Mystery

Absence of Mallets

Absence of Mallets

  • Downloads：4696
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-24 11:21:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kate Carlisle
  • ISBN：1713668548
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Summary

Contractor Shannon Hammer steels her nerve to pin down a killer in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times best-selling author of Premeditated Mortar。。。。

Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend， Mac， has moved in， and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever。 Mac is hosting writing retreats at his now vacant lighthouse mansion， while Shannon and her crew build Homefront， a quaint Victorian village of tiny homes for veterans in need。 Mac's latest guests are proving to be a handful， though， and Shannon has heard some grumbling from the luminaries of Lighthouse Cove about her latest passion project。 But nothing can throw a wrench in their plans except a malicious murder。

When one of Shannon's new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse on Mac's property， the couple hammers out a suspect list and searches for a motive。 As they drill deeper for clues， more violence strikes and a new victim winds up in a coma。 The pressure is on， and Shannon and Mac will have to move fast to find an unhinged killer dead set on demolishing anyone who gets in their way。。。。

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Reviews

Liz Caldwell ，

Cozies are often entertaining， sometimes thought provoking， but every once in a while they can also be uplifting。 This book certainly is。 Yes， it has its share of bad - and annoying - characters。 But it’s foundation is good， caring， positive people， working together in common cause to help others。Shannon and her construction crew are working to build a village of tiny houses for military veterans。 Her significant other， author MacKintyre Sullivan， is hosting a writers’ retreat at the Lighthouse Cozies are often entertaining， sometimes thought provoking， but every once in a while they can also be uplifting。 This book certainly is。 Yes， it has its share of bad - and annoying - characters。 But it’s foundation is good， caring， positive people， working together in common cause to help others。Shannon and her construction crew are working to build a village of tiny houses for military veterans。 Her significant other， author MacKintyre Sullivan， is hosting a writers’ retreat at the Lighthouse mansion。 This group of writers turns out to be a bit creepy， but they’ll only be around for two weeks， so Shannon and Mac figure they can get through it。 Then a woman who has just started working with Shannon is found murdered， and another resident of the tiny home village is attacked， and another appears to be being framed for the murder。 And the writers seem to somehow be involved。 Interwoven with the attacks is the support the village （and Mac and police Chief Eric） are helping provide to the vets who may need a hand for a few months or more long term。 It’s quiet support， positive and constructive。 And personal。 People come into our lives and leave an imprint。 These characters do， too。Shannon and her friends and colleagues are well developed， strong individuals。 The relationships among them are positive and generous。 Their relationships with the vets are positive and unassuming。The vets themselves are written positively and with little drama， just as the vast majority of vets live their lives。 This is the ninth book in the Fixer-Upper series。 They just keep getting better and better！ And they leave the reader feeling better， too。 。。。more

Debra Smouse ，

GREAT addition to this fab series by Kate Carlisle！

Kathy L ，

Construction Writers and MurderWell written good pace story of a Writers Workshop near a small houses for veterans project that ends in murder

Cindy Lord ，

Another fabulous mystery！ Kate Carlisle writes the kind of mysteries that I love to read。 Lots of interest and intrigue with some humor and heart mixed in。 I also love that they are not overly gory or intense。 With the Fixer-upper books， it is as much fun trying to figure out when Shannon will find the first body， and whose it will be， as it is figuring out who the murderer is。 Love the tiny houses for veterans idea。 Love checking in with Shannon and Mac and the rest of the gang （it's like they Another fabulous mystery！ Kate Carlisle writes the kind of mysteries that I love to read。 Lots of interest and intrigue with some humor and heart mixed in。 I also love that they are not overly gory or intense。 With the Fixer-upper books， it is as much fun trying to figure out when Shannon will find the first body， and whose it will be， as it is figuring out who the murderer is。 Love the tiny houses for veterans idea。 Love checking in with Shannon and Mac and the rest of the gang （it's like they are old friends）。 。。。more

