‘Veiled Threats’ by Deborah Donnelly

Published by Dell Publishing,
1 January 2002.
ISBN: 978-0-440-23703-7 (PB)

Carnegie Kincaid is a wedding coordinator, who is beginning to make her name, and so when she gets the job of arranging the wedding of Nikki Parry, the Parry’s being one of the most prominent Seattle families, Carnegie is determined to make it the wedding of the year, with the hope that a successful event will bring in more contracts.

It sounds quite fun doesn’t it to be in a job where everyone is geared towards a happy occasion, but then there is 265 pounds of Slavic fury, Boris, the mad Russian florist, who having delivered and arranged his flowers, just never leaves, and best not move a single bloom of his arrangements. Always lurking, is silver-haired Dorothy Fenner, best known wedding consultant in the Northwest, who is not keen on a rival for the society weddings, and slipping quietly into the church for all weddings, homeless crazy Mary, who loves wedding cake.

Whilst coping with Nikki Parry’s stepmother  who has picked out the dress Nikki doesn’t want, and smoothing over various suppliers, Carnegie is plunged into murder: And why is someone stalking her and trying to destroy her good name? Who can she trust? Her partner who suddenly seems secretive, her new boyfriend, who seems too gorgeous to be true, or the annoying reporter who seems to turn up at inopportune moments.

This is a terrific read, great fun, a good mystery, and lots of interesting characters with whom I look forward to spending time with again. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

Deborah Donnelly is a sea captain's daughter who grew up in Panama, Cape Cod, and points in between. She attended Macalester College in St. Paul, and earned a masters in library science at the University of Washington. She's been cooking up stories ever since she could think. Deborah has occupied herself with several occupations. She's been an academic librarian in Walla Walla, an executive speechwriter in Seattle, and an improbable nanny in Singapore. Along the way she wrote science fiction that appeared in Asimov's, F&SF, and Universe - not to mention reprints in Portuguese and Lithuanian.