Listen free for 30 days
-
A High-End Finish
- Narrated by: Angela Starling
- Series: Fixer-Upper Mysteries, Book 1
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £19.39
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
This Old Homicide
- By: Kate Carlisle
- Narrated by: Angela Starling
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Contractor and part-time sleuth Shannon Hammer specializes in improving the quirks and flaws of the Victorian homes in Lighthouse Cove, California. The quirks and flaws of their residents are another story... Valentine's Day is approaching, and while Shannon is delighted to be friends with not one but two handsome men, not everyone in town is feeling the love. After her elderly neighbor Jesse Hennessey fails to make his daily appearance at the local diner, Shannon swings by his place to check on him.
-
-
A Fixer Upper Mystery
- By AZ on 28-04-17
-
The Great Witches Baking Show: Books 1-3
- Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set
- By: Nancy Warren
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the Great British Baking Contest competition tent, there's more at stake than winning the title of Best Baker in All of Britain. For amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson, there are mysteries to solve, secrets and lies, even murder. As a fledgling witch, Poppy's having enough trouble controlling her sponge cake, never mind trying to control her powers.
-
-
Pretty good fun cosy mystery
- By Mrs.SJK. on 17-02-22
-
The Lost Women of Lost Lake
- By: Ellen Hart
- Narrated by: Aimee Jolson
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man who claims to be a journalist has arrived in Lost Lake with an old photograph and some questions for Tess that go back decades. His questions have put her on edge, and when he shows up peeking through her kitchen window, everyone else is right there with her. As beloved as Tess is, there are plenty of people who don't care about any so-called journalist and are happy to protect her, but how far are they willing to take it? And when will they need answers to questions that that only Tess can provide?
-
-
Missing Jane and cordelia
- By ChrystalClear on 27-05-15
-
Lowcountry Boil
- A Liz Talbot Mystery
- By: Susan M. Boyer
- Narrated by: Loretta Rawlins
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. But when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated.
-
-
Series has potential; narrator needs work
- By Sharon on 14-12-19
-
Dead and Breakfast
- A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery
- By: Kate Kingsbury
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melanie West is getting her life back on track after a messy divorce when her grandmother, Liza Harris, asks her to join her in opening a bed-and-breakfast inn. Together, Liza and Melanie purchase a purportedly haunted mansion on the Oregon coast and jump right into clearing out the cobwebs. But while attempting to remove wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom, the new B&B owners stumble upon a very real skeleton in their closet.
-
-
Cosy mystery
- By Rosemary White on 01-08-21
-
Homicide in Hardcover
- A Bibliophile Mystery
- By: Kate Carlisle
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The streets of San Francisco would be lined with hardcovers if rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright had her way. And her mentor wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood on the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration. With his final breath he leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, and gives her a priceless - and supposedly cursed - copy of Goethe's Faust for safekeeping.
-
-
One to be avoided
- By Catriona on 21-06-15
-
This Old Homicide
- By: Kate Carlisle
- Narrated by: Angela Starling
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Contractor and part-time sleuth Shannon Hammer specializes in improving the quirks and flaws of the Victorian homes in Lighthouse Cove, California. The quirks and flaws of their residents are another story... Valentine's Day is approaching, and while Shannon is delighted to be friends with not one but two handsome men, not everyone in town is feeling the love. After her elderly neighbor Jesse Hennessey fails to make his daily appearance at the local diner, Shannon swings by his place to check on him.
-
-
A Fixer Upper Mystery
- By AZ on 28-04-17
-
The Great Witches Baking Show: Books 1-3
- Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set
- By: Nancy Warren
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the Great British Baking Contest competition tent, there's more at stake than winning the title of Best Baker in All of Britain. For amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson, there are mysteries to solve, secrets and lies, even murder. As a fledgling witch, Poppy's having enough trouble controlling her sponge cake, never mind trying to control her powers.
-
-
Pretty good fun cosy mystery
- By Mrs.SJK. on 17-02-22
-
The Lost Women of Lost Lake
- By: Ellen Hart
- Narrated by: Aimee Jolson
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man who claims to be a journalist has arrived in Lost Lake with an old photograph and some questions for Tess that go back decades. His questions have put her on edge, and when he shows up peeking through her kitchen window, everyone else is right there with her. As beloved as Tess is, there are plenty of people who don't care about any so-called journalist and are happy to protect her, but how far are they willing to take it? And when will they need answers to questions that that only Tess can provide?
-
-
Missing Jane and cordelia
- By ChrystalClear on 27-05-15
-
Lowcountry Boil
- A Liz Talbot Mystery
- By: Susan M. Boyer
- Narrated by: Loretta Rawlins
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. But when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated.
