Review by Booklist Review
Emily and Luke return to Stony Beach, Oregon, to settle into their new married life. But the minute they arrive, Emily's brother calls to say he and his fiancée, Lauren, hope to get married in the local church--in one month's time. He's wondering if Emily can host the entire wedding party, including Lauren's ubertraditional Chinese parents, at Emily's bed-and-breakfast. Then Emily's priest calls to ask if she can take in motherless teenager Charlotte and her legal guardian, Moses, who wants to adopt Charlotte after her stepfather abused her for years. But Janine Vertue, the social worker assigned to their case, is secretly working for Charlotte's stepdad and will do all she can to prevent the adoption. Then Janine is found murdered, and Moses seems the likely culprit. Chaos ensues as Emily, a talented amateur sleuth, and Luke, who's a local cop, try to find out who killed Janine. A complicated plot, well-drawn characters, warm-hearted moments juxtaposed with heart-stopping action, and a satisfying ending make this a good pick for cozy fans.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Their honeymoon over, Lt. Sheriff Luke Richards and his bride, Stony Beach Inn owner Emily Richards, return to Tillamook County, Oregon, for another round of nuptials and homicide. Emily's half brother, Oscar Lansing, is ready to tie the knot with psychology professor Lauren Hsu, but nothing else is ready. St. Bede's Church is undergoing intrusive reconstruction work, Oscar's forgotten to engage a photographer, and Emily's inn, which should be housing the wedding guests, is unexpectedly crowded. At the request of her former priest from Portland, she's taken in Moses Valory and his teenage ward, Charlotte, who doesn't speak, presumably as a result of the abuse she and her late mother, Faye Lovelace, suffered at the hands of Faye's common law husband, Terry Garner. Moses and Charlotte need to get away from Portland for a while, since in his search for Charlotte, Terry has engaged aggressively misnamed social worker Janine Vertue, who soon manages to unite the citizens of Windy Corner. They all hate her, a surprising number of them because, in the course of her career, she's threatened their own domestic happiness and peace. When Janine is found hanging in her bathroom at the inn, the only dissenting voice from the chorus of general contentment is that of Oscar, who forthrightly underlines the genre's priorities by asking, "Murder? Right before our wedding?" The obvious suspect turns out to be the killer, and Victor Hugo, the author honored in this installment of Hyde's franchise, makes a disappointingly marginal appearance. But the ceremony and reception come off fine, courtesy of an unexpected photographer. Strictly for fans whose expectations don't include any more novelty or mystery than you'd find at most weddings. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
