What do you think?
Rate this book
Home Repair Is Homicide #8
Tool & Die
Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree traded her power-broker life for a run-down dream house in peaceful Eastport, Maine. But the do-it-yourself enthusiast is learning that no matter how carefully you buildyour home, murder has a way of slipping in through the cracks.... It's a bright June afternoon and old-house-fixer-upper Jake Tiptree is driving through downeast Maine on an unusualerrand. She's getting ready to interview a large, angry man with a criminal history. Jim Diamond may or may not be harassing his ex-wife with life-threatening letters, but Jake promised her new housekeeper, BellaDiamond, she'd look into the matter. An ex-con and a deadbeat, Jim Diamond doesn't have a history of violence...that is, not until Jake arrives at his apartment and discovers that a killer hasbeen there first. Suddenly Jake and her best friend, Ellie White, find themselves at the center of a murder with too many suspects and too few clues. And as if that's not enough, Jake is nowsaddled with the manic Bella, whose certainty that she'll be the next victim is fueling a supercompulsive neatness-one that threatens to clean Jake and her long-suffering husband, Wade, out of house andhome. Add to that a moose in her kitchen, a rebellious son with a habit of dumping Miss Right for Miss Wrong, and a troublesome ex of her own, and Jake is already at wit's end. Then she getsword that a horde of her dad's long-lost relatives mean to descend on Eastport, intending to be put up at her far-from-fixed-up fixer-upper.When the killer does strike again, it's not whereJake expects...and the victim couldn't be more of a surprise. For this is a case bigger than the usual angry-ex-spouse variety, and now that Jake and Ellie have gotten themselves involved, they've each won a special place in a ruthless murderer's master plan of greed, deception, and death. And the prize? A pair of eternally private rooms-six feetunder "From the Hardcover edition."
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
124 people are currently reading
654 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
March 9, 2017
The problem with reading books of an author so close together you find discrepancies. In different books Ellie's wealth changes and since I am listening to the books I think that Sam's age has also changed.
I also don't like that fact that weddings have taken place in between books. It wouldn't have been fun reading/listening about the books.
In this book Sam's best friend is not mentioned and is suppose to be summer break.
If I was Bella and took a person's she just meet word over mine and kept asking me the same question over and over, I would have told her off. Even if I needed the job.
I also don't like that fact that weddings have taken place in between books. It wouldn't have been fun reading/listening about the books.
In this book Sam's best friend is not mentioned and is suppose to be summer break.
If I was Bella and took a person's she just meet word over mine and kept asking me the same question over and over, I would have told her off. Even if I needed the job.
did-not-finish
May 9, 2015I have a really hard time now suspending my disbelief when it comes to cozy mysteries. *sighs* DNF on page 22.
January 27, 2022
Mystery with murder, family turmoil and home repair tips.
March 13, 2016
This book confirms my opinion that, by and large, cozy mysteries should be taken out and shot. They are just plain stupid. The characters act in extremely stupid ways, the plots are ridiculous, and reading one of these books causes brain cells to die off
June 17, 2011
"yeow", said the cat. "mmrrfff" went the moose. blech.
September 27, 2019
I enjoy the series but the lead female is weak when dealing with her ex husband and I find for me it's very non-appealing.
February 26, 2024
Tool and Die by Sarah Graves is the 8th book of the Home Repair is Homicide mystery series set in contemporary Maine. Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree has plenty on her mind: all the home repairs underway on her Queen Anne, the huge family coming for the 4th of July holiday, her son's creepy new girlfriend, and her obsessive-compulsive housekeeper Bella.
"It takes an old warrior, my father had told me once, to understand peace. I hoped he’d remember that when I finally managed to tell him who was coming to visit."
Jake doesn't want to fire Bella, but Jake has been given ultimatums by her dad and husband. So Jake questions Bella, finds out she has been receiving threatening notes. Jake plans to visit Bella's convicted felon ex-husband, tell him to stop writing the notes. Instead Jake finds Jim dead, murdered. And Jake's distinctive car (a Fiat convertible) had been spotted at the victim's house the day before. Jake worries that her son Sam or his ex-girlfriend Maggie will be the primary suspects. So Jake and her best friend Ellie begin snooping around (they have solved cases before in Eastport).
"In Maine, the trust people tended to have in institutions—even federally insured ones—would’ve left room in your average thimble."
The first half of the book mostly develops details of all Jake's concerns over Sam & Kris, the upcoming family reunion, shutters & hinges, the pleasure Jake and Ellie have in each other's company, enjoying sleuthing and admiring Ellie's darling baby Leonora.
"Bored, hungry, and probably needing a diaper change, Leonora the Magnificent emitted another howl that could have cleaned all those antique hot-water radiators out all by itself."