Cathy Genna - 2013 RWA Bookseller of the Year ，

Book #9， in this fixer upper cozy mystery is my FAVORITE of the series！ Kate Carlisle created a cast of characters that are easy to connect with and are memorable， a fast paced entertaining page turner， a believable storyline， and add a vicious murder of a friend with mallets…。a must read。 Shannon Hammer owns a construction company and her crew is building a community of tiny homes for veterans。 Shannon’s live in boyfriend Mac Sullivan is a mystery writer。 He turned his home in lighthouse cove i Book #9， in this fixer upper cozy mystery is my FAVORITE of the series！ Kate Carlisle created a cast of characters that are easy to connect with and are memorable， a fast paced entertaining page turner， a believable storyline， and add a vicious murder of a friend with mallets…。a must read。 Shannon Hammer owns a construction company and her crew is building a community of tiny homes for veterans。 Shannon’s live in boyfriend Mac Sullivan is a mystery writer。 He turned his home in lighthouse cove into a retreat for writers。 This group of writers ARE TROUBLE。 A fun twist in this plot and I did not figure out who the murdered was。 This book is a keeper and one I’ll read again！ Smart writing， delightful， quirky， and funny。 。。。more

Cynthia ，

Shannon is back！ Well， Shannon， Mac， and the other wonderful characters who feel like old friends。 This is the 9th book of the series and it gets better and better since I feel so attached to the characters！ I love that Shannon is building Homefront to help Veterans， and that Mac is running writing retreats。 Of course these retreats mean new characters are introduced and of course there is a murder that needs to be solved。 I love the developing relationships and learning new things about constru Shannon is back！ Well， Shannon， Mac， and the other wonderful characters who feel like old friends。 This is the 9th book of the series and it gets better and better since I feel so attached to the characters！ I love that Shannon is building Homefront to help Veterans， and that Mac is running writing retreats。 Of course these retreats mean new characters are introduced and of course there is a murder that needs to be solved。 I love the developing relationships and learning new things about construction， especially about the tools used。 Another great addition to the Fixer-Upper series！ 。。。more

Mary LaGue ，

Another fine installment in Carlisle’s Fixer-upper series， which sees Shannon and Mac living together and working on a veterans’ tiny home development。 But that project， and Mac’s latest writers’ retreat， are impacted by murder。 Carlisle’s empathetic portrait of veterans is quite gripping。

Sara Grotz ，

Let me start off by saying， I am a big fan of this series to begin with but this one really got me。 The whole book centers around a veteran’s community of tiny homes。 We just started that in my town so it’s a little near and dear to me。 Shannon and her crew are methodically constructing homes for the veterans and putting their usual care into the job。 Shannon hires a local vet who is a master at glassware to provide custom backsplashes for the vet homes。 As a bonus， Linda is an extremely sweet l Let me start off by saying， I am a big fan of this series to begin with but this one really got me。 The whole book centers around a veteran’s community of tiny homes。 We just started that in my town so it’s a little near and dear to me。 Shannon and her crew are methodically constructing homes for the veterans and putting their usual care into the job。 Shannon hires a local vet who is a master at glassware to provide custom backsplashes for the vet homes。 As a bonus， Linda is an extremely sweet lady who Shannon immediately forms a friendship with。 As if she is not busy enough， her boyfriend Mac has moved in， and they are enjoying cohabitating while he lets groups of writers use his home as a writing retreat。 They have been lucky in getting very low-key authors so far， but that luck has ended。 A very odd group of people are the latest group to stay。 Their whole demeanor is off and they immediately start causing trouble around town， including vying for the attention of Linda。 When she is found murdered， Shannon must decide if the culprit could be one of the very veterans she has been helping， or the odd group of people that have come to the retreat。This book is a great continuation of this series。 With everyone， you get to know and love the people of Lighthouse Cove even more。 I only wish I could live in a place like that。 I especially love that her sister is more predominately featured in the series now。 The characters are my favorite part of any series， and this one just keeps getting better。 The mystery kept me guessing until the end， and I had a hard time putting down this one to go to work or school。 I can’t wait until the next in the series comes out to see what Shannon， Mac， Chloe， and Eric get up to。 I did receive this book in the hopes I would review it， but all opinions are mine and mine alone。 。。。more

