Police immediately latch onto Hayward's young assistant Billy Cobb, who is also Carmela's friend Tandy's nephew, as their prime suspect. Carmela's not so sure especially since Hayward is in the midst of an nasty divorce with new spa owner Jade Ellen and newly transplanted Yankee Dove Duval has an ax to grind after Hayward sold her a house full of antiques that turned out to be not authentic as claimed.

Carmela doesn't have time to become involved in an investigation as the French Quarter gears up for a spooky Halloween and her estranged husband Shamus shows up with requests that Carmela is not sure she wants to comply with. Yet she sees the investigation a little differently that the police do and wants to make sure the wrong person is not accused.

Photo Finished is a fast read that will appeal not only to scrapbooking fanatics but to cozy fans in general. Carmela has taken the art of preserving memories and has transcended the ordinary page, now encouraging her customers to expand their page designs to invitations, clothing and even glassware. The book is full of plenty of new ideas to get creative juices flowing.

Carmela is an exceedingly kind woman and continues to be more than civil to her estranged husband and even to his sister who forced Carmel out of her home. She has the perfect welcoming personality for her shop and clientele and the friends who rely on her.

While it seems a bit implausible that Carmela finds a clue in the alley where Hayward was murdered that the police missed, it is this bit of wax that finally helps Carmela puts all the pieces together. While suspects abound, there are enough carefully laid clues to lead to the correct suspect.

There is never really a satisfactory resolution between Carmela and her sister-in-law but her relationship with Shamus seems to have reached a turning point and Carmela seems ready to decide for herself which way she would like it to turn.

Photo Finished is full of crafty details that will have fans busily cutting, pasting and preserving while waiting for the next scrapbooking mystery.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry