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Home Repair Is Homicide #6
Unhinged
Once a Wall Street hotshot, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree chucked it all for a charmingly dilapidated fixer-upper in the tiny town of Eastport, Maine. She was certain she’d left the dangers of city life behind--until she discovered that no place, no matter how idyllic and peaceful it may appear, is safe from murder.
Unhinged
It began with the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Hollingsworth--Eastport’s snoopiest resident. Everyone is convinced the old busybody bolted out of town to escape her creditor--everyone except Jake and her best friend Ellie who know Harriet would never leave home without her most prized possession. But before Jake and Ellie can persuade police chief Bob Arnold to open an investigation, they’ll need to come up with proof more sinister than a pair of abandoned binoculars.
Just as Jake starts poking around for clues, things suddenly take a troubling turn for the worse. A suspicious accident nearly kills her teenaged son, Sam, and her husband, Wade, just misses getting his head blown off. Jake is prepared to attribute these incidents to a spate of bad luck--until another “accident” leaves a visitor to Eastport unmistakably dead.
Most perplexing, all this mayhem coincides with the unexpected arrival of a man from Jake’s past: a former New York City cop. Harry Markle claims he has unintentionally brought an unwelcome guest into Eastport: a crook determined to knock off everyone with ties to Harry.
Twenty-four hours ago, Jake’s only worry was fixing her broken-down gutters and downspouts before the big storm swept into town. Now, everything seems to be falling apart all around her. Jake knows from experience that the truth is usually as messy and complicated as do-it-yourself remodeling. As it becomes chillingly clear that appearances in this quaint community are more misleading than ever, she’ll have to find a way to lure a homicidal maniac into the light--before he nails another victim.
From the Hardcover edition.
Unhinged
It began with the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Hollingsworth--Eastport’s snoopiest resident. Everyone is convinced the old busybody bolted out of town to escape her creditor--everyone except Jake and her best friend Ellie who know Harriet would never leave home without her most prized possession. But before Jake and Ellie can persuade police chief Bob Arnold to open an investigation, they’ll need to come up with proof more sinister than a pair of abandoned binoculars.
Just as Jake starts poking around for clues, things suddenly take a troubling turn for the worse. A suspicious accident nearly kills her teenaged son, Sam, and her husband, Wade, just misses getting his head blown off. Jake is prepared to attribute these incidents to a spate of bad luck--until another “accident” leaves a visitor to Eastport unmistakably dead.
Most perplexing, all this mayhem coincides with the unexpected arrival of a man from Jake’s past: a former New York City cop. Harry Markle claims he has unintentionally brought an unwelcome guest into Eastport: a crook determined to knock off everyone with ties to Harry.
Twenty-four hours ago, Jake’s only worry was fixing her broken-down gutters and downspouts before the big storm swept into town. Now, everything seems to be falling apart all around her. Jake knows from experience that the truth is usually as messy and complicated as do-it-yourself remodeling. As it becomes chillingly clear that appearances in this quaint community are more misleading than ever, she’ll have to find a way to lure a homicidal maniac into the light--before he nails another victim.
From the Hardcover edition.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
50 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Graves
34 books795 followersSarah 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.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
July 10, 2019
Jake and her friend Ellie poke their noses into the disappearance of their neighbor.
I haven't read any of the previous books in the series (this is the 6th) so maybe this is a series where you have to latch onto the characters and enjoy the build of their lives. Maybe. But to me, it was a boring slog with a huge cast of characters that I couldn't keep straight. The writing had some things that kept breaking my concentration. Here's an example that captures two of them:
"A Volkswagen," she gasped wincingly, putting her hand on the fireplace mantel and leaning against it, "that kicks like a mule."
It's not good to break dialogue into chunks with this long of an insertion. It's also not good to have everything be 'verb adverb' - the "gasped wincingly' is typical for this author.
And finally: I think this author must have never worn contacts. You don't just pop them in and out while you're out of your house. And you don't have to worry about them coming out of your eyes if you throw up because you drank too much/were stupid enough to get a concussion by falling off a ladder and then decided to drink too much.
I read this along with my 87-year-old mom and she didn't like it either. Her comment at the end was "We don't have to read any more of these, right?" No, Mom, we don't.
I haven't read any of the previous books in the series (this is the 6th) so maybe this is a series where you have to latch onto the characters and enjoy the build of their lives. Maybe. But to me, it was a boring slog with a huge cast of characters that I couldn't keep straight. The writing had some things that kept breaking my concentration. Here's an example that captures two of them:
"A Volkswagen," she gasped wincingly, putting her hand on the fireplace mantel and leaning against it, "that kicks like a mule."