Laura ，

Take a writer’s retreat and mix it in with the local housing development for veterans and what could possibly go wrong？As this ninth entry in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series opens we learn that Mac has turned his home into a writers’ retreat location and Shannon’s latest project is a housing development for veterans in Lighthouse Cove。 Of course， the two projects collide， and a dead body is found。 It wouldn’t be a mystery without another dead body， would it？ Kate’s character development is spot o Take a writer’s retreat and mix it in with the local housing development for veterans and what could possibly go wrong？As this ninth entry in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series opens we learn that Mac has turned his home into a writers’ retreat location and Shannon’s latest project is a housing development for veterans in Lighthouse Cove。 Of course， the two projects collide， and a dead body is found。 It wouldn’t be a mystery without another dead body， would it？ Kate’s character development is spot on， and her plot twists keep you guessing until the end。 This time we learn much more about construction from Shannon which I thoroughly enjoyed。I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Lalena Haro ，

In this installment Shannon is busy working building tiny houses in a village for veterans when someone close to her and the project is murdered。 Add to the mix a writers retreat and a lighthouse in need of renovation and you have another intriguing mystery from writer Kate Carlisle。

Barbara ，

I absolutely love this book！Shannon and her construction crew are busy building tiny houses in a community specifically for veterans started by Mac and some of his Navy buddies。 The community includes a community center with a café and offices that provide all sorts of support services for the veterans。 There are workshops for the veterans too， including a writing workshop held by Mac and a women’s construction class led by Shannon。Mac is also hosting six writers for a writers’ retreat at his li I absolutely love this book！Shannon and her construction crew are busy building tiny houses in a community specifically for veterans started by Mac and some of his Navy buddies。 The community includes a community center with a café and offices that provide all sorts of support services for the veterans。 There are workshops for the veterans too， including a writing workshop held by Mac and a women’s construction class led by Shannon。Mac is also hosting six writers for a writers’ retreat at his lighthouse mansion。 These writers are an interesting mix of published writers who have known each other for some time。Of course， this is Lighthouse Cove and Shannon is soon tangled up in investigating the murder of her new friend， Linda。 There are many twists and turns and while it is easy to spot the suspects， determining the actual murderer is a bit more difficult。The characters in these books are both likeable and believable。 The type of people I would love to have as friends in my life。 。。。more

Amy ，

The Shannon Hammer books are so good！！！ I honestly always look forward to the next one coming out。 This book grips you from the beginning and keeps you reeled in to the end。 I love all of the characters！ Shannon and Mac are favorites along with Chloe。 The writer’s group characters are definitely characters within themselves。 I love Shannon’s work team and how they all work seamlessly together and act like family。 This book was just amazing and I want to start back at the beginning and read it ag The Shannon Hammer books are so good！！！ I honestly always look forward to the next one coming out。 This book grips you from the beginning and keeps you reeled in to the end。 I love all of the characters！ Shannon and Mac are favorites along with Chloe。 The writer’s group characters are definitely characters within themselves。 I love Shannon’s work team and how they all work seamlessly together and act like family。 This book was just amazing and I want to start back at the beginning and read it again。 And I just might do that！！ 。。。more

Amber ，

You know sometimes you think when a series goes on for awhile it may get boring， dull， lackluster; well think again！ This book， #9 is oh so fine and delivers on the mysteries of murder！Anticipation is building for #10 🕵️‍♀️

Julia ，

I really liked Shannon's latest project in this story， a veteran's community filled with tiny homes and the facilities and services available on site for those who live there。 Another nice feature in the Fixer Upper series is that the murder tends to happen further into the book。 The stage is set， and new characters are developed and met。 Mac has decided to rent out his home for writer's retreats， and this group is decidedly quirky。 Told to stay away from the Lighthouse， for instance， off they g I really liked Shannon's latest project in this story， a veteran's community filled with tiny homes and the facilities and services available on site for those who live there。 Another nice feature in the Fixer Upper series is that the murder tends to happen further into the book。 The stage is set， and new characters are developed and met。 Mac has decided to rent out his home for writer's retreats， and this group is decidedly quirky。 Told to stay away from the Lighthouse， for instance， off they go。 Several vets are introduced as well， all with their own stories to tell。 Shannon's sister Chole makes another appearance and I have hopes she may figure into the next installment if the epilogue is any indication。 This is a good， interesting series that always entertains。 。。。more

