A High-End Finish

By: Kate Carlisle

Narrated by: Angela Starling

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

First in a new series!

In the seaside town of Lighthouse Cove in northern California, everyone knows the best man for the job is actually a woman - contractor Shannon Hammer. But while Shannon can do wonders with a power drill and a little elbow grease, she's about to discover that some problems aren't so easily fixed... Shannon's home-renovation and repair business is booming, but her love life needs work. On a blind date with real-estate agent Jerry Saxton, she has to whip out a pair of pliers to keep Jerry from getting too hands on. Shannon is happy to put her rotten date behind her, but when Jerry's found dead in a run-down Victorian home that she's been hired to restore, the town's attractive new police chief suspects that her threats may have laid the foundation for murder.

Determined to clear her name, Shannon conducts her own investigation - with the help of her four best friends, her eccentric father, a nosy neighbor or two, and a handsome crime writer who's just moved to town. But as they get closer to prying out the murderer's identity, Shannon is viciously attacked. Now she'll have to nail down the truth - or end up in permanent foreclosure....

©2014 Kathleen Beaver (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Inconsistent Character

I wanted to like A High End Finish, the 1st in a series about carpenter & small business owner Shannon. I liked the idea of a capable and intelligent female character who worked in construction, a predominately male industry.

Unfortunately, Shannon was too inconsistent to be interesting to me. While she was strong enough to fight off a sexual attack, Shannon allowed an obnoxious tourist (staying in one of her guest rooms) to insult her. The part when an entire town allowed one snotty, belligerent man to bully all their hospitality businesses for 2 weeks was ridiculous.

The murder mystery was relatively well done. The author showed some talent and humor, so I would try another book by Kate Carlisle.

Really enjoyable read

Really enjoyed the story and the narrator had good voices. I definitely will look for more reads from this author.

Not as good as the Blackwell series

The lead character was wonderful and I liked most of her friends. The mystery itself kept me guessing until the end but I did not like the detailed fashion show descriptions. Most, but not all, were not necessary to the story line and they were too often and too many.

The main character, Mel Turner, in Juliet Blackwell’s Haunted Home Renovation series is much better than Shannon Hammer, the main character in this beginning series. The characters and stories are not exactly alike but enough so that I choose Juliet’s series over Kate’s series. That said, I will probably try the next installment in this series.

An interesting beginning for a new series

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Kate Carlisle has written an entertaining book that is the perfect beginning to a new series. Contractor Shannon Hammer is set up on a blind date, but the man turns out to be a jerk. When he ends up dead a few days later, Shannon becomes the main suspect. When a second man ends up dead in Shannon's driveway, things really heat up, and the events that unfolded kept me listening well into the night.

Have you listened to any of Angela Starling’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first Angela Starling performance. She did a good job of bringing the characters to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really enjoyed the way Ms. Carlisle wove the old with the new. Shannon has lived in Lighthouse Cover all her life, and watching her interact with the longtime residents, as well as the new ones, gave the novel a depth that I really enjoyed.

Any additional comments?

This is definitely a series I'd like to continue. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series.

Too much rom com

Light weight entertainment. If the author wants to add some 'diversity' to her characters, then fine, but pls offer a healthy specimen as the token gay person in the story. Argh!

good story but...

The story had a good plot. Reader's voice for female lead was good but for male characters and some other female characters was awful. Just breathy and fake sounding. spoiled some scenes. To her credit it did get a little better as the book went on.

It's a awesome cozy mystery

Where does A High-End Finish rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book was full of twist and turns. I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy this book. Poor Shannon seemed to always end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean she gets a awful date, hateful tenant and has to deal with mean girls. I felt as though it was high school all over for her. All she wanted to do was renovate the victorian homes in Lighthouse Cove. She does get to dazzle with two sexy men while all the murders are taking place. The sexy Eric and the Luscious mystery writer Mack. Least something good came out of all her troubles.

What other book might you compare A High-End Finish to and why?

CC Dragon's cozy mysteries are similar but have more comedy. This was my first by Kate Carlisle and definitely plan on more.

What does Angela Starling bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings excitement in her reading of the story. I felt like I connected with all the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, i listened over the course of 3 days.

Nice story.

Held my attention all the way through. Not too sappy, and kept me wondering about the murderer almost to the end.

Very suspenseful

Enjoyed the storyline. It draws you in to the end and leaves you wanting more.

A High-End Finish

Very good! Interesting & fast paced! So many to choose who could have been the murderer!! The murderer was a surprise!!