But one visit they make, asking seemingly innocuous questions, alerts the killer. Events speed up to a deadly confrontation, where all secrets are revealed. After the mystery is solved, the story ends as usual in this series: with Jake's tremendous appreciation for family, friends and her life in Eastport.
"It takes an old warrior, my father had told me once, to understand peace. I hoped he’d remember that when I finally managed to tell him who was coming to visit."
Jake doesn't want to fire Bella, but Jake has been given ultimatums by her dad and husband. So Jake questions Bella, finds out she has been receiving threatening notes. Jake plans to visit Bella's convicted felon ex-husband, tell him to stop writing the notes. Instead Jake finds Jim dead, murdered. And Jake's distinctive car (a Fiat convertible) had been spotted at the victim's house the day before. Jake worries that her son Sam or his ex-girlfriend Maggie will be the primary suspects. So Jake and her best friend Ellie begin snooping around (they have solved cases before in Eastport).
"In Maine, the trust people tended to have in institutions—even federally insured ones—would’ve left room in your average thimble."
The first half of the book mostly develops details of all Jake's concerns over Sam & Kris, the upcoming family reunion, shutters & hinges, the pleasure Jake and Ellie have in each other's company, enjoying sleuthing and admiring Ellie's darling baby Leonora.
"Bored, hungry, and probably needing a diaper change, Leonora the Magnificent emitted another howl that could have cleaned all those antique hot-water radiators out all by itself."
But one visit they make, asking seemingly innocuous questions, alerts the killer. Events speed up to a deadly confrontation, where all secrets are revealed. After the mystery is solved, the story ends as usual in this series: with Jake's tremendous appreciation for family, friends and her life in Eastport.
August 12, 2023
I’ve jumped in and out of this series so randomly that I would be a hypocrite to encourage you to read it sequentially. Clearly, I don’t think it’s necessary.
Jake Tiptree owns a fixer-upper in rural Maine she’s been repairing for years. On the day this book begins, a moose sticks it head in through a kitchen window and eats a bundle of geraniums, then pukes/sneezes it out all over the floor. But that’s just the beginning of Jake’s trouble.
She won six weeks of housekeeping services from a small startup in her community, and the housekeeper they sent is an OCD cleaner of the most thorough kind—far too thorough. As Jake tries to get the woman to dial back on the scrubbing, she learns that someone is sending the woman death threats. Jake promises to find the woman’s ex-husband and talk to him if it means she clean more reasonably. But when Jake gets there, she finds that a killer got there first, and the guy is dead. Alas, the notes keep coming!
This is a great mystery with an ending I didn’t expect. To add to Jake’s troubles, her father’s long-lost relatives announce that they’re coming to Maine to spend the Glorious Fourth, and Jake has no livable rooms or beds. Her son, Sam, recently kicked his girlfriend, Maggie, to the curb in favor of a booze-chugging girl who is Jake’s housekeeper’s daughter. All these plots weave together to make for an excellent experience.
Jake Tiptree owns a fixer-upper in rural Maine she’s been repairing for years. On the day this book begins, a moose sticks it head in through a kitchen window and eats a bundle of geraniums, then pukes/sneezes it out all over the floor. But that’s just the beginning of Jake’s trouble.
She won six weeks of housekeeping services from a small startup in her community, and the housekeeper they sent is an OCD cleaner of the most thorough kind—far too thorough. As Jake tries to get the woman to dial back on the scrubbing, she learns that someone is sending the woman death threats. Jake promises to find the woman’s ex-husband and talk to him if it means she clean more reasonably. But when Jake gets there, she finds that a killer got there first, and the guy is dead. Alas, the notes keep coming!
This is a great mystery with an ending I didn’t expect. To add to Jake’s troubles, her father’s long-lost relatives announce that they’re coming to Maine to spend the Glorious Fourth, and Jake has no livable rooms or beds. Her son, Sam, recently kicked his girlfriend, Maggie, to the curb in favor of a booze-chugging girl who is Jake’s housekeeper’s daughter. All these plots weave together to make for an excellent experience.
Read
July 1, 2025These books are kind of innocuously terrible, but I'm listening to them on audio while doing other things and sometimes only half listening, so they are exactly what I need. They're the sort of quasi-cosy mystery that you don't need to take too seriously.
But we may have jumped the shark with this one because the author appears to have forgotten whether Jacobia Tiptree's last name is her maiden name or her married name. In the last few books, both her father and her husband have been said to have the last name Tiptree, and I feel that is statistically unlikely.
