One for the Books

July 15, 2020
Murder threatens to silence wedding bells. Beloved Briar Creek library director Lindsey Norris is about to marry Mike Sullivan when disaster strikes. The small celebration they'd planned increases exponentially when Lindsey realizes that she accidentally gave the printer the original guest list, which was much larger. Fortunately, her friends and Sully's parents, who are hosting the wedding at their home on an offshore Connecticut island, are up to the task of reorganizing. But the death of Sully's old friend Steve Briggs, a wealthy corporate attorney who'd been scheduled to perform the ceremony, proves difficult to work around and involves Lindsey in a hunt for the killer. Steve is found lying on the beach near the home of Sully's parents, still in the elf costume he wore for a huge Christmas party at his home the night before. His boat is missing, and his head wounds don't look accidental. When they attended the party, Lindsey and Sully witnessed plenty of snark from Steve's gorgeous wife, a fight with his former law partner, an odd conversation with his brother, and a mysterious visit from a veiled woman in black. Finding someone to marry them is a comedy of errors, but hunting a killer is both so serious and so time-consuming that Lindsey despairs of getting to the church, or the island, on time. Not much mystery, but plenty of quirky characters enhance the library director's excellent 11th adventure.

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July 24, 2020

Library director Lindsey Norris and Capt. Mike "Sully" Sullivan thought they invited 35 guests to their small wedding on Bell Island. When their baker says their cake isn't going to be big enough, they realize a lot of the townspeople from Briar Creek are coming to the wedding. However, Sully's childhood friend and justice of the peace Steve Briggs is a calming influence. Or, at least he is until Lindsey and Sully find his body on Bell Island. Now, neither Lindsey nor Sully can appreciate the joy of their upcoming wedding until they find the person responsible for the murder. All the familiar characters return in this small-town mystery that combines murder, dramatic confessions, and a chase with the romance of a December wedding. McKinlay follows Word to the Wise with a mystery that unfortunately falls a little flat, but longtime readers won't mind. While many of the developments are easy to guess, the author's followers will celebrate the long-awaited wedding of the couple. VERDICT For readers who follow the series, this is another character-driven and atmospheric tale, only with less emotional intensity as the previous book.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2020
Lindsey and Sully are finally getting married. Their plan was to have a small gathering at the home of Sully's parents on one of the islands offshore from Briar Creek, the small town on the Connecticut coast where Lindsey is the librarian and Sully is a tour-boat captain. But Lindsey gave the printer the wrong invitation list, and most of the town will be in attendance! Visiting the island, the day after a Christmas party at the home of Steve Briggs, a corporate attorney and local justice of the peace, Lindsey and Sully find Briggs' body on the beach. They try to leave any investigating to the police chief, focusing instead on their wedding, which now requires finding someone to officiate in place of Briggs. But it's a small town, and the locals know that Sully and Briggs were childhood friends, so they share recollections of overheard conversations at the fateful party, each expanding the suspect pool. Fans of this series will love the scenes leading up to the wedding ceremony and the myriad ways the incidental characters have knit themselves into a supportive community.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)