Product Description

Once upon a time, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree was a hotshot money manager to Manhattan's rich and dreadful—until she left city life behind for a centuries-old fixer-upper in the quaint seaside town of Eastport, Maine. But even this tiny haven has its hazards—and they can be astonishingly deadly....

When a mysterious book is unearthed from the foundation of Jake's 1823 fixer-upper, she immediately sends it off to local book historian Horace Robotham. After all, there must be a logical explanation for why the long-buried volume has her name in it—written in what looks suspiciously like blood. But all logic goes out the window when the book disappears—and Horace turns up dead.

The suspects include Horace's spoiled daughter, who has enough credit card debt to give killing her rich daddy a certain appeal. And just about everyone's pointing fingers at a local crackpot with a penchant for black magic and an unholy lust for its artifacts—including antique texts inked in blood. To complicate matters further, there's a mysterious stranger in town with vengeance in his heart and a gun in his pocket.

Never mind that Jake's just taken a sledgehammer to her ancient bathroom. Or that she forgot she's set to host a party for Eastport's most treasured teacher. She's also about to lose her beloved housekeeper on account of her father's hasty marriage proposal...and her son, Sam, has just taken his first tentative steps toward sobriety.

But all that will have to wait, because when two more victims turn up in a town better known for its scenic views and historic homes than its body count, she and her comrade-in-sleuthing, Ellie White, need to go on the prowl to find someone who may believe that the pages of an ancient book are the blueprint for a perfect murder.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #561409 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-26
• Released on: 2007-12-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this multilayered cozy, the 11th in Graves's home repair series (after 2006's Trap Door), Jacobia Jake Tiptree has uncovered what looks to be a very old book while fixing up her 1823 house in Eastport, Maine. Local rare book expert Horace Robotham offers to take a look at it, but then dies in what appears to be a mugging gone wrong. Jake doesn't think too much about this until a stranger drives up to her house three weeks after Horace's death. He introduces himself as a friend of Horace's, says he might have some information about the book and then asks Jake if he can hide a gun in her house. Meanwhile, Jake's father is putting the moves on her sassy housekeeper, Bella. Although the development of minor characters is a little thin, local color and an entirely unexpected denouement combine for engaging reading. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“Mixing slaughter with screwdrivers, renovator-author Sarah Graves wields the pen and paintbrush behind the Home Repair Is Homicide series.” —Miami Herald

“Packed equally with incidents and tips on household repair.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Multilayered.… engaging.”—Publishers Weekly


From the Hardcover edition.

Review
“Mixing slaughter with screwdrivers, renovator-author Sarah Graves wields the pen and paintbrush behind the Home Repair Is Homicide series.” —Miami Herald

“Packed equally with incidents and tips on household repair.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Multilayered.… engaging.”—Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews

What was this all about?
This entry in the long running series finds Jake still in a quandry over the old book she found in the cellar of her Maine 'fixer upper'. And like the old house that never seems to be completed, I did not find that the story line was complete....convuluted, over busy, full of starts and stops, yes. Finished, certainly...Complete, no. I have been a big fan of Jake's stories from the first but this one falls flat. Maybe I still miss Victor! I have never been a fan of Ellie's (too contrived) or Wade's (off to the boat...go catch a murderer....see you later). In my opinion the storyline couldn't decide whether to develop into a straight who-dunit, branch out into a supernatural thriller, or just turn into a morality tale. (Bad guy corrupts weird kid in an quaint setting and they all wear aluminum foil hats forever). And poor Sam. PLEASE find him a purpose in life. I will eagerly await the next book and hope for the best.

The Book of Old Houses
This story was a little hard to get into. In some ways it was frustrating to read. When she was going all over town trying to get clues and investigate, she was supposed to have a party that afternoon, and she kept saying she needed to get home and work on it, and she never did. The party came off with everyone helping, but that doesn't often happen in real life. I usually enjoy Sarah Graves novels, and this one had some good things in it, but it was not a real enjoyable read.

Book of Old Houses
The fictional world created by Sarah Graves in her Home Repair is Homicide series is one of my favorites. I enjoyed this book, as I have every book in the series so far. In fact, after I read this one, I started the series over again.