Contractor Shannon Hammer gets tangled up in murder at a spooky old asylum in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. . . . Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career. Her best friend Jane Hennessey has purchased one wing of the Gables, formerly the old state insane asylum, located on a bucolic hillside two miles northeast of Lighthouse Cove. Jane plans to turn her section into a small luxury hotel complete with twenty ocean-view rooms, a spa, and a restaurant. Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked-out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work . . . until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her. . . . A native Californian, New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle worked in television for many years before turning to writing. A lifelong fascination with the art and craft of bookbinding led her to write the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery, and murder. She is also the author of the Fixer-Upper Mysteries featuring small-town girl Shannon Hammer, a building contractor specializing in home restoration. Chapter One   MacKintyre Sullivan, world-famous crime novelist and former Navy SEAL, had the dark good looks of a movie star, with deep blue eyes, an awesome body, and a sexy smile. The first time I ever saw him, he made a big impression on me. And that was just from staring at his photo on the back cover of his latest Jake Slater thriller. In person, Mac looked even better.   Much like his daredevil fictional protagonist Jake, Mac Sullivan was also kind, courageous, and loyal, with a generous nature and a strong dose of cynical humor. Not to mention, he was brave and strong and-okay, I might be getting carried away.   I met Mac two years ago when my bicycle brakes malfunctioned while I was riding downhill on the highway. Rapidly picking up speed, I frantically struggled to keep the bike straight and avoid crashing into the guardrail. After surviving another hairpin turn, I strategically aimed for a safe-looking meadow. Unfortunately it was riddled with dirt clods, rocks, and slippery slimy mud under the grassy surface.   The bike made it only so far before ejecting me. I flew over the handlebars and skidded across the uneven surface, ending up sprawled facedown in a large puddle of thick mud and brush. Mac happened to be driving along the highway, saw it happen, and rushed to my rescue.   It might've been what you'd call a "meet cute," except for the fact that my face was smeared with mud and weeds and I was pretty sure I had a concussion. I had scrapes and bruises everywhere on my body, along with a twisted ankle. Not such a cute moment for me.   Later, Mac deduced that someone had deliberately tampered with my brakes. As it turned out, that "someone" was a crazed murderer. So, good times.   My name is Shannon Hammer and I'm a building contractor specializing in Victorian home restoration in Lighthouse Cove, a small coastal town in Northern California. Somewhere during those first few months, MacKintyre Sullivan and I became good friends and eventually more than friends, a fact that continued to surprise me and even caused me to pinch myself occasionally.   Like now, for instance. I was in my kitchen making dinner, checking on the baked potatoes, and as I closed the oven door, I glanced across the room-and there he was. The hunky megastar author was standing at the counter slicing cucumbers for our salad. He looked so cheerful and contented. Chopping up veggies, for goodness' sake.   Mac had been out of town for the past few weeks, visiting his agent and his editor and all the people who worked so hard to publish his bestselling thrillers. He and his agent were also working on the next Jake Slater movie deal. He had stopped off in Los Angeles for a few days to visit his adorable niece Callie and had only returned home yesterday. And first thing this morning, he was back at work on his current manuscript.   While he was on the road, Mac and I talked on the phone every night. We exchanged stories and laughed and told each other every little thing that had been going on in our lives. There was just one topic that never came up. We never talked about "us." We were friends, lovers, and always had a great time together. I knew how Mac felt about me and I felt the same way about him, so why would I want to rock the boat? It might get awkward. It might change everything. Why push it? Why take a chance that the conversation could twist the easygoing, warm,