It's not good to break dialogue into chunks with this long of an insertion. It's also not good to have everything be 'verb adverb' - the "gasped wincingly' is typical for this author.
And finally: I think this author must have never worn contacts. You don't just pop them in and out while you're out of your house. And you don't have to worry about them coming out of your eyes if you throw up because you drank too much/were stupid enough to get a concussion by falling off a ladder and then decided to drink too much.
I read this along with my 87-year-old mom and she didn't like it either. Her comment at the end was "We don't have to read any more of these, right?" No, Mom, we don't.
November 26, 2012
I enjoyed the first few pages of this, but I gave up on it around page 75. Too chatty and meandering for me.
February 25, 2023
I’m not especially handy around the house, but I loved watching my father and brother attempt home repair projects and watching some of the every day home repairs shows on TV. I think this series appeals to that part of me, even though I know I'll probably never tackle a project as involved as those in these books.
I like the way Jake, the MC, gave up her life as a financial whiz in the big city and has adapted to life in small town Maine, and the way most of the town’s residents have accepted her, even though she’ll probably never be considered one of them. She has great friends and is even on (somewhat) good terms with her ex, which doesn’t usually happen in most of the books I read.
In addition to a murder, there were several puzzles to solve, which kept me guessing for most of the book. There were several suspects, but a lot of red herrings too, which made it even more confusing. I started to suspect the killer just before Jake and the rest put the clues together, but the motive escaped me. The end of the book kept me reading well past my bedtime, but I was able to close the book with a sigh of relief. I can only hope that the conclusion of the next in the series isn’t *quite so heart-stopping.
I like the way Jake, the MC, gave up her life as a financial whiz in the big city and has adapted to life in small town Maine, and the way most of the town’s residents have accepted her, even though she’ll probably never be considered one of them. She has great friends and is even on (somewhat) good terms with her ex, which doesn’t usually happen in most of the books I read.
In addition to a murder, there were several puzzles to solve, which kept me guessing for most of the book. There were several suspects, but a lot of red herrings too, which made it even more confusing. I started to suspect the killer just before Jake and the rest put the clues together, but the motive escaped me. The end of the book kept me reading well past my bedtime, but I was able to close the book with a sigh of relief. I can only hope that the conclusion of the next in the series isn’t *quite so heart-stopping.
March 14, 2023
3.5
I have yet to understand why a Jake allows her ex Victor to bully her around 🙄🙄. The mystery wasn’t to bad and more secrets were revealed, sone good. Though given the way this town explodes in a regular basis, I wouldn’t Wang to live there 😃😃
I have yet to understand why a Jake allows her ex Victor to bully her around 🙄🙄. The mystery wasn’t to bad and more secrets were revealed, sone good. Though given the way this town explodes in a regular basis, I wouldn’t Wang to live there 😃😃
July 5, 2019
I'm on to another great read from Sarah G.
October 10, 2009
I enjoy these stories about Jacobia Tiptree and her friend Ellie White. At the beginning she falls off a ladder and goes with a slight concussion and a bunch of bruises, changing as the days go by. When she is finally dragged into her ex-husband’s clinic, of course she doesn’t tell him all of her symptoms. Then, a bunch of accidents keep happening, to her husband, to her son, a woman gets electrocuted, a missing woman is located in the walls of a house. She does from many suspects to almost none. One of the chief ones she suspects at first is the new mason she hired to fix the basement. He turns out to be someone else and it looks like he may be a new returning character added to her series.
I gathered the part about the new guy. I’m not sure I ever did figure out the part about the actual villain … At least until just before the final scenes.
I’ve only been to Maine once and so maybe I just enjoy the setting.
I certainly didn't expect her to bring in the great explosion in Halifax in 1916. But she did. And she is right, most people don't know about it. It is a story well told in Curse of the Narrows.
I gathered the part about the new guy. I’m not sure I ever did figure out the part about the actual villain … At least until just before the final scenes.
I’ve only been to Maine once and so maybe I just enjoy the setting.
I certainly didn't expect her to bring in the great explosion in Halifax in 1916. But she did. And she is right, most people don't know about it. It is a story well told in Curse of the Narrows.
June 10, 2017
Enjoyable series, but inconsistencies are popping up. For example, in one book the peripheral character of Tim Rutherford is a cop. In another book he is a newspaper reporter. In one book, Sam's friend Tommy's last name is Daigle. In a later book his last name is Pockets, and it isn't explained until the book after that that he changed his last name because he didn't want to be associated with an uncle who was a criminal..
