From Publishers Weekly
In her 11th Jane Jeffry mystery (after The Merchant of Menace, 1998), Agatha Award-winner Churchill delivers another charming, if somewhat predictable, cozy. Looking to earn some extra money because her car is always having problems, widowed mom Jane takes on a job as wedding consultant to Livvy Thatcher, a young businesswoman. Jane then enlists her best friend and neighbor, Shelley Nowack, to help her. The wedding is to be held at an old family hunting lodge that was once a monastery, and it proves to be a somewhat spooky venue for the nuptials. After Jane and Shelley arrive at the lodge, the eccentric cast of characters (and eventual murder suspects) begins to gather: a mysterious, laconic caretaker whom Livvy calls "Uncle Joe"; Mrs. Crossthwait, a cranky, elderly seamstress; three bridesmaids; a caterer; and a florist named Larkspur, not to mention Livvy's elderly aunts. Add the bride and her father, an arrogant captain of industry, and the groom, his mother and brother, and the stage is well set for shenanigans. Larkspur tells Jane the story of a hidden family treasure, and later it is Larkspur who discovers Mrs. Crossthwait dead at the foot of the stairs. Did she fall, or was she pushed? To find out, Jane enlists the aid of her lover, Chicago cop Mel Van Dyne, who comes along to help the local police. Another murder puts a definite damper on the postwedding festivities, and soon after Jane and Shelley winkle out the solution. Though the identity of the killer will come as no great surprise, Churchill delivers a satisfying plot laced with subtle humor and some enjoyable gothic flourishes. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Chicago sleuth Jane Jeffry tries her hand at planning a wealthy acquaintance's weddingAin a rather dingy hunting lodge that started life as a monastery. Murder forces Jane back into sleuthing mode, however, to the delight of series fans. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
With calm efficiency and occasional grace, Jane Jeffry, who last year solved a murder while doing the Christmas baking (Merchant of Menace ), takes on the task of wedding planner for an acquaintance, Livvy Thatcher, who is too busy running her father's company to attend to her own nuptials. Jane attempts to organize the event, set to take place at Livvy's family's monastery turned hunting lodge, but there are numerous distractions: two antique aunts appear; Uncle Joe, the lodge caretaker, is snarly; and Larkspur the florist flits about searching for buried treasure. Worse, the bride seems distant, her father controlling, and the bridegroom sleazy. When murder enters the mix, Jane tries to keep the wedding on course while tracking strange noises, errant bridesmaids, and family secrets--ably assisted by her best friend, Shelley, and her sweetie, detective Mel. The mystery itself, a bit wobbly, is not the point here, but Jane is companionable, smart, and down to earth. GraceAnne A. DeCandido


From Kirkus Reviews
Chicago's feisty Jane Jeffrey (The Merchant of Menace, 1998, etc.) will take on almost any challenge. The latest is a favor (with pay) for acquaintance Livvy Thatcher, who runs her father Jack's novelty business and is about to marry slickly handsome Dwayne Hessling. Impressed with a neighborhood event run by Jane, Livvy hires her to manage the wedding: caterer, florist, and so on. It's to be held at the old Thatcher hunting lodge, long disused. Jane, helped by her best friend Shelley Nowack, is hard at work setting up rooms for family members, consulting with Larkspur the florist, Mr. Willis the caterer, and Mrs. Crossthwaite the dressmaker, whos still working on the dresses for bridesmaids Eden Matthews, Layla Shelton, and Kitty Wilson. Before they're finished, Mrs. Crossthwaite takes a fatal spill down the lodge's staircase under circumstances suspicious enough to bring Jane's detective boyfriend Mel VanDyne onto the scene. There's much gossip about a treasure rumored to be stowed somewhere on the premises by the family's wealthy founder; a bitter argument between Livvy and her father just before the ceremony, and a shocking discovery soon after it. All of this while Jane deals with the glitches endemic to the occasion and solves a murder to boot. Lots of subplots that go nowhere, but the cheerful flow of incidents and girl-talk makes Janes 11th outing as fun and forgettable as all the others. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jane Jeffry is planning a wedding-but not her own. She's being paid handsomely to create the fabulous event the bride's rich daddy has always dreamed of. With the help of her friend Shelley, who thinks holding a ceremony at a remote, falling down old monastery-turned-hunt club sounds like a hoot, Jane makes plans to turn the moosehead-lined halls of the ancient abbey into a wedding wonderland.

