Monday, June 23, 2014

Book Review: Engaged In Murder

Engaged in Murder (Perfect Proposals #1)Author: Nancy J. Parra
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Perfect Proposals # 1


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… 


Perfectly Proper Pepper Pomeroy – that’s what they called me in school. I was quite proud of the nickname until I realized they were poking fun at me. You see, try as I may, I’m neither perfect nor proper.

Should I say something and ruin Felicity’s big moment, or should I wait until my sister said yes before I mention the drunken man in the ladies’ room?


Maybe, just maybe, I could make something out of the ruins of my life.

Pepper Pomeroy is still recovering from the fact that she has just been let go from her job as an event planner, when her sister’s boyfriend, Warren, asks her to help him come up with the perfect proposal for her sister. Pepper is used to this; she views it as just another event that needs planning. Warren’s plan is to lure his girlfriend, Felicity, onto his private jet, propose, and then whisk her off for a romantic vacation. Pepper is excited and might even start her own business as an event planner, that is until she finds a dead man in the ladies bathroom of Warren’s plane. When all fingers point to Warren, Pepper knows she must set out in pursuit of what really happened before she agrees to let her sister marry a potential murderer.

I am already a fan of Parra’s other mystery series, so I had no doubt that this one would rank at the top of my charts as well. I am even more excited for this series because of the protagonist, Pepper Pomeroy. She is truly an extraordinary character. She has fiery red hair and is a little bit jealous of her sister’s lifestyle. She is flawed and does not claim to be perfect. In fact, Pepper Pomeroy is a little bit of a mess, but that why I felt so connected to her character. She feels real in every way! And I just love her name; it really feels like it belongs to an amateur sleuth!

I follow many cozy mystery series, and all of them have a different concept and usually focus around different occupations, places, etc. This is the first series I have read that has to do with event planning, and even more specifically wedding proposals. I think this is a fresh new take for the cozy mystery world. Not that I don’t love all the stories that are set in bookstores, bakeries, and big towns, but this just gives me one more series to love and adore. The mystery was well-written and not something I was able to solve right away either.


***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Berkley in exchange for my honest review***

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