Lethal Flip by M.E. Bakos

By Dianne, guest reviewer

Katelyn Baxter flips houses for a living. When a woman dies under suspicious circumstances, curiosity gets the better of Katelyn, and she cannot resist doing some amateur sleuthing. Sheriff Don Williams, with whom Katelyn shares a mutual attraction, warns Katelyn to leave the investigation to the police. However, she is not deterred in her efforts to discover the who and the why behind the woman’s death. She combines working on a property renovation with spending time poking around, which makes her a target for someone using scare tactics to get her to back off and stop sleuthing. Will Katelyn stop in her pursuit of the truth or be successful not only in figuring out the guilty party but also in staying safe? Will Katelyn’s incessant meddling into a police case affect her budding relationship with the sheriff?

"Lethal Flip" is the third book in A Home Renovator Mystery Series, and it takes place in Minnesota. M.E. Bakos has penned a terrific addition to the series, which holds readers’ attention from the very first page to the conclusion. Besides a mystery to be solved, this delightful and engrossing story includes details of a renovation project, a Native American ritual for driving spirits away, supportive friend and colleague relationships, stumbling blocks to a mutual attraction, personal life challenges, deception, threatening behavior, emotional attachment to a cat, and birds of prey. The easy-to-follow home improvement tips at the end provide helpful ways for cleaning things. One does not need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy Lethal Flip, but this well-executed series is well-worth taking the time to read.