April 4, 2022
Unhinged by Sarah Graves is the 6th book of the Home Repair is Homicide mystery series set on an island in contemporary far north coastal Maine. Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree loves her house "a white clapboard 1823 Federal with three full floors plus an attic, forty-eight big old double-hung windows with forest-green wooden shutters, three chimneys (one for each pair of fireplaces), and a two-story ell", no matter how much repair and restoration it requires. She doesn't regret leaving behind a high-power Wall Street career. Nor does she regret divorcing her narcissistic, philandering neurosurgeon first husband Victor. She cherishes her son Sam, the best part of her first marriage. She adores her second husband Wade, a native to the Maine coast, knowledgeable of all things maritime, solid, steadying, practical, oh-so-comforting. Her best friend Ellie lives nearby. They spend most days together when their husbands are working out on the water. "Ellie grew up here, where people wear T-shirts on the first day of spring no matter how hard it is snowing."
Especially when they're sleuthing. They love to ferret out details and solve mysteries. Of course Jake gets herself into danger, too frequently for anyone's comfort. While questioning a suspect at a lake (a red herring), she's bitten by so many blackflies, she goes into anaphylactic shock. Luckily Victor has come up to live in Maine, too. Convenient for him to frequently save her life or the lives of her loved ones.
It's been years since I started the series. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. Vivid descriptions of Maine scenery and wildlife, with an occasional poke-fun at local pronunciation ("Whoevah"). Plenty of detail on painstaking home repair, such as removing carpet, stripping off varnish, sanding a wood floor. Plus the agonizing decisions: to repair a significantly damaged foundation, the choice to preserve authenticity with single stones individually placed (tremendous cost), or use concrete blocks.
I don't remember earlier books in the series including Jake's childhood 'backstory', described in this book. "Kids raised in mining towns think explosions are the sound of food falling onto the table and school clothes showing up in their closets." If it was mentioned before, I'd forgotten her maiden name was Tiptree, same as Victor's. And that she's familiar with guns, hones her marksmanship at a firing range. Handy skill at a crucial moment!
Although there are plenty of violent crimes to solve (murders and attempted murders), with "bad guys" for red herrings, the Maine down-home comfort of Jake's family and friends ("Trust Ellie to boil it down for you.") shines through, making it a satisfying, happy reading experience.
Both Jake and the author left NYC for Maine; both are fixing up old houses in Eastport, the nation's easternmost city. NPR article: https://www.npr.org/2008/07/14/922941...
Especially when they're sleuthing. They love to ferret out details and solve mysteries. Of course Jake gets herself into danger, too frequently for anyone's comfort. While questioning a suspect at a lake (a red herring), she's bitten by so many blackflies, she goes into anaphylactic shock. Luckily Victor has come up to live in Maine, too. Convenient for him to frequently save her life or the lives of her loved ones.
It's been years since I started the series. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. Vivid descriptions of Maine scenery and wildlife, with an occasional poke-fun at local pronunciation ("Whoevah"). Plenty of detail on painstaking home repair, such as removing carpet, stripping off varnish, sanding a wood floor. Plus the agonizing decisions: to repair a significantly damaged foundation, the choice to preserve authenticity with single stones individually placed (tremendous cost), or use concrete blocks.
I don't remember earlier books in the series including Jake's childhood 'backstory', described in this book. "Kids raised in mining towns think explosions are the sound of food falling onto the table and school clothes showing up in their closets." If it was mentioned before, I'd forgotten her maiden name was Tiptree, same as Victor's. And that she's familiar with guns, hones her marksmanship at a firing range. Handy skill at a crucial moment!
Although there are plenty of violent crimes to solve (murders and attempted murders), with "bad guys" for red herrings, the Maine down-home comfort of Jake's family and friends ("Trust Ellie to boil it down for you.") shines through, making it a satisfying, happy reading experience.
Both Jake and the author left NYC for Maine; both are fixing up old houses in Eastport, the nation's easternmost city. NPR article: https://www.npr.org/2008/07/14/922941...
September 28, 2017
Review contains references that may spoil things while you read it, but no direct spoilers.
I feel like her editor may have had a talk with her before she wrote this book - several of the issues I had with previous books. But not all of them, unfortunately. My biggest issue with the books so far was a lack of continuity from book to book - characters never show up again after the book they feature in. This book contains characters that I thought forgotten (Maggie) and references to some past events (how long George chased Ellie).
