Unhinged: A Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery FROM OUR EDITORS
Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree has her eyes set on a ramshackle fixer-upper, but all her home repair plans fall to pieces when the town busybody disappears. Instead of radiator malfunctions and gutter clogs, Jake must deal with a spate of serious "accidents." Another fine tale by a master of fiction carpentry.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"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.." "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." 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.
SYNOPSIS
Once a Wall Street hotshot, Jacobia ﾽJakeﾽ 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.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
When the most notorious snoop in Eastport, Maine, disappears, amateur detective and ex-stockbroker Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree suspects foul play in this winning addition to Graves's Home Repair Is Homicide series (Wreck the Halls, etc.). Convinced that widely disliked Harriet Hollingsworth was murdered, Jake and her friend, Ellie White, team up to investigate. As accidents and the death toll mount in the small island town, crumbling foundations and rotting clapboards become secondary to discovering the identity of the perpetrator, who appears to have a diabolical blueprint for homicide that includes Jake's own family. Jake won't let physical injuries, starting with yet another fall off a ladder (evoked on the cozy yet menacing jacket), slow down her pursuit of the truth. Lending support are Wade, her husband; Sam, her teenaged son; and devoted friends who always seem to be there when they're most needed. 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 the most. (Jan. 7) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Do-it-yourselfer Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree (Wreck the Halls), a former financial consultant-turned-Maine sleuth, worries about a missing elderly recluse with snooping proclivities. Coincidentally, the retired cop who purchases the old lady's cottage saved Jake's life long ago and has been searching for her father (presumed dead by everyone else) all these years. And the last murderer whom he pursued has apparently followed him to Maine, causing a wreck that injures Jake's son. No down time here, then, either for Jake or her fans, who will be vastly entertained by her sleuthing foibles, animals, fixer-upper accidents, and eccentric friends. For most collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
When home repair queen/amateur sleuth Jacobia Triptree (Wreck the Halls, 2001) falls off a ladder while fixing her gutters, the resulting head trauma gives her a case of Benign Positional Vertigo and the conviction that her nosey old neighbor Harriet Hollingsworth has been murdered. Impecunious Harriet has certainly disappeared, leaving behind her house, assorted debts, and one boot, sock inside, in another neighbor's compost pile. Jake's conviction of foul play may be less benign than the vertigo, because when Harriet's body is found, like Poe's Black Cat, immured behind a wall in her house, sabotage endangers her husband Wade and her son Sam. Jake immediately suspects the man who bought Harriet's house from the bank-Harry Markle, an ex-cop who claims to have saved Jake as a child from a explosion set by her anarchist father-but Jake's dog Prill loves Harry. Besides, there are plenty of other suspicious newcomers in tiny Eastport: Jake's temporary lodger, Roy McCall, who's directing a music video on location there; Wyatt Evert, a belligerent environmental tour operator who's lost a client to a fatal accident; and quiet, mysterious Lian Ash, who is repairing Jake's foundation. The menace to Jake and her family mounts until a final explosion echoes the deadly blast from Jake's childhood. As before, Graves believes that if one subplot is good, three or four is that much better. If you can forgive all the squibs and sparklers, the main fireworks provide a show that's entertaining, however loud and flashy.
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