Peaches and schemes

In Gerard's easy-going third Georgia B&B mystery (after 2020's Peachy Scream), kind, good-natured Nina Fleet, owner of Fleet House, a bed-and-breakfast in Cymbeline, Ga., decides to increase her income by offering Fleet House as a venue for weddings. To this end, she participates in the third annual Veils and Vanities Bridal Expo. Nina is grateful for the help and encouragement of new friend Roxanna Quarry, an event planner and "the queen of all things wedding." At the end of the bridal gown fashion show, an oversize faux wedding cake is rolled onto the runway. When it's opened, a lifeless Roxanna falls out with a scarf wrapped around her neck. With the aid of her handsome tenant Harry Westcott, an unemployed actor, Nina sets out to catch the killer. Along the way, she discovers that Roxanna often bent the truth to breaking point. Harry proves to be an unusual potential love interest, and pleasant characters compensate for the rushed ending. Cozy fans will find plenty to like. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary. (May)

Murder comes to a bridal expo. Nina Fleet is the proud owner of the Fleet House Bed and Breakfast in Cymbeline, Georgia. Although she's been cool to weddings ever since her own nasty but lucrative divorce, she sets up at a bridal expo after her new pal Roxanna Quarry suggests that it will provide great publicity. Nina's frenemy Harry Westcott, a handsome actor who's been looking for a new gig ever since his dreams of inheriting the house where Nina started her B & B fell through, has set up a booth offering himself as a professional "Plus One" for dateless wedding guests. Although Harry already has plenty of interest, Nina feels sorry for him. She's been letting him live rent-free in her tower room while he gets back on his feet and finds herself liking him more than she should. Even after overhearing several nasty fights between other expo exhibitors, she's shocked when Roxanna tumbles out of a faux cake, dead as a doornail. Despite her determination to mind her own business, Nina ends up rescuing Roxanna's goldendoodle, Gustopher, who's had play dates with her own dog. With help from Harry and a hidden key, she packs up everything Gustopher needs and takes him to Fleet House. Once home, she opens Gustopher's treat jar to discover$10,000 in cash packed inside. At length, her repeated glimpses of a mysterious silver car encourage her to snoop, and her past success as a detective is extended when she tracks down the killer. A nice combination of mystery, Southern charm, and budding romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.