Shot Through the Hearth

Book 7 of the fixer up mysteries. Shot through the Hearth is another great read by Kate Carlisle. Once again Shannon Hammer is right in the middle of another murder and it is up to her to solve it with help of the man in her life Mac Sullivan and a few good friends while trying to keep her friend Rate out of jail and her friend Marigold safe and still remodel a home, build a barn, and an ecosphere. Never dull. Highly recommend this series.

Shot Through the Hearth by Kate Carlisle is the seventh A Fixer-Upper Mystery. It can be read by those familiar with the series as well as newcomers. I found Shot Through the Hearth to be a delightful cozy mystery. Shannon Hammer is excited by the challenge of Rafe’s project. He not only wants his Victorian farmhouse renovated, Rafe wishes a unique tower (the Ecosphere) to be constructed and for them to hold a barn raising. It will be Shannon and her crews first barn. Rafe also wants them to use green materials as well as unique eco-friendly gadgets. The one downside is they only have eight months to complete Rafe’s list since he plans on holding the first Future Global Survival Con. The conference begins and we are introduced to a quirky cast of characters. There is Marcus Reedy with his special vine, Stephanie to Midge Andresen with her sandcastle worms. Sketch Horn, an author, is also in attendance and Mac is not thrilled (wait until you meet him). When Rafe’s old business partner, Dillon Charles is murdered, there are a host of suspects who could have killed the unpleasant man. There are good clues and some unexpected revelations. As the conference continues, there are a series of unfortunate events including another death. Shannon with help from her boyfriend, Mac work to uncover the culprit. I love the banter between Mac and Shannon. They are a couple who are truly meant for each other. I appreciate that Shannon and Mac share information with Eric Jensen, the chief of police. The female readers will relish the character Niall Rose with his Scottish brogue and the descriptions of him wearing his kilt. I laughed often while reading Shot Through the Hearth. It is a humorous story that I was sorry to see end. I especially enjoyed Shannon’s reaction to the smart mice (it was hilarious). Shot Through the Hearth is told in the first person which I normally dislike, but it works for this series. We get to see things from Shannon’s perspective which can be highly entertaining at times (like with the smart mice). There is one scene at the end that had me in stitches. I cannot wait to read the next installment in A Fixer-Upper Mystery series. Shot Through the Hearth is a captivating cozy mystery with a barn building, flirtatious fauna, puzzling patents, malicious mushrooms, wacky worms and a dazzling detective duo.

In this installment Shannon and her team are building a house and a barn for a conference that retired tech billionaire, Raphael Nash, is hosting. During the conference Rafe’s previous business partner is killed along with one of the attendees. It’s up to Shannon and Mac to find the killer before anyone else is hurt. She kept me guessing until the end with all of the potential would be murderers. There is a strong cast of characters in each book and it’s fun to see how their stories unfold. This is my favorite series of Kate Carlisle and I can’t wait for the next installment.