Jennie Bentley

D-I-Y Mystery Author Returns With SPACKLED and SPOOKED In August 

Author Jennie Bentley, the fresh,  new voice of Do-It-Yourself mysteries, returns in early August with the second book of the Avery Baker series when SPACKLED and SPOOKED (Berkley Prime Crime, $6.99) hits the bookstores. It promises to pick up where last year’s successful Bentley debut (Fatal fixer-upper) left off.

In SPACKLED and SPOOKED: “Home renovation is never easy, especially when the home’s inhabitants are dead. Avery’s hunky boyfriend and business partner, Derek Ellis, wants to flip a seriously stigmatized ranch house where murder occurred two decades ago. It’s a good thing Avery has more faith in her boyfriend than in ghosts.Their renovations are quickly interrupted when a presence is felt–and it’s not happy with the new alterations. Could it really be that the property is possessed? If they’re going to flip this house, all the outdated fixtures—including the supernatural squatters—must be disposed of, or else this project will haunt them forever…”

Once again Bentley’s story takes place in the fictional town of Waterfield, Maine. And like her debut novel of last fall, SPACKLED and SPOOKED will include home renovation tips in the back. 

“I’m really excited about this second book in the series because now the readers will see Avery begin to grow as a character,” said Bentley. “She will mellow, somewhat, although not totally or she wouldn’t be Avery. But she starts to gain confidence in her career of renovating, until another murder throws a wrench into things for her and Derek.”

The renovation tips in the back of this book focus on updating bathrooms. Bentley is no stranger to home renovations. She and her husband, who reside in Nashville, TN., have renovated 9 homes. So she was a logical choice to write this D-I-Y series.  Bentley’s Fatal fixer-upper enjoyed great praise from reviewers and wide acceptance from readers of this new mystery genre.  Romantic Times called Fatal fixer upper “…a first-rate mystery and a frightening surprise ending.” Nashville Scene said Bentley’s debut was “a cozy whodunit with many elements familiar to fans of Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote.” The Nashville Tennessean called Fatal fixer-upper “an ingenuously plotted murder mystery…”, while the Bangor Daily News proclaimed “…there’s a new contender in the do-it-yourself home renovation mystery field.” The third book in the series, Plaster and Poison, will be released next spring.

Media Contact: Tom Robinson www.authorandbookmedia.com 615-794-2998 tcr811@aol.com