-
-
Series has potential; narrator needs work
- By Sharon on 14-12-19
-
Dead and Breakfast
- A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery
- By: Kate Kingsbury
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melanie West is getting her life back on track after a messy divorce when her grandmother, Liza Harris, asks her to join her in opening a bed-and-breakfast inn. Together, Liza and Melanie purchase a purportedly haunted mansion on the Oregon coast and jump right into clearing out the cobwebs. But while attempting to remove wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom, the new B&B owners stumble upon a very real skeleton in their closet.
-
-
Cosy mystery
- By Rosemary White on 01-08-21
-
Homicide in Hardcover
- A Bibliophile Mystery
- By: Kate Carlisle
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The streets of San Francisco would be lined with hardcovers if rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright had her way. And her mentor wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood on the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration. With his final breath he leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, and gives her a priceless - and supposedly cursed - copy of Goethe's Faust for safekeeping.
-
-
One to be avoided
- By Catriona on 21-06-15
-
The Oxford Tearoom Mysteries Box Set Collection I
- Prequel + Books 1 & 2
- By: H.Y. Hanna
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scones, a tea shop in England, a kitty, and a murder...yes, please! Enjoy the first three books in the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries, in one handy collection! Join tearoom sleuth Gemma Rose, her mischievous feline Muesli, and the nosy Old Biddies as they tackle murder and mystery in the beautiful city of Oxford - not to forget the delights of delicious baking and afternoon tea in a quaint English village!
-
-
These were great
- By Rory on 18-03-18
-
Murder at the Manor: A 1920s Cozy Mystery
- A Tommy & Evelyn Christie Mystery
- By: Catherine Coles
- Narrated by: Alex Lee
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evelyn Christie has resigned herself to another long, boring weekend at Hessleham Hall, the home of her husband, Tommy's, family. However, it turns out to be anything but dull when his uncle, the Earl of Northmoor, is shockingly murdered! Evelyn must use all of her sleuthing knowledge, gained whilst she was a member of the Police force during the war, to find out who the murderer is before the bungling local police force decide the Earl was bumped off so Tommy could inherit his title.
-
-
Story ok
- By Anon on 20-01-21
-
The Bookshop Murder
- An Absolutely Gripping Cozy Mystery (A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 1)
- By: Merryn Allingham
- Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The young man with the shock of white-blond hair lay spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by fallen books. His hand reached out to the scattered pages, as though he was trying to tell her something. But who is he? How did he come to be killed in Flora’s ordinary little bookshop? Flora finds out he was staying at the Priory Hotel, and when the gardener suddenly dies in its beautiful grounds only a few days later, she is certain that something untoward is happening in her quiet village by the sea.
-
-
A great listen!
- By Nikki on 11-11-21
-
Murder at the Savoy
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September 1940. The height of the Blitz. When the Savoy advertises its series of underground shelters, a crowd of people from East London arrive at the hotel and demand entry. There they find a shelter worthy of the Savoy's clientele, but the next morning, after the air raid and when the Stepney protestors have left, it is discovered that one of the hotel's guests is dead, stabbed through the heart.
-
-
Brilliant story.
- By Andrea on 23-05-22
-
Murder at the National Gallery
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: Peter Wickham
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
'The Museum Detectives' Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton have been contacted by the curator of the National Gallery. He is getting in touch at the request of the artist, Walter Sickert, famously suspected of being Jack the Ripper. The dead body of a young woman, who had been an artist's model, has been found at the back of the gallery, and Sickert has been arrested on suspicion of her murder. When a second similar murder occurs, Sickert is once again implicated.
-
-
Always a treat
- By Ruth Crofts on 06-03-22
-
Dark, Witch & Creamy
- Bewitched by Chocolate Mysteries, Book 1
- By: H.Y. Hanna
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caitlyn's world changes when she learns that she was found as an abandoned baby and adopted by her American family. Now, her search for answers takes her to a tiny English village where a man has been murdered - and where a mysterious shop selling enchanted chocolates is home to the "local witch".... Soon Caitlyn finds herself fending off a toothless old vampire, rescuing an adorable kitten and meeting handsome aristocrat Lord James Fitzroy...not to mention discovering that she herself might have magical blood in her veins!
-
-
Fluffy
- By M.D on 31-01-19
-
A Spoonful of Murder
- By: J.M. Hall
- Narrated by: Julie Hesmondhalgh
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their ‘coffee o’clock’ sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre café. But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy. By the next Thursday, Topsy’s dead. The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder. But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye - and it’s down to them to prove it.
