Jean, her daughter JR and their firm Designer Jeans will be consultants on the interior decoration of the project and the staging of the house for the open house. The house chosen by the Fast Flippers is one that an elderly woman lived and died in. It was inherited by a rock star who, of course, has no interest in keeping the house. 

Jean and JR find the body of one of the Fast Flippers, investor Stuart Goodenough, in the window seat bench. Realtor Amanda Little stands accused of the murder and asks Jean to help clear her name.  JR, her husband, police detective Matt and her father Charlie, aren’t delighted that Jean (and JR) is involved in another murder investigation, and often send Charlie’s twin sister Mary off with Jean when they suspect she is investigating on her own. 

Jean quickly learns that the Fast Flippers are not the congenial group they appear to be; there is a lot of backstabbing, and maybe even some investment scheming going on, and soon there are plenty of people with reasons to want Stuart dead.  But something is nagging at Jean who thinks she is missing a big piece of the puzzle, a piece that may just find her decorating the big painted lady in the sky.  

Fatal Flip is a pleasant cozy with likable characters, but not enough clues for readers to follow to the real murderer. When the murderer and the motive are revealed, there is no “aha” moment since the murderer is not one of the more developed characters and the motive isn’t necessarily believable without more information about the character. 

Jean is an energetic and enthusiastic person, and many will envy the great relationships she has with her daughter and with her sister-in-law.  There are a lot of interesting decorating tips strewn in amid the plot, and some good ideas for staging a house that is for sale.  Do-it-yourselfers and fans of small town cozies will enjoy this light fare, but readers looking for more meat in their mystery may find themselves flipping through the pages quickly.                                                                                           

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry