Wall To Wall Dead is the 6th book in the DIY Mystery series by Jennie Bentley. Another series where the reader can learn something useful and read a good story.

Avery and Derek decide to take on renovating a condo in Waterfield, hoping for a quick job and a quick turnaround.

Josh Rasmussen, who father Wayne is the police chief and close friends with Avery and Derek, invites them to take a look at the condo in the building where he lives. Once the paperwork has been completed, they begin the renovations. As they arrive they a lady in the first floor unit is peaking through the curtains. The lady, Hilda Shaw, is a recluse and busy body and gathers personal information on everyone who lives in the building. One day as Avery and Derek are leaving they see Amelia, who live in the building, knocking on Shaw's door. Since there is no answer Avery hadn't seen her either, Derek removes the lock on her door and finds that Shaw is dead. She has died of anaphylactic shock and no EpiPen can be found in her condo.

What with Shaw delving into every one's life there are plenty of suspects and she let everyone know what she had on them. Amelia's, the college professor, goes back to when she was in college 20 years ago, Candy and her roommate Jamie. Candy is dating her married boss and Jamie who is from a deeply religious family works as a stripper. Robin and Bruce, who are not legally married. Gregg and Marino are a couple and Marino is an illegal alien. And William Maurits, an insurance adjuster whose company had to pay a $6 million claim. Were any of these people willing to take the extra step to make sure that their secrets were revealed? But maybe it is Candy's lover or his wife,as Candy's life winds up in jeopardy too.

Oh, yes, on top of having to solve this mystery, Avery is busy planning her wedding, too.

Again, a wonderful story Jennie Bentley. Looking forward to reading the next one. ( )

So I'm really only giving this 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because this is usually a strong series. First, I loved the Prologue - it was a nice surprise and made me start the book off with a smile. I love the relationship between Derek and Avery and the 'supporting cast' is both strong and likeable. The author has really created a very likeable world in this series.

It lost that half star because through a good portion of the book Avery was almost unlikeable - she was suddenly acting like a gossipy, nosey busybody. I realise cozy mysteries somewhat require that the protagonist be nosey, but Avery was just ridiculous and unreasonably nosey in certain parts of the book. A real turn off.

The other bit that was a disappointment - I totally guessed the plot device and the murderer right away. I knew who did it, which sometimes happens, but I also knew exactly why they did it and that's not something that's often obvious. Took away a bit of the fun for me.

Still, this is a great series and the author does a good job with each book. I look forward to the next one and I thank the author very very much for not going the clichéd route and turning Avery and Derek's wedding into a plot for a book! ( )

Wall To Wall Dead is the 6th book in the DIY Mystery series by Jennie Bentley. Another series where the reader can learn something useful and read a good story.

Avery and Derek decide to take on renovating a condo in Waterfield, hoping for a quick job and a quick turnaround.

Josh Rasmussen, who father Wayne is the police chief and close friends with Avery and Derek, invites them to take a look at the condo in the building where he lives. Once the paperwork has been completed, they begin the renovations. As they arrive they a lady in the first floor unit is peaking through the curtains. The lady, Hilda Shaw, is a recluse and busy body and gathers personal information on everyone who lives in the building. One day as Avery and Derek are leaving they see Amelia, who live in the building, knocking on Shaw's door. Since there is no answer Avery hadn't seen her either, Derek removes the lock on her door and finds that Shaw is dead. She has died of anaphylactic shock and no EpiPen can be found in her condo.

What with Shaw delving into every one's life there are plenty of suspects and she let everyone know what she had on them. Amelia's, the college professor, goes back to when she was in college 20 years ago, Candy and her roommate Jamie. Candy is dating her married boss and Jamie who is from a deeply religious family works as a stripper. Robin and Bruce, who are not legally married. Gregg and Marino are a couple and Marino is an illegal alien. And William Maurits, an insurance adjuster whose company had to pay a $6 million claim. Were any of these people willing to take the extra step to make sure that their secrets were revealed? But maybe it is Candy's lover or his wife,as Candy's life winds up in jeopardy too.

Oh, yes, on top of having to solve this mystery, Avery is busy planning her wedding, too.

Again, a wonderful story Jennie Bentley. Looking forward to reading the next one. ( )

While I'm still enjoying the series, there were a few quirks about this installment that made it not-my-favorite of the series. For one, there wasn't as much renovation in this book. They started the condo project, but then Avery basically abandoned it to work the murder. Oh, and Avery got a lot nosier this time, it seemed! Derek's reminders that she better be careful/not get in trouble/not find any more dead bodies this time confirmed it.

To be a little more picky, I noticed that Avery still refers to her house as Aunt Inga's (except for once), when it's been hers since she inherited it in the first book. Also, I thought that the nonchalance with which they talked about the preacher going to the stripper bar with the wedding party was a little surprising.

Otherwise, I'm glad Avery and Derek finally tied the knot, and I wonder how the series will continue. ( )