The Book of Old Houses

Home Repair Is Homicide #11

by Sarah Graves

Once upon a time, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree was a hotshot money manager to Manhattan's rich and dreadful—until she left city life behind for a centuries-old fixer-upper in the quaint seaside town of Eastport, Maine. But even this tiny haven has its hazards—and they can be astonishingly deadly....When a mysterious book is unearthed from the foundation of Jake's 1823 fixer-upper, she immediately sends it off to local book historian Horace Robotham. After all, there must be a logical explanation for why the long-buried volume has her name in it—written in what looks suspiciously like blood. But all logic goes out the window when the book disappears—and Horace turns up dead.The suspects include Horace's spoiled daughter, who has enough credit card debt to give killing her rich daddy a certain appeal. And just about everyone's pointing fingers at a local crackpot with a penchant for black magic and an unholy lust for its artifacts—including antique texts inked in blood. To complicate matters further, there's a mysterious stranger in town with vengeance in his heart and a gun in his pocket. Never mind that Jake's just taken a sledgehammer to her ancient bathroom. Or that she forgot she's set to host a party for Eastport's most treasured teacher. She's also about to lose her beloved housekeeper on account of her father's hasty marriage proposal...and her son, Sam, has just taken his first tentative steps toward sobriety.But all that will have to wait, because when two more victims turn up in a town better known for its scenic views and historic homes than its body count, she and her comrade-in-sleuthing, Ellie White, need to go on the prowl to find someone who may believe that the pages of an ancient book are the blueprint for a perfect murder.

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

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

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

[Stephanie Graves · Rating 1 out of 5]

I put this down after about 100 pages, which is something I have only done maybe twice before. I honestly found it unreadable, and I quite enjoy a good cozy mystery. The writing was so broken up into paragraphs that the story had no flow, and the main character was so distracted that she annoyed the crap out of me--if the main character can't pay attention to the story, why should I?

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep reading these. I can't help myself. I think I love the characters and the town of Eastport Maine. However, Jake is getting perilously close to be a character that is TSTL; but she is really not a stupid woman - the opposite, really. But she has very poor impulse control and can't seem to stop herself from getting into dangerous situations. Why her best friend and young mother, Ellie goes along with her, I do not know. Ellie seems to have a bit more common sense. Maybe she goes along to rein Jake in, but it still puts her in danger too.

The mysteries, though, are well written. This one centers around an old book Jake and her father found in the foundation of her house a few books back. Mysteriously, it has all the names of the owners of the house, including Jake's. She had sent it off to be analyzed by book experts. How does Jake's name get in their, when its been buried in the foundation for years?

In any event, I will continue to read this series, though I am getting a bit annoyed with Jake at times. As I said, one the whole, I like the characters and town.

[Kimber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really didn’t like this book. First I’ve read in the series. I checked it out based on reviews.
Personally I thought the Tiptree tips were unnecessary and sort of ridiculous. My husband works in this field and her tips were really silly and amateur. I didn’t understand why I would care (as the story reader) about her hints on deglazing windows. Particularly because it was irrelevant to the story. And also because she was such an idiot when it came to renovations.
Also, her backstory was ... wow. Only a writer could come up with something so fantastic and cliche.
Bottom line. I didn’t like her at all. And the story was so much about her. I guess I’m just not a fan. You have to love this character to love the book. And I just thought she was an ex-criminal who ignores her son and gets involved in stuff she should keep her nose out of. I hoped I would like it more near the end but it ends with her and her husband going for a drive and looking at deer. Sorry. But I also hunt. Deer don’t go around in family groups like Bambi and eat carrots and apples out of peoples cars while the people sit around and watch. Maybe these were trained deer.
Unbelievable and Unrelatable.

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still having problems with some of Ms. Graves' writing quirks. If she would just tell the story and leave out the asides. Something like "if we'd known we'd have done it differently." It gives the impression she is telling this story to someone over a cup of coffee. I always took my coffee black or straight, and that's how I'd like the sotry. Why can't she just tell it straight?

Several books ago Jacobia Tree's father found an old creepy book in the cellar. This book resolves that story.

