
The Barn Identity
A House-Flipper Mystery
Diane Kelly(Author)
Minotaur Books,US (Publisher)
Published on 18. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-250-35934-6 (ISBN)
Description
In Nashville, carpenter Whitney Whitaker is ecstatic when she discovers an abandoned barn perfect for her next project. However, since the surrounding former farmland has now developed into a shiny new shopping center, it seems the decrepit antebellum barn that once served as a livery stable should be torn down to make way for something more modern. Even so, Whitney can't help but think the barn should be preserved. While unproven, it's rumored the building once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. She convinces her cousin to take a chance on the old property. After all, the barn would make a unique retail space or, with its high ceilings and wide walls, could be turned into an arthouse cinema.
When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposes he'd published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there's more to the story, and that the journalist's fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?
When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposes he'd published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there's more to the story, and that the journalist's fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
St Martin's Press
Dimensions
Height: 105 mm
Width: 173 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
156 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-250-35934-6 (9781250359346)
DOI
9781250359346
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Diane Kelly is a former state assistant attorney general and tax advisor who spent much of her career fighting, or inadvertently working for, white-collar criminals. She is also a proud graduate of the Citizens Police Academy of Mansfield, Texas. Diane combines her fascination with crime and her love of animals in her stories, which include the Paw Enforcement series, the House-Flipper Mysteries, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Diane now lives in North Carolina, where she spends her days catering to her demanding cats or walking her dogs in the region's beautiful woods.