ONE FOR THE BOOKS finds Lindsey and Sully a week away from their wedding when they discover the friend who is to perform the ceremony dead on the beach at Bell Island.

Unfortunately, that is not the only challenge to the upcoming nuptials. A mix-up with the guest list invites over 100 folks to the “tiny wedding” on Bell Island. Lindsey quickly confirms the mistake and enlists help to prepare for the increased number - a bigger cake, lots more food, and wedding favors. Lindsey’s friends, Nancy and Violet, offer to assist, and they, along with Sully, visit Bell Island to start getting organized. In a shocking development, Lindsey and Sully find Steve Briggs’ body on the beach, and the police chief, Emma, declares that it is murder.

With their officiant dead just days before the wedding, Lindsey and Sully begin their search for a replacement. The wedding venue is now a crime scene, and Lindsey and Sully want to find Steve’s killer before the event. The list of suspects includes Steve’s wife Jamie, his brother Nate, and his former law partner, Tony Mancusi. Steve and Jamie disagree on having children. No one knows the subject of Nate and Steve’s most recent argument. Tony threatens Steve when Steve kicks Tony out of their law partnership. While Tony is the prime suspect but turns up missing.

With only a few days before their marriage is to occur, Lindsey and Sully are interviewing possible officiants, investigating suspects’ alibis, motives, and opportunities, and keeping the wedding on track. Robbie Vine, an English actor, and Emma’s boyfriend offers to help Lindsey with sleuthing duties as he has done in past novels.

A gifted storyteller, Jenn McKinlay, writes a mystery that combines the challenges of wedding planning with the search for the killer in a very engaging narrative. The characters are well-developed, and relationships comfortable. Red herrings, twists, and a few unexpected situations keep the pace steady. While the outcome is somewhat predictable, the path to reach the answer easily teases the reader along. ONE FOR THE BOOKS is well done and quite entertaining.