I like this series - what happens when a New Yorker moves to an island in Maine and the things she does to try and get accepted. Well, she's been there about six years now. And she can't quit trying to solve mysteries, although she and Ellie (her BFF) have tried. Some guy gets murdered she wants to know why. In this case, she thinks it is because of her book.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lover of historic houses and a fan of cozy mysteries, I thought I might enjoy this book. I didn't find the characters or the story particularly compelling, and I figured out whodunnit almost from the start; the motive as finally revealed seemed pretty contrived. So let's just say I won't be rushing right out to read any of the other books from this series.

[Rieta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have enjoyed this more without the voices. Especially the voice of Bella - irritating.

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book meandered aimlessly for almost 50%. At other points I thought this book was about an old bathtub because that’s how many references and pages were dedicated to to demolishing a bathroom, and moving the bathtub 😒😒. Anyway, Ellie and Jake finally got around to “investigating” murder of the historian who was studying the book she found in her foundation and the the murder of a local teen that seems connected. This book was kind of a dud.the appeared to to want to have a plot but couldn’t make up its mind which direction to head so it just meandered in whatever direction the character felt like popping in at the moment, with no thought to cohesion or development. Oh and suddenly, Belle and Jake’s dad are dating and he’s wanting to get married. Jake us very very unflattering in her descriptions of Bella which is hard to read ( these don’t age well and it’s bad even for a book of the early 2000).

[Holly Mcclain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the last I'll read in the series, it's veering from cozy to just weird. Not in a good way. Getting much too dark. Going to try the "Death By Chocolate" series

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining murder mystery series. One thing to know is that crazy things are always happening so maybe don’t listen to this book if you are sick.

[Sara Kreps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: each chapter starts with a Tiptree's Tip about home repair.
Con: Jake seems pretty incompetent so I don't know that I trust them.
This book was fairly entertaining but somehow felt older than it is; I thought it was taking place at least a decade before the copyright but that could just be revealing my age and how time flies. Or maybe the series was published in more time than the story covers? It could also be because it isn't exactly a cozy: the danger level is higher, deals with more serious subjects, and gets in the mind of not just the protagonist. Close enough but feels like it was written in a time before cozies really had their own niche.
I really liked the protagonist yet I'm left wondering about the internal timeline. This is the eleventh book in the series but the first I've read (because it's the only one my library has on audio) so has Jake really spent ten other books working on the same house?!? I was expecting someone closer to Shannon Hammer or Whitney Whitaker than Stephanie Plum with a hammer. Thankfully, she's better at detecting and isn't trying to make a living from home renovation. And she's surrounded by a slew of incredible people. My favorite was her explosives-loving dad; her husband was cool but we saw very little of him. The dogs were also excellent.
While the mystery started with a murder in a previous book, it was easy to understand what was going on and jump into the storyline. Some parts seemed unnecessarily complicated or iffy but it wasn't anything too over the top. It left me wondering how much of the story will continue into the next book, if any.
As far as the audio version goes, I have to say this is one of the better narrations I've heard, at least for cozy mysteries. Mainly because it takes place in Maine and the narrator actually gives them appropriate accents! Such a pleasure.

[Soph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't even get half way through

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this series, but this installment was a misfire. I can't quite put my finger on it other than to say it simply felt 'off', not quite in keeping with the style of some of the other Home Repair is Homocide books. Also WAY too many pages devoted to the cast iron bathtub situation. I will continue to read other books in this series, but hoping next one will rebound.

[Awwwtrouble · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seriously do no even know why I am bothering anymore. OK, so I started reading this series a couple of years ago, reading 3 or 4 books a year in a 16 or so series. They're not difficult, I like the setting, the characters are mostly interesting. Unlike the Stephanie Plum novels (up to 22 now, they're just the same story over and over with barely any movement at all), the characters do grow and change over time and things happen (marriages, deaths, births, discoveries, etc). But this one takes the cake - ok , so we're 11 books in. We've spent 10 books reading a possible supernatural angle - is there, isn't there, some things might be connected, other things might not, etc etc. And it was all done away with in one deeply unsatisfying fell swoop (spoiler alert - maybe, but let's permanently destroy the evidence). Some interesting things - the introduction of a new character who actually narrated pieces of some chapters - maybe he will reoccur? But otherwise, the mystery didn't make a lot of sense, the motivation didn't make a lot of sense, the resolution didn't make a lot of sense - you get the picture. Well, only 5 more books and I'm officially caught up and turn to catching up on another series (I've got my eye on the Amelia Peabody mysteries - really loved the first few then lost track of the series so digging back into them should be a treat).

