PREMEDITATED MORTAR

A dream job quickly becomes a nightmare for a California contractor.

Shannon Hammer has a thriving business in Lighthouse Cove specializing in rehabbing Victorian homes. When her bestie, Jane Hennessey, invests in a project to turn the Gables, a moldering but architecturally stunning former mental hospital, into a hotel and destination resort, Shannon is thrilled to get the job. Because she developed a romantic relationship with bestselling author Mac Sullivan while restoring his home, she’s excited that Rachel Powers, who’s running the project, has approached Mac as another possible investor. A smattering of protesters spoil the moment of groundbreaking with their demands that the Gables be burned down. Wondering whether the protesters were patients or workers there, Shannon can imagine why they might be unhappy after hearing an unhinged speech from the doctor who last ran the place. Even Jane, whose mother was a patient there, has plenty of unhappy memories. After her crew has started working, Shannon is pushed over a partially demolished brick wall and is lucky to escape with minor injuries. Removing the wall reveals the body of one of the protesters, leading Shannon and Mac to research the protester’s earlier life in order to help the police chief, who’s engaged to Shannon’s sister. Certain the answer is in the past, they uncover some horrifying stories of cruelty that suggest many possible motives for murder.

Like the Fixer Upper movies it’s spawned on the Hallmark Channel, this popular series hits just the right notes: mystery, romance, historical detail.