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Book Review
Reviewed: 02 March 2026

The Barn Identity

by: Diane Kelly

House-Flipper Mystery, Book 8

  • Rating: full starfull starfull starstar outlinestar outline (3.0/5)

Pregnant house-flipper Whitney is excited to take on her new project, breathing new life into a barn said to be a part of the Underground Railroad. That is, until she is awakened from a quick nap to find a dead body.

There was a lot in this story - history, property rehabbing, megachurch, and of course, sleuthing. I felt like several topics, almost too many, were hit upon. I am still not sure how they all fit the narrative. The story was steady, a little slow at times, but mostly steady. One of the things of note is that the investigation and a more realistic progression time-wise than most stories.

I thought Whitney’s sitting up front everywhere was odd. I would have thought it would have made more sense to sit in the back to observe the room. It’s minor, but it kept crossing my mind each time she did it.  I liked the animal cameras. I don’t see that often. Detective Alonzo’s questioning style is different from any I’ve read before. 

A good story with lots of interesting tidbits wrapped around a perplexing murder mystery. The author was also kind enough to share some recipes at the end.

Thank you, #NetGalley and #MinotaurBooks, for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts on this story.

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 31-March-2026
Cozy Mystery, NetGalley, Female-Led

Plot Summary

The eighth in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, TN, where the real estate market is to die for.

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 exposés 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?