It's also kind of awful but kind of hilarious the way she doubles down on the one defining characteristic of each person with each progressive book. Her son starting out having only smoked pot, but now he was basically a heroin addict and a gang member. The ex-husband becomes a more impressive surgical genius in every book, the best friend becomes more perfect (with the exception of her progressively hideous fashion sense), and Jacobia's experience in finance management has reached "mob connected" status. I think I'm only halfway through the series so I can't wait to see how much farther there is to go.
But we may have jumped the shark with this one because the author appears to have forgotten whether Jacobia Tiptree's last name is her maiden name or her married name. In the last few books, both her father and her husband have been said to have the last name Tiptree, and I feel that is statistically unlikely.
It's also kind of awful but kind of hilarious the way she doubles down on the one defining characteristic of each person with each progressive book. Her son starting out having only smoked pot, but now he was basically a heroin addict and a gang member. The ex-husband becomes a more impressive surgical genius in every book, the best friend becomes more perfect (with the exception of her progressively hideous fashion sense), and Jacobia's experience in finance management has reached "mob connected" status. I think I'm only halfway through the series so I can't wait to see how much farther there is to go.
May 15, 2018
Jacobia has won a raffle that is for a maid. Bella Diamond is who she got. Bella is a neat freak to say the least. She is washing your utensils before you are even done eating with them.
Jacobia wants to help Bella get to the reason why she does this. Bella confides that she has been getting threatening notes from her ex—Jim Diamond. Jacobia along with Ellie and new baby, Leonora go off in search to stop the notes. They end up in the middle of a murder case.
I enjoy Jacobia and Ellie. This story also had a smaller smaller smaller line with Jacobia dad and his family. Also a minor storyline regarding Sam...in which I am curious to start the next book in the series to see what happens.
August 31, 2018
Not bad. The book was given to me along with a stack of other books. Thought I would give it a try. Never good to start a series that is more than 10 years old right in the middle of the series, but I did it anyway. At first, I thought I did not like it. Ms. Graves writing style is very unique. But I got used to it and even though the story was not an OMG I have to find out what happened, it kept me coming back to finish it. And I did not figure out this one, which is nice because I often do. So, I have a few others in this series and I think I will give them a try, too. Might even see if I can find the earlier stories. I cannot recommend starting in the middle but it can be read on its own.
July 6, 2020
You’ve gotta love a book with a moose roaming around.
Jacobia aka Jake wins the cleaning services of Bella Diamond. Bella rubs everyone including easygoing Wade the wrong way. She also gets Jake and best friend Elle involved in her death threats. Sam, normally a ‘good’ son is dating town bad girl who also happens to be Bella’s daughter. A historical crime comes back around and is solved.
Jake and Ellie discuss the effect of their snooping on Elle’s baby girl. Not totally sure of Sam’s motivation, is it just a hero complex? Is it that Maggie expects too much from him? Not sure, but he is not the Sam we’ve come to know.
Wade is such a good husband and glad to see Jake’s family grow. Some twists. Some turns. Some eye-opening events.
Happy Reading!
Jacobia aka Jake wins the cleaning services of Bella Diamond. Bella rubs everyone including easygoing Wade the wrong way. She also gets Jake and best friend Elle involved in her death threats. Sam, normally a ‘good’ son is dating town bad girl who also happens to be Bella’s daughter. A historical crime comes back around and is solved.
Jake and Ellie discuss the effect of their snooping on Elle’s baby girl. Not totally sure of Sam’s motivation, is it just a hero complex? Is it that Maggie expects too much from him? Not sure, but he is not the Sam we’ve come to know.
Wade is such a good husband and glad to see Jake’s family grow. Some twists. Some turns. Some eye-opening events.
Happy Reading!
February 17, 2019
I love all of Sarah Graves's books. Just enough mystery to be fun, great characters you grow to think of as friends. I especially love the setting and since I also read Paul Doiron's books, all the locations she mentions are also ones he utilizes so I feel I'm pretty much at home. Graves uses just-enough humor for fun, unlike some authors who seriously overdo it to the retching point. The only negative is that I so desperately want to move there and, unlike Jacobia, do not have a wad if cash allowing me to escape.
February 25, 2019
This was a very good cozy mystery. I really enjoy the Home Repair is Homicide series by Sarah Graves. I've also read the continuations and offshoots of this series. In this one I knew some of the futures that would be in store for her friends and relatives and, it seemed to be a comforting knowledge that I was dropping into one of the segments of their lives. The main character, Jacobia Tiptree has a complicated life and makes a lot of missteps along the way. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable edition in the series and I'll be looking forward to the next one as well.
