Review: Stumbles but doesn't fall
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2013
My opinion of "Enemy at the Wedding" shifted several times during the course of reading the book.  I had read its predecessorsStrangers on This Road (Sliding Sideways Mystery #1)andDanger in Academia (Sliding Sideways Mystery #2)back-to-back and was predisposed to like it based upon my enjoyment of those installments.  I had given those books solid 4-star ratings, but didn't feel compelled to write a review until I was midway through "Enemy at the Wedding."  I gave it a 4-star rating, but it's not a solid 4.  Realistically, it's a 3.5.In any character driven series, the mains must evolve whether in personality, relationships or both in order to foster interest in the next book.  Don't be misled by the "Sliding Sideways Mystery" subtitle.  These books aren't classic mysteries.  Lainey isn't an amateur sleuth and the main focus isn't solving the crime.  The mystery is the vehicle Lainey uses to take the next step in her emotional development.  I thought Lainey was stagnant throughout most of the book.  Compared to Aiden's vibrant and distinct family members, Lainey faded into the background.  It wasn't until the end that Lainey really took center stage and I loved it.Having said that, the book felt less polished than the others.  There were sentences I had to read more than once due to either wonky structure, missing words or incorrect verb tense.  More disappointing to me (and a harbinger of what was to come), was a misspelling in the common saying "on the lam."  Reading the sentence "Had he been on the lamb all these years?" made for an interesting (and funny) visual, but jarred me out of the flow of the story."Enemy at the Wedding" relies heavily on the fact you've read the first two books.  The major conflicts and story lines have deep roots in book #1, and to a lesser degree, book #2.  It is definitely not a stand alone book.I recommend the series, but caution you to have patience with "Enemy at the Wedding."  It has a tendency to be a little flat at times, but there is an emotional payoff at the end.