Review of "The Book of Old Houses" by Sarah Graves

We welcome back Jacobia 'Jake' Tiptree in this 11th installment in the series of "Home Repair Is Homicide" mysteries. This time out, Jake discovers an old book in her 200 year-old mansion in Maine. She passes it on to a local book expert, Horace Robotham, who's something of a curmudgeon, and while the book is in his care he gets murdered while out walking. The obvious question is was this a random mugging gone bad or something more sinister? She's drawn into this odd situation when one of Horace's old friends, a college professor named Dave DiMaio, turns up on her doorstep asking for her help. Jake's not entirely sure of DiMaio's intentions, especially when he asks her to hold onto a 22 calibre derringer for him while he's in town. We know that Dave's primary motive is revenge, but the plot thickens when the derringer mysteriously disappears, and suddenly we're knee-deep in suspects.

This is a fun series of light mystery thrillers, well-crafted in many ways so that you never get that Stephen King chill despite the dangerous situations that arise, but that the mystery keeps you turning pages. Don't worry if you haven't read any of the earlier books. You can start here and feel right at home.