Jennie Bentley - Flipped Out

Table of Contents

Mortar and Murder

With plot twists that curve and loop... this story offers handy renovation tips, historical data, and a colorful painting of the Maine landscape.

Examiner.com

Mystery author Jennie Bentley has nailed together another great mystery with Mortar and Murder.

Plaster and Poison

A delightful small-town Maine sleuth... Solid and entertaining.

[A] thrilling story that keeps the readers guessing and turning pages.

A believable and beguiling mystery. Each novel in the series delights and the third installment only raises the stakes.

Examiner.com

A pull-no-punches mystery.

This is one solidly built mystery... Attractive characters and a beautiful setting round out this wonderful read.

Spackled and Spooked

Smooth, clever, and witty. This series is a winner!

Bound to be another winner for this talented author. Home-renovation buffs will appreciate the wealth of detail.

Examiner.com

I hope the series continues.

Fatal Fixer-Upper

An ingeniously plotted murder mystery with several prime suspects and a nail-biting conclusion.

A great whodunit... Fans will enjoy this fine cozy.

Smartly blends investigative drama, sexual tension, and romantic comedy elements, and marks the start of what looks like an outstanding series of Avery Baker cases.

Polished writing and well-paced story. I was hooked... from page one.

Theres a new contender in the do-it-yourself home-renovation mystery field... An enjoyable beginning to a series.

A strong debut mystery... Do-it-yourselfers will find much to enjoy.

A cozy whodunit with many elements familiar to fans of Agatha Christie or Murder, She Wrote.

A great whodunit. Fans will enjoy this fine cozy.

A fun and sassy journey that teaches readers about home renovation as they follow the twists and turns of a great mystery.

Examiner.com

The mystery is unusually strong. Home-renovation and design tips are skillfully worked into the story, the characters are developed and sympathetic, and the setting is charming. The climax leads to a bang-up ending... A first-rate mystery and a frightening surprise ending.

FATAL FIXER-UPPER
SPACKLED AND SPOOKED
PLASTER AND POISON
MORTAR AND MURDER
FLIPPED OUT

Acknowledgments

As always, great big thanks, hugs, and kisses to the following wonderful people, without whom I would not be here, doing what Im doing:

My brilliant agent, Stephany Evans, for sticking with me through it all; my wonderful editor, Jessica Wade, for letting me continue the journey with Avery and Derek; the Penguin design team: artist Jennifer Taylor for another gorgeous cover illustration, and designers Rita Frangie and Laura K. Corless, for making the book beautiful inside and out; my hardworking publicist with the Penguin Group, Kaitlyn Kennedy, without whom this book would be nowhere; my beta reader, critique partner, and internet buddy, Jamie Livingston-Dierks, for always being there for me and always being a source of laughter, inspiration, and good advice; my Sisters and Brothers in Crime, my fellow ITW Debut Authors, my fellow Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers, and assorted writer friends I dont necessarily have any organizations in common with, but who have somehow impacted my life and my writing anyway; everyone whos bought a copy of Fatal Fixer-Upper, Spackled and Spooked, Plaster and Poison, or Mortar and Murder sometime in the past three years, especially those of you who liked the stories, and even more especially those of you who told someone about them; my non-writer friendsyes, I do have a few; and my family, especially my husband and my two boys, who have learned to accept the fact that I spend much of my time in a world far removed from theirs, where they cant join me, and who love me anyway; and last but certainly not least, Faye of the Cali Ponds.

Around the time when I started writing this book, the first and second of May 2010, Nashville was hit by record amounts of rain and severe flooding. A few intrepid local writers started an internet auction called Do the Write Thing for Nashville, and in a few weeks, raised more than $75,000 for flood relief. One of the many generous souls who supported the effort was Faye, who outbid everyone for the chance to name a character in my next book.

Faye, meet Fae. And Aurora. And Cali. I hope youll be pleased with what I did with the names you gave me. xoxo

When my stepfather, Noel, asked my boyfriend, Derek, and me to participate in an episode of a renovation show his TV network produces, I didnt think it would be a problem. Derek and I had renovated four houses together, starting with the 1870s Second Empire Victorian I had inherited from my great-aunt Inga a year earlier. After that, we had bought and restored a supposedly haunted midcentury ranch, and then turned a decrepit carriage house at the back of my friend Kates property into a romantic retreat for two just in time for her wedding to Waterfield Chief of Police Wayne Rasmussen. For the past few months, we had worked our fingers to the bone on a 1783 center-chimney Colonial on Rowanberry Island. By the time the TV crew was set to arrive on the coast of Maine, it was mid-July, but contrary to my first blithe impression, there was indeed a problem.

Theres no way! I told Derek, and not for the first time. No way at all we can renovate a whole house in a week!

When Noel first approached me about taking part in a renovation show, I hadnt realized wed be dealing with a time constraint. There are so many shows out there, with so many gimmicks, that I figured wed be redoing something small, like a kitchen or bathroom. Something we could easily do in the five days the crew would be in town. But as it turned out, the program we would be participating in was called Flipped Out!, and for good reason.

Anyone who has ever renovated a house can tell you its not usually a quick and easy process. As Derek had warned me during the very first conversation wed ever had, more than a year ago now, it always takes longer and costs more than you think it will.

And thats OK most of the time. When youre just working for yourself and not on a schedule, it isnt the end of the world if it takes you a few extra days, or even a few extra weeks, to finish the job.

This time, that wouldnt be a possibility. The television crew would arrive in Waterfield Sunday night and would depart again the following Saturday morning, and wed be expected to finish a whole house by the time they left. Theyd shoot before footage bright and early on Monday morning, and God help us if they couldnt shoot after footage at the end of the day on Friday. When Id asked Noel what would happen if we werent finished by Friday night, his answer had been, Just make sure you are.