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am about to host a large party at my house so the first thing I do is take a sledgehammer to my bathroom. Why? Because it needs remodeling and I don't have an ounce of brains in my head. I'm supposed to be preparing for said gathering but I decide to reglaze some windows instead. Talk about a lead character with no focus...how on earth can she be expected to solve a mystery?

The idea of a DIY sleuth was appealing but, sadly, the execution wasn't what I expected. Jake's (Jacobia) knowledge of rehabbing is not even at the basic level. One would know after just a few viewings of any HGTV program about support walls. Ultimately, almost all the repairs are made by Jake's father off camera.

Jake is so headstrong that she became annoying, as did her continual aside comments. Initially they were funny but it got old fairly soon. It seemed as if Jake was continually out-of-body, which allowed her to view events from a detached vantage point, acerbically commenting on every event, whether or not such commentary was appropriate.

I skipped the entire middle of the book. Yes, I missed some plot elements but it didn't matter. The reveal at the end was weak, probably because the murderer would have been discovered much sooner if Jake had been less easily diverted by the color of a radiator or the condition of some flooring.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 2 out of 5]

A former money manager for the rich and famous comes to the small, seaside town of Eastport and buys a victorian fixer-upper. Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree has moved from her past but with plenty of entanglements: a father once wanted as a bomb maker, an alcoholic son trying to dry out and fly straight and a overly ambition housekeeper. The town may be cute but there are plenty of quirky characters there as well.

So what is one more: a "professor" who comes to town after the death of his mentor, packing a gun and heading Jake's way because his mentor had been investigating a supposed ancient and suspicious book that Jake had found while renovating her home.

Only, Jake doesn't really fix anything in her house, its more destroying (case in point, her only full bathroom) that causes her father and others to eventually come to her rescue. But she has a nose for murder and getting herself and others mixed up in trying to come up with a solution.

OK, its a cozy and I usually allow for a certain amount of crazy characters and quirks in cozies, because frankly, that's what makes them cozies. But this book has a little too much quirky characters and the entanglements are a bit too-far fetched. While I enjoyed the solution, I'm not sure I want to return to Eastport and Tiptree.

[Martha Bode · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have stuck with my hard and fast rule -- don't read a book from a series without starting at the first book.... this review could be tainted by the fact that I did not know these characters and the apparently lengthy literary history from the HOME REPAIR IS HOMICIDE Mystery Series by Sarah Graves. However, I still don't think this was such a hot book -- the plot was convoluted and wandered all over the page and the small town setting. The writing seemed disjointed and frankly the characters, though they might be beloved, just did not appeal to me -- including the main character, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree, a home repair tipster who was previously a questionable money manager, her ex-alcoholic teenage son, and an unpleasant retired teacher. Suffice it to say that if I had another book on CD in the car I might have stopped listening to this when the plot took a 4th ridiculous turn.... I will also note that the ending was also ridonkulous... and the killer was, well, quite out of character. Hate it when a plot makes no sense. Sorry Sarah Graves, but I won't be reading any more of Tiptree's Tips.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this installment of the Home Repair is Homicide series very much. There is a slight supernatural bent to the story, as a book that may or may not have been written by a witch is the focus. The book was being authenticated by a man who seemed to look for satanic books on the side. When he was murdered, the book became the focus of many people who all wanted the book back.

There is also the subplot of Jake remodeling her bathroom. She grows irritated by the outdated bathroom and demolishes it without thinking. It was hard for me to believe that she would actually do that, given that it seems it was the only bathroom with a shower/tub in the whole house.

I thought the story moved along quickly. I liked Dave, the new man in town, who was searching for the book, and on a personal mission of revenge. Jake's son, Sam, did not appear in the book much. The book also advances the romance between Jake's dad and her housekeeper.

I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me forever, it seemed, to read this book. The story is a good story, at heart, but, the writing is so choppy I had a hard time following it. It didn't flow. The author would be talking about the mystery and then the next sentence / paragraph, she was off telling you details of someone or something and totally off subject. I had a hard time finishing the story. I liked the characters. One thing that I stumbled over was that the book started by telling you things from Dave DiMaio's view. You are thinking, "Okay, this is the main character. Then the start of chapter two is Jacobia Tiptree. After a while you realize she's the main character, but the first chapter got me hooked on following Dave through his story. He makes appearances throughout, but it's choppy.
I'm old. And therefore I only have so many "book reading hours" left. So I won't be reading the others in this series. I've got too many others on my "to read" list that I need to read. If this book would have been re-written or re-worded, so it flowed, it would be a good series to read.