-
-
Will Not Disapoint ! ! !
- By Miss G. B. Abraham on 20-03-22
-
Knit One, Kill Two
- A Knitting Mystery, Book 1
- By: Maggie Sefton
- Narrated by: Jane Jacobs
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kelly Flynn never picked up a pair of knitting needles she liked—until she strolled into House of Lambspun. Now, in the first in a brand-new series, she learns how to knit one, purl two, and untangle the mystery behind her aunt's murder.
-
-
Great story but natrater not great
- By C j on 25-03-22
-
Murder Past Due
- Cat in the Stacks Mystery
- By: Miranda James
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There's a cat in the stacks...and he makes the purr-fect partner for a librarian-turned-sleuth. Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows librarian Charlie Harris - and his Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. They also know his former classmate-turned-famous best-selling novelist, Godfrey Priest. But someone in Athena took Godfrey off the best seller lists - permanently, and with extreme prejudice. Now, Charlie and Diesel must browse through the history section of the town's past to find a killer.
-
-
A darned Good read.
- By IAN on 08-08-16
-
The Ghost of Marlow House
- Haunting Danielle Series, Book 1
- By: Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre
- Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she's never visited the property, Danielle's not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn't expect to find one of the house's previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost 90 years - shouldn't he have moved on by now? Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death.
-
-
A Great Ghostly Cozy Mystery
- By Flora on 23-01-20
-
Pineapple Lies
- Pineapple Port Mysteries 1
- By: Amy Vansant
- Narrated by: Rosemary Benson
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in one of Florida's age-55-plus communities, Charlotte never expected life to be wild. Golf cart racing with her surrogate mothers Mariska and Darla was about as nutty as life got... until she found the hot pawnbroker's mom buried in her backyard.
-
-
Laugh-aloud funny!
- By J. Harper on 09-09-15
-
A Body at the Altar
- An Utterly Gripping Murder Mystery You’ll Finish in One Sitting
- By: Dee MacDonald
- Narrated by: Jane McDowell
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nurse Kate Palmer thought the pretty Cornish village of Tinworthy would be the perfect place for a peaceful retirement. She couldn’t have been more wrong! But even she is shocked when she attends a beautiful wedding at St. Pirin’s Church and the handsome groom drops dead in front of her very eyes.
Summary
First in a new series!
In the seaside town of Lighthouse Cove in northern California, everyone knows the best man for the job is actually a woman - contractor Shannon Hammer. But while Shannon can do wonders with a power drill and a little elbow grease, she's about to discover that some problems aren't so easily fixed... Shannon's home-renovation and repair business is booming, but her love life needs work. On a blind date with real-estate agent Jerry Saxton, she has to whip out a pair of pliers to keep Jerry from getting too hands on. Shannon is happy to put her rotten date behind her, but when Jerry's found dead in a run-down Victorian home that she's been hired to restore, the town's attractive new police chief suspects that her threats may have laid the foundation for murder.
Determined to clear her name, Shannon conducts her own investigation - with the help of her four best friends, her eccentric father, a nosy neighbor or two, and a handsome crime writer who's just moved to town. But as they get closer to prying out the murderer's identity, Shannon is viciously attacked. Now she'll have to nail down the truth - or end up in permanent foreclosure....
More from the same
What listeners say about A High-End Finish
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- kirsty
- 12-09-19
Really enjoyable
This is kinda my first trek into murder mystery novels, don’t really enjoy them, find some of the big known named authors go really dark and it puts me off!
This really surprised me really drawn in from the start, slow build so you got to know the characters, was really funny in parts, and I did find the description of architecture wonderfully done, not to much written but still enough that you got a sense of the building!
Overall a really good book, I have now brought books 2 and 3, so I hoping they’re are good!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- IAN
- 12-02-15
Home-renovation, pink tools and murder!
First in the Fixer-upper mystery series.
Read the paperback when it first came out. Now I have gone back and listened to the audiobook. Which is well narrated by Angela Starling.
Home-renovation and repair business is booming, in the seaside town of Lighthouse Cove in northern California. And aptly named Shannon Hammer is the best in the business.
When the body of a previous blind date, ends up dead on one of her work sites. Murdered with one of Shannon's signature pink work tools. Shannon becomes prime suspect. When a second murder happens, with another of Shannon's tools. She has to now clear her name, before the New Chief of Police arrests her for double murder.
With a good set of characters, in a well plotted and written mystery.