However several things about this book drove me nuts. For one, this is the first book I haven't been able to guess the murderer in. But I'm not blaming myself I'm blaming the sheer amount of characters and motivations that made it hard to keep track of any theories I may have had.
This brings us to one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to mystery novels, or in fact any book at all. Your audience should not be THAT much smarter than your main character. If there's a big reveal, I want to figure it out for sure maybe a scene or two before the main character. In this book there was a reveal at the end of the book that I figured out within the first hour of listening. Listening to seven more hours of this book waiting for Jake to catch up was excruciating.
I will continue to read this series because I think it's getting better, but very slowly. I like the audio book reader and the min characters, but there's still a lot of room for improvement.
I feel like her editor may have had a talk with her before she wrote this book - several of the issues I had with previous books. But not all of them, unfortunately. My biggest issue with the books so far was a lack of continuity from book to book - characters never show up again after the book they feature in. This book contains characters that I thought forgotten (Maggie) and references to some past events (how long George chased Ellie).
However several things about this book drove me nuts. For one, this is the first book I haven't been able to guess the murderer in. But I'm not blaming myself I'm blaming the sheer amount of characters and motivations that made it hard to keep track of any theories I may have had.
This brings us to one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to mystery novels, or in fact any book at all. Your audience should not be THAT much smarter than your main character. If there's a big reveal, I want to figure it out for sure maybe a scene or two before the main character. In this book there was a reveal at the end of the book that I figured out within the first hour of listening. Listening to seven more hours of this book waiting for Jake to catch up was excruciating.
I will continue to read this series because I think it's getting better, but very slowly. I like the audio book reader and the min characters, but there's still a lot of room for improvement.
January 18, 2021
Home Repair Homicide series. In spring, Jake (Jacobia) and Ellie were wondering what happened to the town snoop Harriet. Then a man claiming to have been the NY Policeman (Harry Markle) that found Jake when the building she was in exploded when she was around 4 or 5 yrs. old. Markle says he had been searching for Jake's father, who was believed to have caused the explosion. Markle also said he was retired after a man killed his girlfriend and stalemated Markle on a roof.
Many odd things started to happen in the town where 2 people were killed, Jake's son and girlfriend were injured, and Jake's husband Wade was injured. Harriet's body was found in a wall after a woman making a music video was electrocuted in a flooded basement.
Ellie and Jake couldn't figure out who done it. In the meantime, Jake needed to have the cellar walls fixed in her place, and a stone mason who had recently moved to town was working on it. Jake was a little suspicious of the stone mason.
Jake finally figures out that Harry Markle wasn't really Harry Markle - and she figured it out just before he was aiming a gun at her within her own house. Lian Ash, the stone mason, had left a gun in her pocket and came in at the last moment and shot the fake Markle. Then Lian admitted he was Jake's father. But fake Markle had captured Jake's ex, son and his girlfriend, and rigged a bomb on the son's sailboat with them on it. Lian was able to get the hostages off the boat, sailed the boat away, and jumped off the boat just before it blew up. Lian survived. Lian and Jake didn't tell everyone else that Lian was the father, not just yet.
I enjoy her books, having read a couple of others (awhile ago).
Many odd things started to happen in the town where 2 people were killed, Jake's son and girlfriend were injured, and Jake's husband Wade was injured. Harriet's body was found in a wall after a woman making a music video was electrocuted in a flooded basement.
Ellie and Jake couldn't figure out who done it. In the meantime, Jake needed to have the cellar walls fixed in her place, and a stone mason who had recently moved to town was working on it. Jake was a little suspicious of the stone mason.
Jake finally figures out that Harry Markle wasn't really Harry Markle - and she figured it out just before he was aiming a gun at her within her own house. Lian Ash, the stone mason, had left a gun in her pocket and came in at the last moment and shot the fake Markle. Then Lian admitted he was Jake's father. But fake Markle had captured Jake's ex, son and his girlfriend, and rigged a bomb on the son's sailboat with them on it. Lian was able to get the hostages off the boat, sailed the boat away, and jumped off the boat just before it blew up. Lian survived. Lian and Jake didn't tell everyone else that Lian was the father, not just yet.
I enjoy her books, having read a couple of others (awhile ago).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
Great cozy mystery. I had an idea who was the murderer was. It was still a"oh! It was them!" moment. For sure just a mystery book. If you're looking for romance mystery, this is not it and I'm glad for it. I find that it makes a much better read to not have unnecessary flirting/romance scenes. They're just filler and books without them show a better skill of building the story.
