Kittling: Books: Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay

First Line: "Too meringue, too low-cut, holy bananas, too high-cut!"

Lindsey Norris is about to start hyperventilating. She's getting married to the man of her dreams, yet there are all these wedding details and plans to deal with... it's almost more than she can take.

Then along comes a straw named Aaron Grady, determined to break the camel's back named Lindsey. With no encouragement whatsoever, Grady begins stalking Lindsey, making her life miserable, until his body turns up outside the library.

It's obviously a frame job to have the groom-to-be take the fall for murder, so Lindsey has to work fast to dig into her stalker's past to find the real killer and clear Sully's name. The woman is on a mission, do NOT get in her way!

Word to the Wise is 300-plus pages that come oh-so-close to being perfection. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was a killer who was a bit too easy to pick out of a lineup, but you know what? I don't care because I loved every other molecule of this story.

The more Jenn McKinlay writes, the better she gets-- and she was good to begin with. There's something for everyone in Word to the Wise: a killer to catch, wedding plans to carry out, a stalker to make readers' blood run cold, and meeting up with all these characters who have become good friends.

Being an introvert like Lindsey, I think McKinlay nailed her character's reactions to things like wedding planning and constantly being in a group of people (even when they're people she cares about). Then there's the ongoing evolution of a lemon called Ms. Cole. The Lemon has gone from the early days of me wanting to lock her in an iron maiden to now when I find myself cheering her on. Don't worry, though, all her rough edges have not been worn down!

For those readers like me who don't care for a lot of gushy romance stuff in their mysteries, McKinlay has a light touch that never makes me growl or scowl. And for those who appreciate scenes that ratchet up the suspense, I'll tell you right now that McKinlay's stalking scenes are right on target and so vivid that they brought back memories of the stalker I had to deal with. (Don't like to be too scared when you read a book? Don't worry. Jenn takes care of you.)

One element after another in Word to the Wise made this a gripping read, but if I had to choose one word to describe it, I would choose "happy." It made me smile and feel all's right with the world. This isn't the only book of Jenn McKinlay's to show the all-encompassing power of friendship, but it's certainly one of her best.

Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay

eISBN: 9780451492722

eBook, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #10 Library Lovers mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley