Murder and a Wedding

Sometimes planning a wedding makes a person want to commit murder, but in Christa Nardi's Murder and a Wedding, Professor Sheridan Hendley has to solve one first. When Sheridan's boyfriend Brett and his daughter Maddie propose to her, Sheridan is thrilled and unsure what comes next.

No problem. Teenager Maddie knows all about wedding planning and volunteers to organize the event. But before they can even begin to plan, they stumble on a body in the woods. Coincidentally the body is identified as Franklin Meissner, the man who runs Hidden Oaks, a wedding venue Sheridan has planned to visit.

Although the victim appeared to be beaten, he showed no signs of defensive wounds and a new injection site. This bewildering combination has Brett and Sheridan scratching their heads. 

The wedding is taking front and center in her life, but her decision to resign from Cold Creek College, Virginia, has her colleagues throwing fits of despair. Her best friend Kim is sure they will lose contact, and self-centered Max, who is always threatening to leave himself, is annoyed. When the department chair orders Sheridan to write the job announcement and head the search committee, she is shocked and dismayed at the extra load, especially as the wedding planning has intensified.

Despite the manager being murdered, Sheridan and Brett (and Maggie) decide on Hidden Oaks for their wedding. Each time Sheridan visits Hidden Oaks, she comes away with a disconcerting feeling that she is missing something. As the police dig deeper they discover many secrets.

As Sheridan is leaving her job at Cold Creek College and moving away, I hope this isn't the last we hear from her. Author Christa Nardi has not decided how she will handle the series in the future. Let's hope Sheridan Hendley is with us in another book.

For a review of another Christa Nardi's books, click here