I loved and enjoyed this mystery the first time round, and it was even better listening to the narration from Angela Starling the second time.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Diana
- 19-12-14
It was ok
This was a decent beginning to a new series. The lead character is a confident, and intelligent woman. However, her life is lacking "something" because she is not in a relationship. After going on an unsuccessful blind date and being accused of murder, her life improves because she now has two potential love interests. Oh, and she solves a murder. Like I said, this is a decent debut but typical.
50 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kindle Customer
- 23-03-16
Yuck
This book isn't good enough to hold the interest of an adolescent female. The mystery is "unfair" and the attempts at "romance novel" are boring . The plot is shallow and the text is repetitive . So YUCK
59 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Donna
- 02-12-15
Straight from the halls of middle school
What disappointed you about A High-End Finish?
Too much ditzy headed reasoning, especially from the main character.
Has A High-End Finish turned you off from other books in this genre?
No as it is a poorly written imitation of a book in this genre.
What about Angela Starling’s performance did you like?
She wasn't bad, considering she was performing a story that portrayed a woman who acted and reasoned like a especially fluff headed thirteen year old.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really
105 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rusty
- 28-02-16
Inconsistent Character
I wanted to like A High End Finish, the 1st in a series about carpenter & small business owner Shannon. I liked the idea of a capable and intelligent female character who worked in construction, a predominately male industry.
Unfortunately, Shannon was too inconsistent to be interesting to me. While she was strong enough to fight off a sexual attack, Shannon allowed an obnoxious tourist (staying in one of her guest rooms) to insult her. The part when an entire town allowed one snotty, belligerent man to bully all their hospitality businesses for 2 weeks was ridiculous.
The murder mystery was relatively well done. The author showed some talent and humor, so I would try another book by Kate Carlisle.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Christina
- 23-07-15
Great cozy mystery with a great lead character!
I am a cozy mystery enthusiast & this was a great listen & a great series to get into. The main character Shannon is so easy to love & it's exciting to follow her and try to solve this mystery step by step. I also liked it because you have clues the whole way that let you make a good guess about who the killer is. In some cozy mysteries they don't introduce you to the killer until the end they pull someone out of left field & it ends up being disappointing. This was a great listen & I can't wait to keep going!
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rosemary
- 20-02-15
A Deadly Finish
Shannon Hammer runs a home-renovation and home repair business. She took over the company after her father's heart attack. She's good at what she does and loves her seaside town of Lighthouse Cove. Her life changes when a blind date with Jerry Sexton goes horribly wrong and he assaults her. She threatens him. Then he's murdered and she finds the body. Now she's a suspect. Who's setting her up? I cared for Shannon. She's a feisty and a gutsy heroine. When her life is turned upside down, she gets down to business and tries to find the killer. Her meddling friends add their help. Her support group is fun and loving. I liked them. They are zany and crazy. Sherriff Eric Jensen may have been tough on her but he is attracted to Shannon. He captured my interest and I liked him. He's intelligent and caring. Author Mac Sullivan, a best selling novelist, is charismatic and charming and interested. Two attractive men who care about her. Wow! This a fast-moving and highly intriguing story that had me hooked. The careful plotting kept me guessing until the very end. The setting and the dialogue were perfect and added to the suspense. The narration of A High-End Finish was so well done that the characters came to life. Angela Starling did a wonderful job. I'm looking forward to the next book in this new series (A Fixer-Upper Mystery). Kate Carlisle has written a suspenseful cozy mystery that has a touch of romance.
48 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Karen
- 12-03-15
Nice, easy mystery read.
Good narration, door left open to future stories. Generally I like stories to end but authors today seem to like to write multiples with one ventral character. I'm trying to adjust.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Marybeth
- 04-05-15
Not sure how I feel.
I am not sure how I feel. This is my first book by Kate Carlisle that I have read and I don't think I will read another. The story was off somehow. Not really sure what it was. The writing seemed juvenile. The reason for the murders was stupid.
Angela Starling did a great job. Good cadence, distinct voices of the characters, nice voice. She was not the problem.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jerry
- 22-03-15
Nice Read
An entertaining murder mystery. Light hearted but not silly. The writer did add some nice plot twists. I hope you enjoy the read.
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Bill SR.
- 01-05-20
Another great Series
I have been a great Kate Carlisle fan for a long time. My wife heard me listening to ‘High End Finish’, and was quickly hooked. We listened to this whole series then went through the ‘Bibliophile’ books. Now we are going through the’Fixer Uppers’ again. We especially love Kate’s character development over time. Once you reach the end of a series,you are still learning about characters introduced in the first book written. These characters become friends. Keep them coming Kate!
2 people found this helpful