Alexander Kennedy and Louisa Meyer are back! And this time, they're digging up secrets in basements.
For Bill and Marty, two veteran house flippers, basements contain profit. Period. But as Alex and Louisa know, they also contain secrets, treasures and mysteries. When Alex is forced to resign from the police, he joins the boys on their next flip and stumbles into one riddle after another. At the same time, Louisa cleans out her father's basement and makes a troubling discovery about her own origins.
More than a whodunnit or mystery, Flip is about the lives of a city, the family histories that make up the evolving tapestry of urban existence. Together, Alex and Louisa explore those histories, including their own, which deepens and enriches their respect and love for each other.
"You know what?" said Louisa. "Marty's right. He's completely right. Throw it all in the bin. Don't go poking around down there. Basements, they're dangerous. Any secrets they've got aren't going to be good ones. Anything good stays upstairs in picture frames and photo albums. It's all out in the open. Everyone loves to reminisce about it. Everyone talks about it. Everyone has hilarious stories. What's in the basement-it's down there for a reason. In the basement, you're taking your chances. You're going to open a wound, find out something that couldn't hurt you till you saw it."
Do you need to read the Kennedy-Meyer novels in order?
Not at all! Each novel is standalone and can be read in any order. Of course we'd encourage you to read them all, but you can start wherever you wish. The series includes the following:
We All Wish: The original Kennedy-Meyer crime drama
Flip: Kennedy-Meyer 2
I'm Just Sayin', Right? : Kennedy-Meyer 3 (upcoming)
Yes to the em dash, no to AI
Like many of his literary heroes (John Irving, Tana French, Martin Cruz Smith), Vincent Gardner employs the em dash. It helps give his writing an inviting, conversational tone. These days, some readers see the em dash as an AI 'tell'. But not in Gardner's case. He refuses to use AI for any part of the writing adventure, not for ideas, themes, plot lines, writing, editing, revision or cover creation. His work is entirely his own, em dashes and all. Happy reading!