reckon the cover artist got it right in that it's a beautiful house and there's a cliff overlooking the water. She obviously didn't read the book as how the house is placed is wrong and there isn't a fence.

As for the title, oh yeah, all things considered, it is A House to Die For as people certainly are doin' that.

[Judy Evenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery that races along from the first page to the last including murders, family messiness, islands, sailing boats and a storm so who could ask for more?

[Sandy Vanno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery

I enjoyed this book. Hope there will be another to continue the Darby Farr story. Did she return to California?

[meagan Taranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute cozy mystery, will pick up another Darby mystery if I come across one

[Cathy Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Line: The ring of the hospital pager ripped through the quiet night like a gunshot.

Hotshot realtor Darby Farr made a new life for herself in California because she wanted to get away from her controlling aunt and the small island they lived on in Maine. After a phone call from her aunt's assistant, Darby finds herself returning to Hurricane Harbor whether she likes it or not-- she has to fulfill her dead aunt's last wish that she close a deal on a multi-million dollar sale.

Darby doesn't plan on being there long. After all, the sale of Fairview is pretty much a done deal... until a local resident digs up an obscure deed restriction and kills it. Speaking of killing, the back-up buyer for the estate is found hacked to death on Fairview's grounds. Confronted with a desperate buyer, a dangerous local, and a storm making its way up the coast, Darby's time to salvage the sale and prevent additional deaths is rapidly running out.

Have you ever identified the killer early on because one of the characters was just too good to be true? That's what happened to me while I read A House to Die For. Since that's happened to me more than once, I don't let it put me off reading the book as long as something else within its pages is holding my interest. Indeed there were other things holding my interest: the book's setting on a small island off the coast of Maine and the knowledge of real estate that the author shared. Towards the book's end, I also found myself in a small sinking boat out on the open sea in the middle of a storm. Not only were those particular scenes very exciting, I think I'm still a bit seasick.

I have to admit that the cover of this book was its major selling point, and although I hoped that the house and its history would figure more prominently in A House to Die For, I was ultimately disappointed. The characters were well-drawn, but for some reason I never really "clicked" with any of them, which means I doubt I'll continue with the series. If you're less of a character-driven reader than I, don't let me put you off. Your mileage is almost certainly going to vary, and there is a lot more to this book than its characters.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A House to Die For
By: Vicki Doudera
Copyright April 2010
Publisher Midnight Ink

Darby Farr is not a happy camper. She has too many irons in the fire at her successful Real Estate business and is not in the mood to have to go home (a home she ran from ten years earlier) to deal with her sick aunt. But the phone call from Tina Ames telling her she not only has to return to Hurricane Harbor on the next day’s flight out.

Tina informs her that her aunt is in the hospital and wants her to finish her last big sale. A multimillion dollar one at that. Reminding Tina that she is not licensed in the state of Maine, Tina tells her “you take the Maine Law portion of the exam on the plane. You pass it, and you’re licensed.” Your plane leaves at 12:45 today and an envelope will be waiting with your ticket. Fill out the exam and you get your license. Your aunt is very insistent about this.

So begins Darby’s trip not only home, but also to face her demons. She has built a successful life in California and never expected to have to return to Hurricane Harbor, Maine. The twists and turns this deal and her life are about to take would make a lesser woman’s hair turn white.

Having grown up in the family real estate business, with both grandparents as Licensed Brokers and Appraisers I know what this life is all about. Ms. Doudera gives us a taste of the business, personal loss, and a young woman finding herself and her family again.

FTC Full Disclosure: I was borrowed this book from my local library with the full intention that I would review it.

This is Vicki Doudera’s first book and I highly recommend it. She is hard at work on her next one as I type this.

Ms. Doudera can be found at her website http://www.vickidoudera.com

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last thing that successful, west coast realtor Darby Farr is expecting on a beautiful sunny morning is a deathbed demand from the past. Having fled the small island she grew up on years before, she had no desire to return to her haunting past even in the face of her aunt’s tragic illness and request for assistance.

Regardless of her irritation, it is impossible to turn her back on what may be a final bid for help from her long lost Aunt and Darby is compelled to hop on the plane. She soon finds that this simple request isn’t going to be so easy.

Grab a pint of ice cream, put on comfy pajamas and enjoy. Light and entertaining, “A House to Die For” is a fun mystery and fantastic way to spend an evening!

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A House to die for is the first book in a mystery series. Darby Farr is a hotshot real estate agent in California. She is called home to the small Maine Island she left ten years ago when the Aunt who raised her is taken ill. Her last request is for Darby to close a real estate deal on the sale of the prestigious Fair View Mansion. Where Darbys former best friend Lucy used to live. But a dead body found on the grounds is not the worst problem Darcy has confronted with a desperate buyer, a dangerous local and a storm coming! Darby is fast running out of time to salvage the sale and prevent more people from dying.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darby Farr is forced to return from her new life in California to the small Maine island where she was raised when her aunt is taken sick. Darby never forgave Aunt Jane for her coldness after Darby's parents died, even though she learned the real estate trade from Jane. Now, as Jane lies in the hospital, Darby is supposed to close her most prestigious deal, the sale of the mansion Fairview, once the home of Darby's best friend Lucy. But a dead body on the grounds of Fairview is not the worst problem Darby has.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in a mystery series featuring real estate agent Darby Farr. Set on a Maine island with an approaching hurricane; Darby is trying to sell a valulable property but the deal is complicated by murder, attempted murder and gangsters.

The story is complicated with a number of personal issues on Darby's part which she is struggling with, character relationships and some interesting plot twists. I found it an interesting read with a lot of Maine island life local color.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I wasn't thrilled with this book. It was a mystery with no thought as of how to get to the end. I knew who the killer was the whole time because her placement in the story was just awkward. There were really no clues to lead up to who did it and why. The characters other than the lead were poorly developed and you never really go to know them. They felt distant in the story. It was moderately entertaining, but I wouldn't read the next one in the series.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book to read on a quick trip. One of those convoluted, improbable storylines that makes me a bit nuts (do the police never just tell meddling protagonists to just buzz the heck off?) and the flavor of Maine was a bit lacking given the island setting, but I enjoyed it enough that I'd give the next in the series a try.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!! Set in Maine, well rounded and believable characters the reader can easily relate to. Easy to read, make sure you have nothing else to do when you begin this book because you will want to finish it in one setting. And as for the ending? You will be sure you know who-dunnit, therefore, when the villain is "unmasked" you'll never see it coming!!!
Bravo Ms Doudera!!!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one! I picked it off the shelf at the library at random and was pleasantly surprised. Its a bit like Nancy Drew, where Darby goes through seemingly ridiculous physical strains all in a three day period. But it is quite entertaining. I recommend it!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was A LOT happening in this book, with a lot of disparate plot threads that only sort of came together. The author also had a weird thing against contractions, making the dialogue kind of stilted. I'll try another to see how the series progresses, but this wasn't my favorite start.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about a mansion on a Maine off-shore island can't be passed by. Throw in a murder, add a list of suspects, you know it's going to be the least suspected character, but still reader is completely fooled. Sad the author wasn't more careful with language, could have been a 5 star.

[Sherry Markowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best first

[Tig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and am looking forward to reading the 2nd one in the series when it comes out: Open For Murder.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable vacation book. I'm looking forward to reading more of her.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps you guessing until the end. . . its never who you think it is!

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite 4 stars - more like 3 1/2. A good mystery.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farr's style reminds me of John Grisham; she paints word-pictures that are rich in tone. Great read.