DaShannon ，

Kate Carlisle is my favorite cozy author and her Bibliophile Mystery series is my favorite but I still really enjoy Shannon Hammer in her A Fixer-Upper Mystery。 I was already reading the Bibliophile series when Carlisle's Fixer-Upper books appeared as Hallmark Movies and Mysteries specials。 Come on Hallmark！ Make her Bibliophile books into movies！ In this installment Shannon is back at it hitting her hammer as her new friend Linda hits her Mallet。 I do wonder which came first。 That catchy title Kate Carlisle is my favorite cozy author and her Bibliophile Mystery series is my favorite but I still really enjoy Shannon Hammer in her A Fixer-Upper Mystery。 I was already reading the Bibliophile series when Carlisle's Fixer-Upper books appeared as Hallmark Movies and Mysteries specials。 Come on Hallmark！ Make her Bibliophile books into movies！ In this installment Shannon is back at it hitting her hammer as her new friend Linda hits her Mallet。 I do wonder which came first。 That catchy title or the idea for the book。 You do not have to read the series in order but it does make details like Mac moving in a bit more satisfying。 And maybe the way Shannon's sister Chloe takes a bigger role in this one。 Although I am more drawn to the Bibliophile's main character and storyl ines because they are book related， Shannon's work with the veterans' project was a great idea！ This one did seem a bit heavier on the pages of construction talk but I love this size of cozy。 Berkley's paperbacks coming in at around 300 pages is the perfect size and length for a good cozy to settle into at just a few sittings。 Shannon， Mac， Eric， and Chloe have quite an adventure as Mac's first writers group shows up and takes an unhealthy interest in his lighthouse Shannon is renovating。 Greed， dishonesty， and jealousy are not what Mac was expecting to deal with as he tries to mentor writers。 And， of course， murder was not advertised as a plot line but that is exactly what happens。 A perfect cozy read to spin a tale of deception， friendship， family， and， well， murder。 。。。more

Debbie ，

Absence of Mallets is Kate Carlisle's 9th book in the Fixer Upper series。 This book can very easily be read as a standalone。 Shannon and Mac are finally living together。 They are both very involved in the Home front project which is building tiny homes for veterans。 It was heartwarming to see how the new community pulls together to support each other。 Mac has turned his house into a writers retreat。 His latest group of writers are an odd bunch。 They attend a workshop at the community center and Absence of Mallets is Kate Carlisle's 9th book in the Fixer Upper series。 This book can very easily be read as a standalone。 Shannon and Mac are finally living together。 They are both very involved in the Home front project which is building tiny homes for veterans。 It was heartwarming to see how the new community pulls together to support each other。 Mac has turned his house into a writers retreat。 His latest group of writers are an odd bunch。 They attend a workshop at the community center and this is how they get tied in with the Homefront project。 I was really sad about the character that was found murdered as I felt they would have made a great character addition。 But Mac and Shannon with the help of Shannon's sister pulled together with the local police to solve the murder。 I enjoyed this book and love the series。 Can't wait for the next one。 。。。more

Heather ，

Kate Carlisle does it again in this wonderfully written latest installment for her fixer-upper series featuring general contractor Shannon Hammer and boyfriend， ex-Navy SEAL turned best selling author Mac Sullivan。 I enjoy reading this series for the characters and the way Carlisle writes。 This book， Absence of Mallets， doesn't disappoint！ A mystery set in a picturesque seaside village in Northern California with a strong female lead in an industry under represented by women。 This story shines a Kate Carlisle does it again in this wonderfully written latest installment for her fixer-upper series featuring general contractor Shannon Hammer and boyfriend， ex-Navy SEAL turned best selling author Mac Sullivan。 I enjoy reading this series for the characters and the way Carlisle writes。 This book， Absence of Mallets， doesn't disappoint！ A mystery set in a picturesque seaside village in Northern California with a strong female lead in an industry under represented by women。 This story shines a spotlight on the good works that can be done to support our military veterans and offers a peek behind the writing curtain with Mac's writers retreats。 If you like cozy mysteries this is a great series and this latest book holds true to that！ 。。。more