I've heard people complain that there isn't enough home repair info for boasting as a home repair series. I disagree. I felt there was just enough. Too much and its filling out a book to make up for a lack in actual story content. This was a just right middle ground. Enough to keep the theme but not hinder the story.
The big reveal at the end, good one by the way, would be a surprise if you don't pick up on all the little hints throughout the books. So, I saw it coming but it was still a "Yes! I knew it!" moment.
I've heard people complain that there isn't enough home repair info for boasting as a home repair series. I disagree. I felt there was just enough. Too much and its filling out a book to make up for a lack in actual story content. This was a just right middle ground. Enough to keep the theme but not hinder the story.
The big reveal at the end, good one by the way, would be a surprise if you don't pick up on all the little hints throughout the books. So, I saw it coming but it was still a "Yes! I knew it!" moment.
February 4, 2023
If you read my review of Wreck the Halls, you’ll know that I started tracking the continuity problems in this series, some of which have a direct bearing on this particularly story. In Unhinged, there is one new glaring fault to note: Tim Rutherford, mentioned as Eastport’s second police officer in Wreck the Halls, is now named as a reporter for the Quoddy Times. And it isn’t that he has changed jobs as he is provided with an entirely new backstory as a drunken newsman formerly working in a larger city. These errors used to be amusing but as the series goes on, I am starting to see them as sloppy work on the part of the author and the editors. Does it matter to the story? Not really, but it is distracting. Still a great story, I did figure things out pretty early, but that was probably more luck than brain power on my part.
December 3, 2021
Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree moved to Maine five years ago to get away from her money management career, her ex-husband and her fourteen-year-old son's sources of drugs. She bought a beautiful derelict Federal period house with 48 windows on three floors, and thought she could rehab it herself. Five years later, she is still worrying about holes in the roof, a crumbling foundation and the murders that seem to keep happening in her idyllic little island town. Although I picked this series up at the sixth book, each mystery seems to stand alone just fine. Local Maine characters, like the phlegmatic magazine store owner, the intuitive sheriff and her best friend's handyman husband make the stories all the more fun. In this one, Jake's past comes calling in Eastport.
July 3, 2025
Jake's foundation needs repair. Does she keep the old stones or use cement block? The old guy, Liam Ash, fixing the foundation knows what he is doing.
People are dying around town. Jake's family is getting hurt in accidents. What is going on? Who is involved?
When Victor, Sam, and Maggie are tied up on Sam's boat with explosives, Liam comes to the rescue...after he rescues Jake!
Who is Liam Ash?
Knew I had read it....was under wrong author!!!
Jake finds a dead body in a wall, Ellie is with her for the discovery.
Who killed this "busybody"? Who is trying to hurt the people Jake loves?
Who is involved: 1. Harry Markle, a NYC cop Jake knew. He arrives in Eastport.
2. Lian Ash arrives in town to help Jake fix her stone foundation which is desperate for repair.
People are dying around town. Jake's family is getting hurt in accidents. What is going on? Who is involved?
When Victor, Sam, and Maggie are tied up on Sam's boat with explosives, Liam comes to the rescue...after he rescues Jake!
Who is Liam Ash?
Knew I had read it....was under wrong author!!!
Jake finds a dead body in a wall, Ellie is with her for the discovery.
Who killed this "busybody"? Who is trying to hurt the people Jake loves?
Who is involved: 1. Harry Markle, a NYC cop Jake knew. He arrives in Eastport.
2. Lian Ash arrives in town to help Jake fix her stone foundation which is desperate for repair.
July 6, 2020
Lots of moving parts and stories weaving in and out. This story gives us more of Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree’s backstory that was hinted at in earlier stories. This story was a bit darker than the others but not too dark. There are may heart wrenching moments for Jake. The strength of her friendships, new family, and love is shown. This book closes a few loops and opens things up for future storylines, hopefully not so dark though. There is so much I want to say but don’t want to give anything away.
A whirlwind of a story and so much going on but really like it. Can’t wait for the next one.
Happy Reading!
A whirlwind of a story and so much going on but really like it. Can’t wait for the next one.
Happy Reading!
