The Body in the Gravel (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery #3) by Judi Lynn

The Body in the Gravel

(A Jazzi Zanders Mystery #3)

by Judi Lynn

Kindle Edition

Published September 24th 2019 by Lyrical Underground

Goodreads synopsis:

Even in a lovely town like River Bluffs, Indiana, flipping houses can be a challenge. Especially when there’s the proverbial skeleton in the closet—and a literal corpse in the driveway . . .

House-flipper Jazzy Zanders has her work cut out for her. Her latest flip, which she co-purchased with her fiancée Ansel and cousin Jerod, is a three-story fixer-upper that’s more of a droopy-downer. One corner of the house is sinking and needs to be jacked up with a new cement foundation. That costs money. And causes headaches. And creates a work environment that’s not only hostile, it’s downright deadly . . .

Jazzy knows it’s a tough job. Which is why she hired Darby to lay the cement. But when Darby gets into a fiery argument with the furnace man—and then never shows up to lay gravel for the driveway—Jazzy starts to wonder if the rumors about Darby are true. Did he kill his wife and son and bury them in the yard like some folks claim? When Darby’s dead body comes pouring out of a gravel truck, murder upstages the real estate market as her biggest concern . . .

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4.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Jazzy Zanders mystery series by Judi Lynn.

I spent too much of my time while reading this wondering why Jazzy would make such elaborate things to eat and then not want to use that talent in a job.  I mean, I understand her mindset about making something a job will suck the life and joy out of it, but still… some of those meals she made sounded delish.

In truth, Jazzy was a house-flipper with a big heart. When the body of one of the cement drivers is found in the bed of the truck, things start to look really rocky for this house flip! I really enjoyed the storyline surrounding Walker and the death of his dad. Jazzy was just so motherly around him I think I wanted her to adopt him. I am not certain who the recurring characters are in this book series but I sure hope Walker continues to remain one of them.

I loved the idea of this series. It is like a cozy mystery with Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. And you can never go wrong with that combination. This story keeps you guessing and with all the yummy sounding recipes, it makes me want to try my hand at some of her foodie ideas.

If you want an easy to get into cozy, definitely check this one out. It keeps you interested, stimulates your senses and makes you want to know whodunit. I have to admit I didn’t figure this one out before the reveal… bummer. But that is what makes this type of series so fun to read. This is one winner of a story in my book.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.