March 21, 2005
In Donnelly's latest mystery featuring sassy and sarcastic Seattle wedding planner Carnegie Kincaid (after 2003's May the Best Man Die
), Carnegie is reluctant to return home to Sun Valley, Idaho, to attend the nuptials of her glamorous pal Tracy, now a Hollywood star, who's managed to snag the object of Carnegie's long ago (and current) desire, Jack "the Knack" Packard. But when Carnegie's least favorite cousin, Brian, dies in a smoke-jumper accident, Carnegie heads for beautiful Sun Valley, where she gets hooked into last-minute planning for the giant shindig as well as helping investigate Brian's mysterious death. Because the wedding relates only peripherally to the world of smoke jumping and thus the crime, the novel can be bumpy, focusing on orange tiramisu cake at one moment and covert visits to the smoke jumpers' base at the next. Additionally, unlike the larger-than-life characters involved in the wedding (i.e., the quivering mother-of-the-bride and Boris, the exuberant Russian florist), those with motive to do Brian in never develop in their own right. This, plus a pat denouement, stunt the mystery, though some readers may still enjoy this cozy's comic moments. Agent, Laura Blake Peterson.