Unhinged

December 16, 2002
When the most notorious snoop in Eastport, Maine, disappears, amateur detective and ex-stockbroker Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree suspects foul play in this winning addition to Graves's Home Repair Is Homicide series (Wreck the Halls, etc.). Convinced that widely disliked Harriet Hollingsworth was murdered, Jake and her friend, Ellie White, team up to investigate. As accidents and the death toll mount in the small island town, crumbling foundations and rotting clapboards become secondary to discovering the identity of the perpetrator, who appears to have a diabolical blueprint for homicide that includes Jake's own family. Jake won't let physical injuries, starting with yet another fall off a ladder (evoked on the cozy yet menacing jacket), slow down her pursuit of the truth. Lending support are Wade, her husband; Sam, her teenaged son; and devoted friends who always seem to be there when they're most needed. A sleuth as tough as the nails she drives into the walls of her 1823 Federal home enhances a clever plot, which comes to an unexpected and explosive conclusion. Many will relish the vividly described Down East setting, but for anyone who's ever enjoyed making a home repair it's the accurate details of the restoration of Jake's old house that will appeal the most.

December 1, 2002
Do-it-yourselfer Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree (Wreck the Halls), a former financial consultant-turned-Maine sleuth, worries about a missing elderly recluse with snooping proclivities. Coincidentally, the retired cop who purchases the old lady's cottage saved Jake's life long ago and has been searching for her father (presumed dead by everyone else) all these years. And the last murderer whom he pursued has apparently followed him to Maine, causing a wreck that injures Jake's son. No down time here, then, either for Jake or her fans, who will be vastly entertained by her sleuthing foibles, animals, fixer-upper accidents, and eccentric friends. For most collections.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2002
Readers who assume that this is a lightweight series because of its title (Home Repair Is Homicide) are doing Graves an injustice. Other than heroine Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree's ex-husband, Victor, there is nothing superficial about this first-rate series. Although the plots include descriptions of Jake's remodeling efforts on her 1823 Federal home in Eastport, Maine, they also examine weighty issues such as Jake's traumatic childhood and her son Sam's drug addiction. Graves populates her series with fascinating ancillary characters, such as Jake's wise native Maine friend, Ellie, and Jake's Zenlike yet macho husband, Wade. The story begins with the strange disappearance of Harriet, a grumpy old Eastport native, and the arrival of kindly old stranger Lian Ash. Another newcomer, former NYPD detective Harry Markle, has a connection to Jake's childhood. When Harriet is found murdered and other nasty accidents and unexplained deaths occur, Harry worries that a serial killer who murdered his family may have resurfaced in tiny Eastport. Another standout in a series that, unlike the homes it features, needs no fixing up whatsoever.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)