[Karen Keyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were ranking the first eleven books in this series, The Book of Old Houses would come dead last. It’s distracted, the mystery takes too long to develop and some of the ancillary characters are both ridiculous and unrealistic (Ann Talbert and Liane Myers, for instance). This series generally combines gritty murders with a comic flair but the humorous parts of this book fall flat. In addition, Wade and George are barely present and Sam has become one dimensional and flat. Meanwhile, Jacobia and Ellie continue to take stupid risks and expose themselves to danger at every opportunity. I liked the first ten books so I will give number twelve a try but if it is not any better than The Book of Old Houses I doubt I will make it all the way to book 16.

[Rona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice scenery and how NOT-to-do-it-yourself house repair tips. I like the lead character, she's smart, observes well, and is a full character. In this volume, a stranger comes to town looking for an even stranger character who lives in Eastport. Dead bodies start showing up.
Great misdirection, but I did not fall for it. I pegged the evil-doer early and nothing dissuaded me.
It should be great. This author would be a five-starrer if she had a clearer sentence structure. Her sentences go on and on and -- did I mention that she writes paragraphs that are long -- and on and on. For a dyslexic avid reader, it takes a lot away from the pleasure.

[Katherine P · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be a chaotic confusing mess. Many of the major plot elements happened off page and were only vaguely explained. I spent the entire book feeling like I needed to go back and reread parts of it to understand it better but didn't care enough to actually do it. It also bothered me that 2 major plot elements - the discovery of the book and the murder of the appraiser - happened well before the book actually happens and I never felt that the events were explained well enough. Will not read another in this series!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found another mystery genre series! This one is about fixing up old houses in Eastport, Maine. I thought I'd found every twist to modern mystery series--knitting, cooking, gardening, and so on--but then, on a recent trip to our local library, I found this book--seems to be the 11th in a series. It caught my eye because I love old houses, but also because some of my husband's ancestors are from Eastport, Maine. This author, Sarah Graves, lives in Eastport, Maine, in an old house she and her husband are fixing up.

Enjoyable, interesting read.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the "Home Repair is Homicide" series by Sarah Graves. (I found the first one in Blue Hill Books, a wonderful independent bookstore in Blue Hill, Maine.) I love reading about Eastport, Maine, and the characters that populate Graves' pages. What a treat. (The only sad thing is that this just came out - in hardback - 4 days ago, and she doesn't have another one due until 2009.)

[Ericka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but was a little turned off by the beginning, perhaps it's because I was starting to read a series in the middle. I found the premise fascinating, but I would have been much more worried about what the book meant than anyone in the novel. I did like how the reader is mislead until the end, but all the clues are present. Very good writing with the mystery. I am wondering, though, how she deals with the ending in later books so I guess I'm reading more.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, if false lead filled mystery with a main character I can relate to. If you've ever wanted to rebuild an old house and like murder stories, this series is a light break. Plus, this particular story has an old book and a murdered antiquarian book dealer, so that's always good. Perfect vacation reading.

[Karen Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series; I like the unfolding story line, the characters and the solutions to the murders.
This is the first time I've been impatient with Jake's impulsiveness both in home repair and putting herself in danger, but it's made up for by the unexpected development of Jake's father and Bella. Elllie is always a delight.

[Suzanne Mundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book/mystery I've read by Sarah Graves. While suspenseful and full of New England local color, the book didn't really impressed me that much. There was one scene that was incredibly funny and I laughed and laughed. A bathtub sliding down a flight of steps and through the front door! Graves was indeed talented in describing that scene, but otherwise the book was so-so.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so I was a little lost, not making that part of my review, because that's my fault. I actually picked this book up at a thrift store because it sounded interesting.
That being said, I enjoyed it. Hilarious characters and the bathtub episodes had me in stitches!
I definitely plan to go back and start at book one.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this -it's a cosy, told from two points of view: the main character, and a sort of mysterious professor. The professor, Dave DiMaio, is so interesting I would hope that he appears again in a future book.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far I'm not particularly enjoying this book. I'm a faithful fan of the series, so the switch from first person narration to an omniscient narrator is jarring, and the language seems antiquated. So far I feel like I'm reading a Nancy Drew book, and not in a good way.