Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle

Even during the holidays, Shannon is more spackle than sparkle, which is why she leaps at the chance to transform a grand old Victorian mansion into 10 charming apartments for homeless families. Filled with the spirit of the season, all of Lighthouse Cove turns out to help - including her best friends, a troupe of far-from-angelic Santa Claus impersonators, and her father, Jack.

But their merriment is soon dashed by a heated scuffle between Jack and the miserly president of the bank who's backing the project. When the man is murdered, all eyes are on Jack, and visions of prison time dance in Shannon's head. Now she needs to pull off a crime-solving miracle before her father's Christmas goose is cooked....

 

Series: Fixer Upper #4 | Publisher: Audible | Narrator: Alex Barrett | Length: 7 hours 59 minutes | Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenge Read for: Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies—Holiday Themed

 

When Shannon’s father finds himself as the lead suspect in a murder case, she will stop at nothing to clear his name and catch the killer. Although when she stumbles upon something unexpected in the back of her truck, things take an odd turn leaving Shannon with two mysteries to solve and very little time to solve them.

 

Okay, so this one wasn’t my favorite. Some of the events that happened were way out there—I really have no clue who would act like that in real life. And some things were just way too obvious, even for a cozy mystery.

 

Shannon’s insecurity regarding Mac is starting to become a bit grating. I want to see a bit more maturity from her rather than her clinging to her high school days. Seeing as we are on book four, I really thought the whole ‘mean girls’ thing would dissipate but instead it just seems to be taking up more and more page time.

 

While things are a bit up in the air with Shannon and Mac, they’re still attempting a relationship, which seems a bit forced. Shannon’s still a bit flirty with Eric, the police chief, and I can’t help but to feel they’d be a better fit.

 

The main mystery was rather predictable and I found myself losing a bit of interest in the book. I had it worked out from the start and there really wasn’t any surprises that came along. The second mystery was just a bit out there in left field but, again, it was predictable from the start.

 

I wasn’t thrilled with the narration. Rather than sticking with the narrator that started the series, they picked a new narrator and while Alex Barrett wasn’t bad she just seemed a bit detached from the story. There were also several editing errors. Rather than cutting out the messed up lines, they were left in and the correct lines added after. So, this one could really benefit from a spot of editing.

 

Overall, I’m really hoping that this one was just a fluke and the next one in the series will have improved. I’m still eager to see how it plays out with the love triangle between Shannon, Mac, and Eric. I’m just hoping the mystery will be a bit more valid and not so obvious.

Fixer Upper Series

A High-End Finish (A Fixer-Upper Mystery, #1) 

This Old Homicide (A Fixer-Upper Mystery, #2) 

Crowned and Moldering (A Fixer-Upper Mystery, #3)

Deckthe Hallways (A Fixer-Upper Mystery, #4) 

Eaves of Destruction (Fixer-Upper Mystery #5) 

A Wrench in the Works (Fixer-Upper Mystery #6)