Footprints in the Sand (Piper Donovan/Wedding Cake Mysteries)
Aspiring actress Piper Donovan and her parents are in Sarasota for the wedding of Piper’s cousin Kathy. Not only will Piper be the maid of honor, but she and her mother are also making the wedding cake, to be decorated with sugar sand dollars as befits the beachfront setting. Kathy and her fiancé, Dan, have planned a number of activities for the wedding party, including a visit to the aquarium where Dan works. But one of the bridesmaids is missing. Before the week is out, the celebration is marred with the discovery of her body, a hit-and-run accident injuring a kindly neighbor, and another murder. Piper, who has done some amateur sleuthing, is warned off by her boyfriend, an FBI agent, but she persists, listening carefully to what other guests are saying and intrigued by what she learns from the owner of the hotel and by the reactions of some members of the local Amish community. The result is an engrossing and textured mystery sure to delight Piper’s fans. --Karen Muller