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Jacobia Tiptree and her teenage son are used to their Eastport, Maine, home attracting more than its share of houseguests. This year Jake is hoping the plaster dust will keep them away while she finally gets her gem of a fixer-upper into shape – from doorknobs and chandeliers to leaky pipes and ghostly phenomena.
But when the charming and mysterious Jonathan Raines appears on her doorstep – and then just as suddenly disappears – remodeling the house becomes the least of Jake’s problems. Could Jonathan’s disappearance have something to do with his quest for a cursed violin – the one that local legend says was hidden by a long-ago owner of Jake’s house before he too vanished without a trace?
Soon Jonathan’s grief-stricken girlfriend arrives Down East, and Jake needs to strip Eastport’s past of its idyllic veneer – before a killer paints her very dead indeed!
But when the charming and mysterious Jonathan Raines appears on her doorstep – and then just as suddenly disappears – remodeling the house becomes the least of Jake’s problems. Could Jonathan’s disappearance have something to do with his quest for a cursed violin – the one that local legend says was hidden by a long-ago owner of Jake’s house before he too vanished without a trace?
Soon Jonathan’s grief-stricken girlfriend arrives Down East, and Jake needs to strip Eastport’s past of its idyllic veneer – before a killer paints her very dead indeed!
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Reviews
Graves affectionately creates believable characters ... who lend depth and warm humor to the story.... The cozy details of small-town life and home repair make for an enjoyable read.
A sleuth as tough as the nails she drives into the walls of her 1823 Federal home enhances a clever plot, which comes to an unexpected and explosive conclusion. Many will relish the vividly described Down East setting, but for anyone who's ever enjoyed making a home repair it's the accurate details of the restoration of Jake's old house that will appeal.
Think Diane Mott Davidson with a tool belt instead of recipes!
The town of Eastport and its warmly wondrous citizens continue to enchant.
Anyone who can mix slaughter and screwdrivers is a genius. Plus, anyone who has bought a home that needs even a new toilet seat is probably consumed with murderous thoughts.
Like the old Victorian homes she describes... Graves' stories seem to grow better with the passing of time... Readers who enjoy solving mysteries and fixing up older homes will appreciate Jake's do-it-yourself expertise in both areas.