Sheri Jesse ，

Fantastic！ The story was great and， of course， the characters were outstanding。 I really liked the idea of a tiny house community for Vets and appreciated the info on construction though I didn't understand it。 It also sets us up for the next book which sounds amazing。 Fantastic！ The story was great and， of course， the characters were outstanding。 I really liked the idea of a tiny house community for Vets and appreciated the info on construction though I didn't understand it。 It also sets us up for the next book which sounds amazing。 。。。more

Dana Busenbark ，

Where do we find Shannon and Mac at in the beginning？ What has Mac done to or with his home？ I loved it！ I Love the reason for the Homestead！ What is it？ What is the goal？ I loved Linda's observation about Whitney and how Tommy is so nice！！！ I was really close to weeping myself when I saw who was found dead。 Who else is attacked and who is blamed？ I so did not see that coming！！！ Who was behind what happened and why？ This story was one I could not put down once I started reading！ Enjoy it！ Where do we find Shannon and Mac at in the beginning？ What has Mac done to or with his home？ I loved it！ I Love the reason for the Homestead！ What is it？ What is the goal？ I loved Linda's observation about Whitney and how Tommy is so nice！！！ I was really close to weeping myself when I saw who was found dead。 Who else is attacked and who is blamed？ I so did not see that coming！！！ Who was behind what happened and why？ This story was one I could not put down once I started reading！ Enjoy it！ 。。。more

Kirsten Bednorz ，

Another amazing book by Kate Carlisle。 This book is so well written and entertaining that I was transported into the story。 The characters just get better and better with each new mystery。 This book could be read as a stand alone but I think it’s better to read the series in order to get a better feel for the characters。 In this installment one of Shannon’s new friends is murdered and it is up to Shannon and Mac to find the killer before anyone else is hurt。 I like that the two of them are teami Another amazing book by Kate Carlisle。 This book is so well written and entertaining that I was transported into the story。 The characters just get better and better with each new mystery。 This book could be read as a stand alone but I think it’s better to read the series in order to get a better feel for the characters。 In this installment one of Shannon’s new friends is murdered and it is up to Shannon and Mac to find the killer before anyone else is hurt。 I like that the two of them are teaming up and Mac is becoming a bigger part of the book 。。。more

Susan ，

Kate Carlisle weaves her mystery magic again in this 9th book of her Fixer-Upper Series while shedding light on a need for our veterans。 Endearing contractor Shannon and her crew are designing and building a veteran’s village of tiny Victorian houses called Homefront in Lighthouse Cove。 Her author boyfriend Mac has turned his renovated lighthouse mansion into a writing retreat。 The plot quickly thickens when Mac’s guest writers discover one of Shannon’s friends has been maliciously bludgeoned。 Y Kate Carlisle weaves her mystery magic again in this 9th book of her Fixer-Upper Series while shedding light on a need for our veterans。 Endearing contractor Shannon and her crew are designing and building a veteran’s village of tiny Victorian houses called Homefront in Lighthouse Cove。 Her author boyfriend Mac has turned his renovated lighthouse mansion into a writing retreat。 The plot quickly thickens when Mac’s guest writers discover one of Shannon’s friends has been maliciously bludgeoned。 You will be page-turning through the wee hours of the night as you cheer on Shannon and Mac to expose the killer。 Carlisle will have her hands full trying to top this one with Book #10。 。。。more