March 31, 2023
The start of this book is problematic for me. On the word of her new housekeeper, Bella, who says her ex-husband is threatening her, Jacobia 'Jake' jumps in her car and takes her best friend, Ellie, Ellie's baby, Leonora and babysitter, Maggie, along with her father in a Fiat across state to confront him. Oh and he's criminal! Huh? Not to worry, they find him dead. This wasn't as bad as sounds, but this book was not as good as this cast of characters have been. Side stories with her father and her son, Sam were very weak. I'm hoping the next one is better.
April 14, 2023
Another great book in the home repair is homicide series. I couldn't put it down and read through it quickly. It's too bad Sam doesn't realize how great Maggie is. I think he's letting a good one get away.
Love the scenes with the Moose. :)
Usually I can guess who the murderer is, but in this one it caught me by surprise, though I was a bit suspicious.
A great read.
Love the scenes with the Moose. :)
Usually I can guess who the murderer is, but in this one it caught me by surprise, though I was a bit suspicious.
A great read.
April 1, 2018
Jake and Ellie swore that they were done investigating crimes...not so fast ! Jake's won a housekeeper at a charity event, a housekeeper with a penchant to clean when she starts receiving death threats! When they go to visit her ex con ex husband, they find him with a bashed in head wound from an iron skillet. Never fear, wit a few wrong turns Ellie and Jake get to the bottom of the notes...a real page turner!
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.
September 14, 2023
Plenty of problems to solve in this one, some at home, some in Eastport, one in nearby Lubec. Jake's son is keeping company with a girl who is tempting him to return to his past drinking habits. Jake's new housekeeper is in all kinds of trouble on her own, and causes Jake and Wade trouble at home. Plenty of suspects for crimes from the past and present time, dangerous situations for Jake and Ellie and interesting characters.
August 4, 2025
Picked this up from a street library as I care particularly for murder mysteries, but never heard of this series, and have to say, I like the concept and thought the core of the story was nicely done. I did find myself less gripped by the story and making myself go back to the story because I wanted to finish it. Will look for another story from this line to see if that excites me more as I do appreciate the idea behind the series.
September 8, 2018
Graves has an interesting style, quick alternations of internal monolog, convo, descriptive details, a few too many foreshadowings to up the suspense, and lots and lots of mini stunning revelations, rather the opposite of cliff-hangers. Sounds like a royal mess but the authors high ratings and success are well deserved. Recommended.
March 29, 2019
Take a stroll along the Maine shoreline and make some new friends.
Well-defined characters give you a sense of connection to the story. Enough so that you want to smack them when they make less then smart decisions.
It is a well crafted story, that unfolds naturally and provides enough suspects, and fore shadows the suspense that is building.
Well-defined characters give you a sense of connection to the story. Enough so that you want to smack them when they make less then smart decisions.
It is a well crafted story, that unfolds naturally and provides enough suspects, and fore shadows the suspense that is building.
May 23, 2021
After winning the housekeeper from hell, Jacobia (Jake) is trying to understand the reasons that her housekeeper (Bella) is intent on cleaning everything even things that are not dirty. Jake sets out to see if the housekeepers former husband is sending threatening notes to her. Which leads to Jake finding his body and trying to learn what this ex con was involved in.
March 16, 2023
Sam is turning out so much like Victor 🙄, Jake is passive aggressive to the max, Ellie is 😒😒 Wade I like, Bells is psychotic so no wonder Christie turned out that way, the author completely changed Maggie’s character so not a fan of that. The mysteries are not bad on their own, however, the characters leave a lot to be desired Sometimes I think the author hates her own creation 🙄😂😂
October 28, 2016
Love Sarah Graves Home Repair is Homicide mysteries.
Have read several of the books in this series. Have loved them all. Well written, great characters. Each one better than the previous.
Have read several of the books in this series. Have loved them all. Well written, great characters. Each one better than the previous.
July 21, 2017
Summer in Maine with a mystery. There's a lot going on in this book as Jacobia and her friend Ellie solve another murder mystery. It's never who you think it will be and there are plenty of possibilities in this book.
August 23, 2017
Working my way through all Sarah Graves Home Repair is Homicide with #8. Still enjoying the characters and setting. Start with the first book set in Eastport, Maine. "The Dead Cat Bounce". New developments with each book.
June 3, 2018
I really don't have a heart for this series. The main character is awful, basically all characters are repelling. There is not a lot of mystery here, no snooping around, no investigation, no suspects.
August 26, 2018
I accidentally skipped a book in the series -- the first that I'd read, actually, but that was many years ago -- so I was feeling a bit behind at times. Even so, I very much enjoyed this book as well. I'm looking forward to backtracking to the one I missed, probably starting today!
August 17, 2021
Another good one in this series. I am reading them as I can get them. I do wish I had Jake's energy on fixing houses. I'm enjoying following along on her and Ellie's adventures. I never seem to figure it out though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews