Jazzi Zanders and her house flipping partners, cousin Jerod and live-in boyfriend Ansel, are doing some work for her sister Olivia on Olivia's new home. While there, Jazzi meets one of Olivia's neighbors, an elderly man named Leo who is out walking is dog. Jazzi learns from the man that there have been some mysterious goings-on in the neighborhood, including a young man named Miles who's gone missing. Jazzi hopes it's not another death, after being involved in her own murder investigation of a relative recently.

But when the dog finds Jazzi one day, and Leo is missing, she decides to let him have his lead, and he takes her directly to a shallow grave. Calling on her friend homicide detective Gaff, it turns out to be Miles. But that's not all -- there's another grave, and another body. Now Jazzi worries that Leo is also dead, and hopes it's not the case. Unfortunately, there's more to the story, and Jazzi can't help but get involved, even if it puts her own life on the line.

To make things worse, Ansel's sister comes calling, asking for his help. When his family turned him out, he vowed never to go back. But being pressured to help, he needs to leave for a couple of weeks, and Jazzi wonders if it's going to break their relationship. Still, with a killer on the loose, she needs to stay alert and hope for the best...

This is the second book in the series, and I wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't. I just found that it read more like a romance with a little mystery in it, and it should have been the other way around. I also thought it was rather an affront to those in the military, who are gone for months from their spouses and don't worry, while Jazzi is worried about a couple of weeks? My husband was gone for months and we never gave each other a thought as to this happening -- and that was even before we were married! So you can see why this would grate on me just a tad.

Then there's the fact that Gaff took her everywhere with him. What police detective would do this? You don't take civilians to question suspects, or visit them. Anyone who's ever read a police procedural would know this. It bothered me also a bit that this was so far off the mark. Also, all they ever drink is beer and wine. Where are the beer bellies? They aren't working all the time. Have these people ever heard of water or iced tea?

Then there's the bedroom antics. It's a mystery, and there was just too much. We get that they have the hots for each other. We get that it's a blooming relationship. We just don't need to know that when they're not working they're hitting the sheets...all the time. It takes away from the mystery, which is why I bought the book in the first place. Also, I knew who the murderer was the minute that person stepped on the page, but I do read a lot of these, so that's not a big deal and I wouldn't have allowed it to take away my enjoyment of the book at all.

But because of the above reasons, I didn't even care about the deceased persons, and I should have. But there wasn't enough to care about. It was all Jazzi and Ansel's sex lives and the food she made every Sunday for her family. This could have been a better book, and I wish it had been. However, since I did like the first in the series I am going to read the third and hope it picks up again to more of a mystery. ( )

Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod are donating a week's worth of labor to help Jazzi's sister, Olivia by replacing the roof and a few other repairs. A friendly elderly man with a dog attaches himself to Jazzi when out for walks in the neighborhood. When he goes missing, Jazzi is enlisted to help find out what happened by none other than the man's dog. Jazzi finds not the missing elder but 2 other bodies in shallow graves that the dog brings her to. When Detective Gaff is involved he utilizes Jazzi's detective abilities as well as her friendliness to help question the possible suspects.

This is a really good series. I am so happy to see a series where the police are not afraid to have citizens assist when warranted. The characters are so much fun, and I really enjoyed the romance that continues with Jazzi and Ansel.

Picking up the next in the series shortly. ( )

The sleuthing was good, the story was good and had lots of misdirections, the characters are great, the rehabbing was aces, but it sort of morphed into a romance novel a lot.
The narrator did a very good job. ( )

The Body in the Wetlands is the second novel in A Jazzi Zanders Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not picked up The Body in the Attic. I thought The Boyd in the Wetlands contained good writing and it proceeded at a fixed speed (I am tired of saying steady pacing) which makes it pleasant to read. The main characters are friendly and relatable. It is kind of Ansel, Jerod and Jazzi to take time off from their current flip to work on Olivia and Thane’s new home despite the hot August heat. I like that Jazzi is close to her family and that they have a big Sunday dinner each week. Ansel is estranged from his family after they forced him to depart from the family dairy farm after he graduated from high school. He is shocked when his brother calls because they need his help after Ansel’s father had surgery and his other brother fell off the roof breaking his leg. I could feel Ansel’s emotions. He is hurt by the way his family treated him and that they have only called him because they need help (and cannot afford to hire assistance). The mystery has red herrings to distract readers from solving this multifaceted whodunit. George, Ansel’s pug, is back plus Jazzi adds two new furry friends to the household who are adorable and mischievous. I was turned off by the excessive alcohol consumption by our characters, the focus on appearances and the attention paid to intimate relations. It was a little much for a cozy mystery. I am curious as to why permits are never mentioned when they plan their work. There is an especially sweet and romantic scene towards the end of the book that will delight readers. The Boyd in the Wetlands is an entertaining cozy mystery with house flipping, close friends, adorable fur babies, family drama, romance, two dead bodies, one missing person and a cagey killer. ( )

The Body In The Wetlands is the second book in the Jazzie Zanders Mystery series.

Jazzie Zanders, her cousin, Jerod, are house flippers and are usually busy renovating their recent purchase with the help of Jazzie’s hunky boyfriend, Ansel. Instead, they are helping out Jazzie’s sister renovate their recently purchased house. As they are starting to re-roof the house Jazzie notices an elderly gentleman, Leo, walking his retriever, Cocoa, and stops to chat with him. Leo tells her about a mentally challenged young man from the development who has gone missing. A couple of days later Cocoa comes running up to Jazzie and grabs a hold of the hem of her t-shirt and leads her to Leo’s house. She learns from Leo’s disabled wife that he never returned from the evening walk the previous night. Jazzi senses that Cocoa wants her to follow, so she grabs Cocoa lead and the set off. Cocoa soon leads Jazzi to a wetland area next to an apartment complex, where finds what appears to be a shallow grave. She immediately phones Detective Gaff to report her find. Once the crime scene begins their investigation, they are able to identify the body as that of the missing man. As they are searching for evidence, a second body is found in another shallow grave. This being the body of a young unidentified female. While the police begin to try and identify the young female, Jazzie sets off to find out what has happened to Leo. Gaff, having worked with Jazzi on a previous case for her help in learning who the young female is and what, if any, connection she might have to with the young man that was killed.

This is a wonderful follow-up to the first book in the series. It’s a well-plotted and told story and reads at a nice pace. The book has an enjoyable cast of believable cast of characters. I particularly like the gathering of family for Sunday dinner that Jazzi hosts. Also, recipes are included for some of her Sunday dinner items.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this enjoyable series, A Body In The Gravel, coming this September. ( )