Sheila ，

Well Shannon and Mac once again must find the killer of a friend。 I really like the fact of the Honefront community， where Shannon and her crew are building tiny Homes for Veterans。 This series keeps getting better and better。 I can't wait for the next one。 Well Shannon and Mac once again must find the killer of a friend。 I really like the fact of the Honefront community， where Shannon and her crew are building tiny Homes for Veterans。 This series keeps getting better and better。 I can't wait for the next one。 。。。more

Melissa Castor ，

Delightful！ Shannon and her crew are in the process of building tiny homes for a veteran's village。 Mac， meanwhile， is renting out his lighthouse home to a group of writers for a retreat。 Unfortunately， this group has some obnoxious writers。 When a friend Shannon has just met is murdered， she is stunned。 Shannon， her sister Chloe， and Mac all get involved in the investigation。 I loved the idea of the veteran's village and would love to see those in as many towns as can use them。 The bond and rel Delightful！ Shannon and her crew are in the process of building tiny homes for a veteran's village。 Mac， meanwhile， is renting out his lighthouse home to a group of writers for a retreat。 Unfortunately， this group has some obnoxious writers。 When a friend Shannon has just met is murdered， she is stunned。 Shannon， her sister Chloe， and Mac all get involved in the investigation。 I loved the idea of the veteran's village and would love to see those in as many towns as can use them。 The bond and relationship between Shannon and Chloe is so nice to see。 This book was full of intrigue with the group of writers and how they seemed to be involved in the murder and other goings-on in the village。 I enjoy this series more and more with each book and I look forward to seeing what this group will be up to next！ 。。。more

Bonnie ，

I'm always delighted to return to Lighthouse Cove and meet up with Shannon and her boyfriend， Mac。 Lots are happening what with Shannon's construction of tiny homes for the veterans and Mac hosting a writing retreat。 The cast of characters continue to entertain along with some new not so great ones。 While a murder happened， it wasn't the main focus。 Homefront proves to be the main draw with a village of tiny homes being the best part of this book。 The teamwork between the couple and their friend I'm always delighted to return to Lighthouse Cove and meet up with Shannon and her boyfriend， Mac。 Lots are happening what with Shannon's construction of tiny homes for the veterans and Mac hosting a writing retreat。 The cast of characters continue to entertain along with some new not so great ones。 While a murder happened， it wasn't the main focus。 Homefront proves to be the main draw with a village of tiny homes being the best part of this book。 The teamwork between the couple and their friends make for an enjoyable read。 The author continues to write great stories with wonderful characters and clever events。 I received a complimentary copy of this novel， and this is my honest and unbiased review。 。。。more

Sharamebeth79 ，

I loved reading about Shannon Hammer and Mac and their adventures in this particular book in the series。 This book keeps up with the other books by Kate Carlisle。 The plot pacing is great。 The characters are as well written as ever。 I felt joy with the characters， I felt anxiety and fear with them。 Plenty of great experiences for readers to be found in this book。 I would recommend it to other readers。 I don’t want to give away any of the secrets in the book。 I encourage you to read for yourself I loved reading about Shannon Hammer and Mac and their adventures in this particular book in the series。 This book keeps up with the other books by Kate Carlisle。 The plot pacing is great。 The characters are as well written as ever。 I felt joy with the characters， I felt anxiety and fear with them。 Plenty of great experiences for readers to be found in this book。 I would recommend it to other readers。 I don’t want to give away any of the secrets in the book。 I encourage you to read for yourself and find out！ 。。。more

Greta ，

Loved it！ Characters and story line are great！

Bernadette Long ，

Shannon and Mac are happily living together now。 Mac is hosting writing retreats at his lighthouse mansion， while Shannon and her crew are building tiny houses for veterans in a community called Homefront。 The latest group of writers are proving to be a real handful and starting to cause trouble in Lighthouse Cove。 One of Shannon's new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse and the search is on for suspects and motives。 This is one mystery that kept my interest an Shannon and Mac are happily living together now。 Mac is hosting writing retreats at his lighthouse mansion， while Shannon and her crew are building tiny houses for veterans in a community called Homefront。 The latest group of writers are proving to be a real handful and starting to cause trouble in Lighthouse Cove。 One of Shannon's new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse and the search is on for suspects and motives。 This is one mystery that kept my interest and suspicions until the great reveal of the killer and the unusual motive。 I also love that Shannon and Chloe （sisters） can work together so well in similar fields。 I hope that Chloe will be part of future mysteries in Lighthouse Cove; it's very likely since she's engaged to the chief of police！ 。。。more

