Premeditated Mortar

Fixer-Upper Mysteries, Book 8

By: Kate Carlisle

Narrated by: Jae Delane

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Contractor Shannon Hammer gets tangled up in murder at a spooky old asylum in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from New York Times best-selling author Kate Carlisle....

Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with 20 ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant. 

Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work...until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her....

©2020 Kathleen Beaver (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Good Series, Poor Narration

I have listened to every book in this series, but I do not enjoy the narration of the last two books.

Haunting story

This was my first Fixer-Upper Mystery. I really like the Bibliophile mysteries by Kate Carlisle but a contractor as a sleuth didn’t appeal to me until I read the description for Premeditated Mortar.
Shannon Hammer is a personable character. It’s fun that her love interest is a thriller author, Mac.
The idea of renovating a Victorian era asylum into a hotel and shops is intriguing. It makes you wonder if ghosts will make an appearance. In this case the ghosts still had a physical form. The last doctor in charge of the Gables is still alive and has a very high opinion of herself and her work.
There are protestors. There is a mysterious brick wall. There are accidents and danger. The past and past misdeeds really do come back to haunt them.
I enjoyed the pacing of the story. I found the resolution to the mystery very interesting and also sad.
The narrator does a great job. Although I did picture Mac with a deeper voice.
Thank you to the author for the gift of listening to this wonderful mystery.

Loved previous books

I can’t tell if it is the new narrator or the book, but it is lacking something I loved when I started the series. I have no desire to listen to high pitched voices, and I think the way the boom was read made the characters sound like simpletons. I managed through the other books she read but won’t likely get another one with the same narrator

Can’t Wait for the next book

I enjoy this series and can’t wait for the next book. I enjoy the relationships and banter between all of the characters.

I really enjoy this series

I really enjoy this series. Kate Carlisle once again, creates a wonderful storyline with well developed characters that make you feel as though you know them personally. Jae Delane gave a wonderful performance as she brought it all to life. I highly recommend this book/audiobook to cozy mystery fans.

Read them all

I've enjoyed this series. The narrators were not so great. The Hallmark casting for the movie was just as bad, but the underlying story was good. I think I'd recommend reading these books over the audible versions.

Really enjoyed the book!

However, I would give the artist 1 star. The dog in these books is a Westie. A Westie looks NOTHING like the dog in the art work.

I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK

I LOVE THIS SERIES, AND THIS BOOK DID NOT DISAPPOINT. SUCH A BLENDING OF LOVE, FUN, AND GOOD IN THE MIDST OF EVIL. SHANNON, MAC, AND ALL THE GANG ARE AS ENTERTAINING AS EVER, AND I AM ALWAYS LEFT WANTING TO READ THE NEXT BOOK.

love the story, really don't care for the narrator

I've listened to every one of these book, these last two are very hard, the narrator is frankly awful. listening to Mac makes me want to clear my throat and I keep waiting for Jane to cackle "and your little dog too" it took me a long time to listen to this because I didn't care for the narration in the last book, it's worse in this one. I see the next is out with the same narrator, I don't know if I'll be buying it...

Great twist near the end of the book

I enjoyed the story; the unexpected twist near the end made it difficult to deduce who the killer was until the end. The characters are well developed and the mystery unfolds in a way to keep you interested and wanting to hear more. What I found less than the desirable was the narration. Jae Delane's voice sounds somewhat like a young girl, not a mature and confident contractor with a successful construction company. Also she has trouble with male voices, Mac sounds as if he has laryngitis. Angela Starling is a much better narrator.