The Dead Cat Bounce (Home Repair Is Homicide Series #1)

choppy

I returned the entire series after reading the first book. What a disappointment. Extremely long sentences that lasted for an entire paragraph. Too many dashes and thoughts within thoughts. I completely lost track of everything. bch

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great fun!

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer in that I really enjoyed the descriptions of the house repair projects. It added to the atmosphere and made for some fun mirroring with the action of the people (what Jacobia was doing to her house and what was happening around her!) I can totally picture the town, the locals, the tourists, the scenery, and it was a fun mystery to boot! Have loved this whole series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not all fun & games in Downeast Maine!

I picked this book off the shelf on a whim - the cover art and synopsis caught my eye. Really glad I did -- currently reading #8 of the series.
Really love the characters and feeling of being in Maine. All the elements - suspense,romance,murder, characters -- and Sarah Graves has a great way of making the action - even storms at sea come alive. Very character driven as well. Jake Tiptree is one of my favorites.

"Dead Cat Bounce" by Sarah Graves

Review by PattiBascomb

The 'Home Repair is Homicide' series gets off to a hammering start with this first installment. Jacobia Tiptree has purchased a fixer-upper on an island in Maine and while handy with a wrench and other assorted tools, she is not prepared for the corpse she discovers in her storeroom one murky morning.

When the body is revealed to be that of a local billionaire and Tiptree (the newbie in town) begins to investigate why he wound up in her house, her safety and that of her son is threatened. Family trust is tested, an ex-husband proves to be a forever jerk and Tiptree relies on her Wall Street savvy to uncover the truth behind the murder. Graves reveals that 'dead cat bounce' refers to stock market jargon for a temporary rise in a stock's trading price after a sharp drop."even a dead cat will bounce if dropped."

Along the way, we learn handy home repair tips for old houses. I now know why sagging floors have to be jacked up slowly and that if repairs turn out to be extensive, "you might as well stick your checkbook on the back door and let people fill out their own." "Dead Cat Bounce" is a witty take on murder in a small town, with home repair as the source for many of the plot twists. A gal with a tool belt can not be underestimated.

Dead Cat Bounce - Not What You Think

The eye-catching title is really a reference to stock market jargon, which fits neatly into the story as the past career choice of the main character,Jacobia Tiptree, and which was extremely lucrative as evidenced by the vast amounts of money she shells out to fix up her antique house in Eastport,Maine. I live in one just like it, so I know of what she speaks.

The mystery of who killed Threnody McIlwaine was filled with numerous red herrings, yet I had it narrowed down to 2 suspects about 2/3 of the way through. I liked the Eastport, Maine setting as the northern coast of Maine is one New England area I've yet to visit, and Ms. Graves' details made the area sound very inviting.

Referencing cozy mysteries I've read lately, I felt this book a bit overlong in comparison, that the story could have been wrapped up sooner if some of the renovation details had been sacrificed and the story tightened up. Another common theme is the abusive ex/likeable new significant other and in this instance, as in previous books by other authors, I found nothing to like about the ex and a lot to like about Wade Sorenson. However, the similarities won't stop me from reading the other 2 books in this series (Triple Witch and Wicked Fix) and, in fact, they are in my to-be-read pile.

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