Fatal Flip - Peg Marberg
Fatal Flip
An Interior Design Mystery
Peg Marberg
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery
Faced with a bad case of empty nest syndrome at the same time her husband took early retirement, Jean Hastings took charge of her life. She’s now an interior designer, and along with her daughter, Jean, Jr. (JR) she runs her own firm, Designer Jeans. Lately, the schedule has been looking a little thin, but that all changes when Fast Flippers hires her to re-do the inside of a local Victorian-era home.
Fast Flippers is a group of people from outside the area who do the paperwork and pay contractors to make repairs and redecorate. Their interest is a quick return on their investment. The only part of the redecoration that Jean doesn’t like is a pillow made to sit on a window seat with the legend “Rest In Peace” embroidered on it. That seems to be in questionable taste, since the previous owner of the home died there not long ago, but Jean is outvoted on that score.
When Jean and JR arrive to make sure everything is in order before the big open house, the pillow is missing. JR takes a look inside the window seat and finds the body of Stuart Goodenough, one of the investors. Stuart was quite the salesman; a smooth talker who effectively masked his cheating, bullying ways. Jean discovered that Stuart was about to be outed as a thief, a gambler, and someone who runs out on his bills. Not the kinds of actions that would endear him to many people.
This is the third in a charming series (FAUX FINISHED and DECORATED TO DEATH) and it’s a winner. With each installment, the recurring characters become deeper and continue to be realistic. Jean’s love of classic movies and her determination to carve out her own life make her someone that most readers would like to know as a friend. There are some great tips included for anyone looking to redecorate, or just make a few changes to a room in their home. The inclusion of various people from outside the area adds to the pool of possible suspects, and the mystery held my interest to the final page. I always enjoy a visit with Designer Jeans of Seville, Indiana.
Rating: 7
March 2009
An Interior Design Mystery
Peg Marberg
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery
Faced with a bad case of empty nest syndrome at the same time her husband took early retirement, Jean Hastings took charge of her life. She’s now an interior designer, and along with her daughter, Jean, Jr. (JR) she runs her own firm, Designer Jeans. Lately, the schedule has been looking a little thin, but that all changes when Fast Flippers hires her to re-do the inside of a local Victorian-era home.
Fast Flippers is a group of people from outside the area who do the paperwork and pay contractors to make repairs and redecorate. Their interest is a quick return on their investment. The only part of the redecoration that Jean doesn’t like is a pillow made to sit on a window seat with the legend “Rest In Peace” embroidered on it. That seems to be in questionable taste, since the previous owner of the home died there not long ago, but Jean is outvoted on that score.
When Jean and JR arrive to make sure everything is in order before the big open house, the pillow is missing. JR takes a look inside the window seat and finds the body of Stuart Goodenough, one of the investors. Stuart was quite the salesman; a smooth talker who effectively masked his cheating, bullying ways. Jean discovered that Stuart was about to be outed as a thief, a gambler, and someone who runs out on his bills. Not the kinds of actions that would endear him to many people.
This is the third in a charming series (FAUX FINISHED and DECORATED TO DEATH) and it’s a winner. With each installment, the recurring characters become deeper and continue to be realistic. Jean’s love of classic movies and her determination to carve out her own life make her someone that most readers would like to know as a friend. There are some great tips included for anyone looking to redecorate, or just make a few changes to a room in their home. The inclusion of various people from outside the area adds to the pool of possible suspects, and the mystery held my interest to the final page. I always enjoy a visit with Designer Jeans of Seville, Indiana.
Rating: 7
March 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22679-7 (paperback)
posted by Deborah Hern @ 7:57 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home