Shelli King ，

I look forward to this book series every year。 Kate Carlisle weaves fast-acting stories with characters so real， you want them as your friends。 But no Mary Sues or Gary Stus。 Every book has a new twist。 This one has Shannon and Mac working on a terrific community project for veterans。 As usual， someone is found dead and a killer is on the loose。 Not only that， one of Mac and Shannon's new friends is being framed for it。 Shannon， Mac， Eric， and Chloe band together to find the real murderer and ke I look forward to this book series every year。 Kate Carlisle weaves fast-acting stories with characters so real， you want them as your friends。 But no Mary Sues or Gary Stus。 Every book has a new twist。 This one has Shannon and Mac working on a terrific community project for veterans。 As usual， someone is found dead and a killer is on the loose。 Not only that， one of Mac and Shannon's new friends is being framed for it。 Shannon， Mac， Eric， and Chloe band together to find the real murderer and keep the wrong man out of jail。So action-packed， the mystery is solved before you know it！ 。。。more

G-J Heins ，

It is such a pleasure when you get to know the characters in a series so well that they seem like old friends。 The Fixer-Upper Mystery series has characters that can see as my friends。 It is always so nice to get together with them again when a new book comes out。 This book is no exception！It was fun to catch up with Shannon， Mac， Chloe and Eric and their developing relationships。 Shannon's friends have not only become Chloe's friends but mine。 I have to admit， I also like Shannon and Mac's pets It is such a pleasure when you get to know the characters in a series so well that they seem like old friends。 The Fixer-Upper Mystery series has characters that can see as my friends。 It is always so nice to get together with them again when a new book comes out。 This book is no exception！It was fun to catch up with Shannon， Mac， Chloe and Eric and their developing relationships。 Shannon's friends have not only become Chloe's friends but mine。 I have to admit， I also like Shannon and Mac's pets！ I love the storyline about tiny homes for veterans and the needs of veterans。 It would be nice if this kind of attention was given to real-life projects like these。 This community has really put thought into not only their housing needs but the need for veterans to have marketable skills。 The first-half of the book catches the reader up with the characters and educates us on Homefront。 It also introduces us to a handful of new characters and reminds us that Whitney is the one we love to dislike！ Reading this part of the book was like taking a leisurely and enjoyable stroll。And then there's a murder of course！ Once that happened， I couldn't put the book down！ My attention was captured！ I enjoyed reading about how the murder was solved and of course learning who was the murderer。An excellent book and an enjoyable read！ 。。。more

Vicki May ，

In the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery， Shannon is busy building tiny houses for veterans and teaching a class of women construction skills while Mac is hosting a writer's retreat。 When the writers find a murder victim they both add investigation to their to do list。 I have enjoyed all the Fixer-Upper Mysteries but this one may just be my favorite。 Several new characters were introduced through the veterans community that I hope appear in other books。The storyline was very emotional and touching。 The In the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery， Shannon is busy building tiny houses for veterans and teaching a class of women construction skills while Mac is hosting a writer's retreat。 When the writers find a murder victim they both add investigation to their to do list。 I have enjoyed all the Fixer-Upper Mysteries but this one may just be my favorite。 Several new characters were introduced through the veterans community that I hope appear in other books。The storyline was very emotional and touching。 The regular characters are evolving and relationships are growing。 I love Shannon's sense of humor。 The mystery always keeps me guessing until the end。 I highly recommend this series to mystery lovers。 If you haven't read the earlier books in the series， don't worry you will be fine starting now but you will want to read the whole series。 Now I have to try to wait patiently for the next book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Absence of Mallets

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Absence of Mallets&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Absence of Mallets&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0