Wall to Wall Dead by Jennie Bentley is the sixth book in the “Do-It-Yourself” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, September 2012

Avery Baker never thought she’d leave Manhattan, until she inherited her aunt’s old Maine cottage and found her true calling—home renovation. But when Avery goes to work restoring a condominium, she discovers it’s another condo owner who’s been condemned.

Avery and her partner, Derek, are fixing up a cute little condo in homey Waterfield, Maine, hoping for a quick turnaround and some extra money. It seems like a simple project—and Avery is looking forward to using her big-city experience with small spaces.

But they didn’t expect to have their every move watched by the resident busybody in the condo, Hilda Shaw, who loves snooping on everyone’s comings and goings. When the busybody becomes a dead body, Avery suspects foul play. Soon she’s doing some snooping of her own—and it seems everyone in the complex has a secret. Could one of them be worth killing for? Avery needs to work fast, before someone decides to fix her…for good.

When their new nosy neighbor is found dead, the cops deemed it an accident, but not our Avery who sense something sinister, especially when she uncovers the dirty deed that Mrs Shaw was doing. Who wanted her dead? When another of the neighbor dies, the stakes are higher and a killer must be stopped before another life is lost.

This was a great read that I enjoyed immensely. This fast-paced, non-stop action whodunit kept me on my toes as I followed the moves that Avery made in unraveling a crime in her neighborhood. The author did a good job with the mystery that had me closely paying attention to the directions the clues were leading in exposing the killer. Avery is a great character and I love how she inserts herself in a case. With Derek by her side, they make an awesome crime-fighting duo. This was the best story yet in this fantastically appealing series and I can’t wait to see what’s next for our happy couple.