April 12, 2018
jacobia 'jake' Tiptree is convinced that Harriet Hollingsworth was murdered. she eventually convinces her best friend Ellie that she was and in the meantime, a bunch of coincidental accidents happen like one that almost kills Sam and another with Wade and his guns.
meanwhile, an old NYPD cop who was there when Jake was a child and her house blew up moves into town. he is convinced that someone is harming people he knows. A few more 'accidents' occur and one thing leads to another including who is behind all of the mishaps people have been having.
meanwhile, an old NYPD cop who was there when Jake was a child and her house blew up moves into town. he is convinced that someone is harming people he knows. A few more 'accidents' occur and one thing leads to another including who is behind all of the mishaps people have been having.
May 22, 2018
When a nosy neighbor disappears, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree suspects foul play but before she can push local police to investigate her son and then her husband have major accidents. A new neighbor with ties to Jake's past claims the accidents are targeting people he's associated with. Then more accidents, an out of control environmentalist, a music video producer with questionable ties and a body. Jake and her friend Ellie start pushing buttons. How do all these things tie together. Very complicated plotting results in past secrets being revealed. Good addition to the series.
May 12, 2025
I wanted to like this more- I’m surprised that Jake’s backstory that unfolded here did not hook me in more. The rising action moves at a snail’s pace and I kept forcing myself along. I will still read the next one- audio version because the narrator is excellent. I still like the characters, friendship with Ellie, funny dialogue, descriptions, and setting. I hope the rising action hooks me in on the next one. I’ve read the first Chocolate series which brought me to read these home improvement ones first before I continued- so I know the author can write better plots.
August 11, 2025
Jacobia Tiptree ("Jake") is in the middle of more home repair when she and her friend Ellie stumble upon the body of someone they know. No one doubts it is murder, but there are so any suspects, it takes them a long time to eliminate one by one until they solve that murder and other related crimes. Lots of secrets, scams and hidden motives make it difficult for Jake to solve this one, and it is made more confusing by someone who claims to have been there when she was a baby and she survived an explosion.
October 7, 2018
I don’t know what it is about this book, but for 3/4 of it I just zoned out. I couldn’t stay focused on it, went in one ear and out the other. So I had no clue what was going on, and yet at the same time it was completely predictable that I didn’t need to pay that much attention. Wasn’t very exciting, like at all. Disappointing unfortunately.. all the books in the series are so far. I’m just hoping they’ll get better..
December 2, 2020
I enjoyed the continuing saga of Jacobia Tiptree. These are great books to loose yourself in during stressful times. Jake and Ellie's perils are serious and they survive them cleverly. Good happens along the way. Life is jagged, but endurable, and there is real joy, often. Plus, the tips on house maintenance are real. I give the same review for all her Home Repair is Homicide books, they are good.
August 14, 2018
Sarah Graves' Home Repair is Homicide series is a good one. This is certainly a good one in the series. Her main character, Jacobia Tiptree, is fixing up a large home on an island in eastern Maine in a small town with a homicide rate that would scare Detroit. Her extended modern family and friend are good characters as well and the story moves very well.
June 20, 2017
The saga continues for Jacobia (Jake) as she lives in the small town on an island off the coast of Maine. There are several new characters to keep track of and any one of them might be the murderer.....
August 19, 2017
Excellent mystery series, "Home Repair is Homicide". This one had Jacobia and Ellie searching for a missing resident of Eastport, Maine. New and old characters, information on restoring old homes and an appealing small town in Maine make it easy to keep reading the series.
January 9, 2018
Very good. Some things did annoy me. I seem to remember the rationale and set-up of Victor's clinic as different that described here. A couple of other things like that as well. Otherwise, though, very enjoyable.
August 19, 2018
I liked this book a lot. For the first time Graves digs into Jacobia's past and threatens her present, both of which make for an engrossing read. I'm looking forward to starting the next book in the series tonight!
September 2, 2018
Renewed my faith in Sarah Graves! (I didn't like the relentless pace of the last one I read) everything was great in this one - I didn't even guess who the perpetrator of mayhem was! If you love dogs, keep your eyes on Prill, the doberman.
September 10, 2018
really enjoyed this book and series. the characters were well written. you connected with them. just when you thought the mystery was solved. there is still more to be resolved. great ending. hoping there are more in the series.
April 19, 2019
I really liked this one, although it was hard for me to keep up with all the different characters. Maybe audiobooks aren't really the best format for me in this series...
Great storyline, good characters and fantastic twist ending! Loved it!
Great storyline, good characters and fantastic twist ending! Loved it!
May 13, 2021
This is a series that doesn't necessarily depend on reading the books in order, so I've been reading them as I can get my hands on them. It's interesting, though, when I read one of the earlier books and see the beginning of a situation that I already know about from later books.
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