SYNOPSIS

"Jane Jeffry is irresistible."

-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

"Jill Churchill just keeps getting better and better."

-Kansas City Star

"Agatha Christie is alive and well writing under the name Jill Churchill."

-Nancy Pickard

"Churchill's cozy settings, beguiling plot and three dimensional characters will keep readers fully engaged and amused."

-Publishers Weekly

Jill Churchill is the winner of the Agatha and Macavity Mystery Readers Awards and was nominated for an Anthony Award for her best-selling Jane Jeffry series. She lives in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, with her husband and family.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In her 11th Jane Jeffry mystery (after The Merchant of Menace, 1998), Agatha Award-winner Churchill delivers another charming, if somewhat predictable, cozy. Looking to earn some extra money because her car is always having problems, widowed mom Jane takes on a job as wedding consultant to Livvy Thatcher, a young businesswoman. Jane then enlists her best friend and neighbor, Shelley Nowack, to help her. The wedding is to be held at an old family hunting lodge that was once a monastery, and it proves to be a somewhat spooky venue for the nuptials. After Jane and Shelley arrive at the lodge, the eccentric cast of characters (and eventual murder suspects) begins to gather: a mysterious, laconic caretaker whom Livvy calls "Uncle Joe"; Mrs. Crossthwait, a cranky, elderly seamstress; three bridesmaids; a caterer; and a florist named Larkspur, not to mention Livvy's elderly aunts. Add the bride and her father, an arrogant captain of industry, and the groom, his mother and brother, and the stage is well set for shenanigans. Larkspur tells Jane the story of a hidden family treasure, and later it is Larkspur who discovers Mrs. Crossthwait dead at the foot of the stairs. Did she fall, or was she pushed? To find out, Jane enlists the aid of her lover, Chicago cop Mel Van Dyne, who comes along to help the local police. Another murder puts a definite damper on the postwedding festivities, and soon after Jane and Shelley winkle out the solution. Though the identity of the killer will come as no great surprise, Churchill delivers a satisfying plot laced with subtle humor and some enjoyable gothic flourishes. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Chicago's feisty Jane Jeffrey (The Merchant of Menace, 1998, etc.) will take on almost any challenge. The latest is a favor (with pay) for acquaintance Livvy Thatcher, who runs her father Jack's novelty business and is about to marry slickly handsome Dwayne Hessling. Impressed with a neighborhood event run by Jane, Livvy hires her to manage the wedding: caterer, florist, and so on. It's to be held at the old Thatcher hunting lodge, long disused. Jane, helped by her best friend Shelley Nowack, is hard at work setting up rooms for family members, consulting with Larkspur the florist, Mr. Willis the caterer, and Mrs. Crossthwaite the dressmaker, who's still working on the dresses for bridesmaids Eden Matthews, Layla Shelton, and Kitty Wilson. Before they're finished, Mrs. Crossthwaite takes a fatal spill down the lodge's staircase under circumstances suspicious enough to bring Jane's detective boyfriend Mel VanDyne onto the scene. There's much gossip about a treasure rumored to be stowed somewhere on the premises by the family's wealthy founder; a bitter argument between Livvy and her father just before the ceremony, and a shocking discovery soon after it. All of this while Jane deals with the glitches endemic to the occasion and solves a murder to boot. Lots of subplots that go nowhere, but the cheerful flow of incidents and girl-talk makes Jane's 11th outing as fun and forgettable as all the others.