After a slow build, we find ourselves in the midst of not just pressing wedding planning but murder, organized crime, and art forgery. While art issues seem more husband-to-be Dylan's forte, Carrie finds herself right in the middle of not just one but, whoa, three murder investigations. And, oh, poor Dylan is whacked over the head and an inherited painting stolen, too, not to mention they're dealing with Uncle Otto's hospitalization for a heart attack. No wonder Carrie's finding it difficult to focus of wedding plans.
The blurb does an excellent job sharing the plot, so won't get into that here. I'll note, however, that I missed library ghost Evelyn, who doesn't seem to have any real part to play in this story other than encouraging Carrie to investigate the death of her old friend Martha, who was killed in her family's art gallery. The art talk was interesting, but it's the characters that always draw me back, so missed Evelyn. Actually, maybe it was the stress, but Carrie didn't appear her usual rather focused self. She seemed almost happy to shove aside wedding plans to look into the murder, jumps to several conclusions, then insists she isn't investigating when pressed by several others.
One of her worries is art based, however, as she fears her extraordinary library staff member, Susan, may be being lured away by the art world. Friends and family are important. Carrie's dad, a retired, uh, criminal, or should I say reformed criminal now working for the right side of the law, gets involved in the main investigation, well, sorta, but is a help to Dylan as they try to sort through the art forgery ring. In other words, there are a great deal things going on, some seemingly related, some seemingly not. There are several suspects and, oh, yeah, many, many red herrings.
Bottom line, although I wasn't quite as tuned into this one as usual, I did enjoy the read and recommend it to others. While it works as a standalone, if you've read other books in the series it'll help you sort out the relationships and connections more quickly, I think. Dementia is involved in one situation, btw, so be aware. Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for inviting me to the opening of the library extension. It's been a long time coming! Now, let's get those wedding plans solidified, Carrie, now that you've found a perfect setting.
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