About The Fixer Upper

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 15, 2010)
After her boss in a high-powered Washington public relations firm is caught in a political scandal, fledgling lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left almost broke, unemployed, and homeless. Out of options, she reluctantly accepts her father’s offer to help refurbish Birdsong, the old family place he recently inherited in Guthrie, Georgia. All it will take, he tells her, is a little paint and some TLC to turn the fading Victorian mansion into a real-estate cash cow.
But, oh, is Dempsey in for a surprise when she arrives in Guthrie. “Bird Droppings” would more aptly describe the moldering Pepto Bismol–pink dump with duct-taped windows and a driveway full of junk. There’s also a murderously grumpy old lady, one of Dempsey’s distant relations, who has claimed squatter’s rights and isn’t moving out. Ever.
Furthermore, everyone in Guthrie seems to know Dempsey’s business, from a smooth-talking real-estate agent to a cute lawyer who owns the local newspaper. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the pesky FBI agents who show up on Dempsey’s doorstep, hoping to pry information about her ex-boss from her.
All Dempsey can do is roll up her sleeves and get to work. And before long, what started as a job of necessity somehow becomes a labor of love and, ultimately, a journey that takes her to a place she never expected—back home again.

Photo Credit: Deborah Feingold

About Mary Kay

New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, and a diplomate of the Maas Brothers Department Store Charm School. She also has a journalism degree from The University of Georgia. (Go Dogs.) After a 14-year career as a reporter, mainly at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she quit newspapers to make a living telling lies. She wrote 10 critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Her new alias is a combination of her children’s names. Married to her high school sweetheart, she mostly lives in Atlanta, although sometimes also on Tybee Island, Georgia.
Connect with Mary Kay Andrews:

• On her website
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @mkayandrews

Mary Kay’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS

Wednesday, June 16th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, June 17th: Drey’s Library
Tuesday, June 22nd: Hospitable Pursuits
Wednesday, June 23rd: Café of Dreams
Friday, June 25th: Chick Lit Reviews
Tuesday, June 29th: I’m Booking It
Wednesday, June 30th: Books By Their Cover
Thursday, July 1st: Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Monday, July 5th: Heart 2 Heart
Wednesday, July 7th: Thoughts From an Evil Overlord
Thursday, July 8th: Til We Read Again

My Review
This was a very entertaining and witty book. I can't lie, it was very predictable but the charming and offbeat characters really kept me turning the page. This is the first book I have read by this author but will definitely not be my last. I highly recommend this book if you are going for a beach get away or sitting by the pool. It is a light, easy read with just enough substance to keep you wanting to read until the end.