Engaged in Murder by Nancy J. Parra is the first book in the new “Perfect Proposals” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, June 2014

There’s no planning for murder…

Event planner Pepper Pomeroy is making the most of her current unemployment by arranging a surprise for her sister, Felicity. Warren, Felicity’s boyfriend, plans to lure his lovely lady into a private jet, propose, and whisk her away on a romantic vacation. He just needs Pepper to handle all the fine details in order to make it the perfect proposal—and it is. Everything goes so well when Warren pops the question that he suggests Pepper do this sort of thing professionally.

But before she can get her new business off the ground, there are some disturbing questions. Like who’s the dead guy Pepper finds in the ladies’ room of the jet hangar? Is it possible Felicity’s high-flying fiancé has been hiding more than the engagement ring? Pepper’s not married to the idea of having a criminal in the family, so in order to protect her sister, she takes off in pursuit of a killer.

Being at the wrong place puts Pepper on the trail of a murderer when her sister’s fiancé is arrested. What follows is a wonderfully crafted light whodunit filled with a mystery that fueled my interest with every page that I turned. The pace was comfortable and the action was non-stop as our heroine took all opportunities possible to expose a killer. The author did a great job in setting this drama up with plenty of suspects and it was fun watching how it all played out. I like Pepper is and I hope we get to see more of her and her blossoming professional business and prospering relationship. This was a great debut novel that grabbed my attention immediately from the beginning and kept its hold even when I turned the last page. I can’t wait to see what exciting new adventures Pepper will take us on in the next book in this pleasantly appealing series.

previously posted on the Cozy Chicks blog