Carnegie is busy planning her best friend’s wedding on lovely San Juan Island. The paradise located in the Puget Sound is perfect for Lily’s wedding. Between the sunset views, lavender fields and picturesque forests, it’s a dream spot for a wedding and a honeymoon. It even gives Carnegie a chance to connect with her mother. Mom’s new beau has a summer home on the island and Carnegie arrives a few days early to meet the man’s family.

Unfortunately, while the view is spectacular, the company is the pits. Mom’s new beau is a wealthy man, and his two shrew grown daughters resent a gold digger sinking her claws into Daddy. Carnegie knows full well that her mother is no gold digger, and while she wasn’t wild about this new middle-aged romance, she’s determined to support Mom in the face of the two witches. However, when the handyman that worked at their home turns up dead, it soon casts a suspicious light on the man Mom has fallen in love with.

Carnegie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but then the police begin investigating her! She’s no murderer, but how to convince them of that, plan a wedding and figure out exactly where her own relationship is going?

Donnelly continues to write warm, fun stories and Carnegie Kincaid continues to be a heroine that readers can care about. She is an Every Woman, running her own small business planning weddings and trying to navigate her own sticky personal life. Her current beau is pulling away from her, and she’s sure a big break-up is in her near future. Meanwhile, one of the local detectives working the case has taken an interest in her.

While the view into Carnegie’s personal life will be a treat for fans, the mystery itself is lackluster compared to previous offerings. The author makes the mistake of telling, instead of showing, especially when it comes to a drug angle she throws into play. Also, the murder victim is only on stage briefly, and the reader doesn’t really climb inside his head too much. While death is always a sad affair, it’s hard to care about this murder when the victim himself is an enigma.

However, it’s still all fast and fun, with a wedding thrown in for some added drama. Fans should enjoy this installment, as it’s a nice entry to catch up with their favorite amateur sleuth. Newcomers should be able to follow along, but with a ho-hum mystery, it’s a mystery whether Carnegie’s love life will be enough to keep them engaged.

--Wendy Crutcher