pitching lofty ideas

When Nashville real estate flipper Whitney Whitaker is called out to talk about an antebellum barn, she is greatly disappointed. The barn is steeped in history, and was rumored to be a stop on the Underground Railroad. She loves the spot and immediately starts thinking of what she and her business partner could do with it. But Gail, the owner, breaks her heart. She doesn’t want to sell the barn to Whitney. She just wants to hire her to rehab it.

It’s not really what Whitney and Buck do. Generally, they buy a place and rehab it, changing it into a beautiful home or a business. At first Whitney turns the job down, but she couldn’t get that barn out of her head. And since she and her husband are expecting a baby, she starts to think that this might be the right job for her to take on. She and Buck can fix it up and walk away, and she’ll have time to spend with her new baby.

But the barn has such a fascinating history that Whitney is not the only one who is interested. When she meets with Gail to look around and find out more about the job, there is another young man there. Tyler Yee is also interested in the story of the barn. As a freelance journalist, Tyler is always looking out for a good story to write up and submit to local newspapers or for his podcast, Yee Spills the Tea.

They all agree to meet back at the barn in a week, so Whitney can talk to Gail about her plans for the barn and Tyler can get more information for his article. But when Whitney shows up with her plans to turn the horse barn into apartments, calling it The Haylofts, she finds that someone has taken offense to Tyler and one of his stories. Tyler is on the ground with a pitchfork through his back.

But what story was it that caused his murder? Was it his story about the popular upscale church that some people were calling a cult? Was it his story about a stalker, based on his girlfriend’s ex? Or was it about the barn? There were several parties interested in buying it or some of the land around it. There is a real estate developer on one side wanting to add a country club, and a farm on the other with a vegetarian restaurant that wants to add more acreage.

And while Whitney’s curiosity won’t let her leave the questions alone, she has to remember that she is pregnant and investigating for two. She has to be extra careful if she wants to find the killer and keep herself and her baby safe.

The Barn Identity is book eight in Diane Kelly’s House-Flipper Mystery series. These novels, set in Nashville (or in this case, in a small town outside of Nashville), are filled with a blend of past and present. The setting adds a strong backdrop to this cozy mystery, but the real story is the murder investigation. There is also a strong push toward vegetarianism in this book, including recipes at the end.

I like this series a lot. Whitney is a smart character, and she is surrounded by family and friends who care about her a lot. The series also features several chapters written by her cat Sawdust, who offers a slightly different purr-spective on the story. There is also a fun story about a romance novel so controversial a book club got into a fistfight over the ending. I thought The Barn Identity was one of the stronger cozy mysteries I’ve read in a while, and I think it may be my favorite so far in this series.

Egalleys for The Barn Identity were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.