Veiled Threats

Carnegie Kincaid #1

by Deborah Donnelly

You are cordially invited. . . . Don’t miss amateur detective Carnegie Kincaid, expert in all things matrimony and murder, in the Hallmark original movie Wedding Planner Mystery on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries!

A WEDDING TO DIE FOR . . .

When love is in the air, Carnegie Kincaid is not far behind. A wedding planner who works out of her Seattle houseboat, Carnegie makes magic—usually—with fractious families, brimming brides, and cantankerous caterers to give loving couples the wedding they’ve always wanted. So why is her dream job turning into a perfect nightmare?

It started when Carnegie agreed to plan the wedding of one of Seattle’s most prominent families—who happen to be going through a high-stakes, headline-grabbing legal war. Before she can get her bride-to-be into just the right dress, a murder and a kidnapping plunge Carnegie into a mystery of extortion and violence.

With a shadowy figure stalking her, a rich lawyer wooing her, and an annoying reporter pursuing her, Carnegie is putting all wedding plans on hold. In an explosion of sheer terror, she must hunt down a killer—till death do her part.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Chick Lit

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good first book in the series. Just when you thought you knew who the bad guy was something else happened. I've read other books in this series but it's been a while so this was kind of like not having any prior knowledge (at least nothing you couldn't figure out just knowing there are other books in the series).

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually one to give five stars but this book impressed me. Surprising antagonists, so much suspense I had to stop and take a breather once in awhile. It was just SO GOOD! I have never been a wedding person but I really enjoyed Carnegie Kincaid and her exploits. Donnelly really showed us how to write tension into a storyline and commit to putting her main lead through the wringer again and again. Excellent work!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at the very cute story this turned out to be. You know when someone recommends a book and you do not know if their taste in books will be anything that you will enjoy? Well, this was the case but I found that I really enjoyed this light, fun story very much. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I think I will check out the used book stores to find the rest of the series!

[Synova · Rating 4 out of 5]

These mysteries are enjoyable, as they're set around the main character who is a wedding planner. It's fun to get an inside look at the life of a wedding planner, (I always think Bridezilla stories are funny), and its nice to have a bit of lighthearted mystery.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was introduced to this from an egroup's group read. This is a great cozy that deals with wedding planning with a twist of a mystery. A good read.

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carnegie Kincaid is a wedding coordinator, who is beginning to make her name, and so when she gets the job of arranging the wedding of Nikki Parry, the Parry’s being one of the most prominent Seattle families, Carnegie is determined to make it the wedding of the year, with the hope that a successful event will bring in more contracts.

It sounds quite fun doesn’t it to be in a job where everyone is geared towards a happy occasion, but then there is 265 pounds of Slavic fury, Boris, the mad Russian florist, who having delivered and arranged his flowers, just never leaves, and best not move a single bloom of his arrangements. Always lurking, is silver-haired Dorothy Fenner, best known wedding consultant in the Northwest, who is not keen on a rival for the society weddings, and slipping quietly into the church for all weddings, homeless crazy Mary, who loves wedding cake.

Whilst coping with Nikki Parry’s stepmother who has picked out the dress Nikki doesn’t want, and smoothing over various suppliers, Carnegie is plunged into murder: And why is someone stalking her and trying to destroy her good name? Who can she trust? Her partner who suddenly seems secretive, her new boyfriend, who seems too gorgeous to be true, or the annoying reporter who seems to turn up at inopportune moments.

This is a terrific read, great fun, a good mystery, and lots of interesting characters with whom I look forward to spending time with again. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

[Robin K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, what would we do with out the junk food equivalent of a book? So easy to read, interesting enough to keep the attention and serve as an escape, and fairly easy to forget. This mystery surrounds a wedding planner in the Seattle area who gets caught up in with deadly characters, who, of course, come into her life because of a society wedding she is planning. Undoubtably, I’ll read more in this series, UNLESS the Jewish character continues to be oh so unflatteringly described.

[Lorna Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veiled Threats (Carnegie Kincaid) 5 stars
by Deborah Donnelly
This is definitely the best cozy mystery I have read complete with excellent character and plot development, suspense, action and excitement. Kincaid takes the reader from the depths of the heroins houseboat mooring to snow capped mountains, as this death defying wedding planner searches for the kidnapped bride to be.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so in some ways this was amazing and in other ways it was early 2000s. This is the first series that was turned in to a Hallmark mystery that I really enjoyed. The mystery was interesting and a little spicy for a cozy mystery. I really like Aaron i hope she gives him a chance. The mystery kept me guessing. I did not guess the mastermind.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carnegie is a wedding planner who loves getting the wedding just right. Even when dealing with families who are troublesome. The bride's family is involved in a legal war which is causing trouble for all involved leading to murder and kidnapping. This has so many twists and turns it was fun trying to see who were the guilty parties.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is pretty good, except for a disturbing scene that involves a family pet, which seems out of place in a cozy mystery. The scenes in and around Seattle are fun, and the premise of a wedding coordinator who stumbles across mysteries is good.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wedding planner Carnegie has her hands full with the wedding of the daughter of a prominent man in Seattle. Things go downhill fast when Carnegie is replaced as the wedding planner and there is a kidnapping and Carnegie must race to find out what is really going on. Very good start to the series.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Meghan]

Listen to Lisa and Meg discuss and review this book and compare it to the Hallmark movie adaptation on Which Was Better?
http://www.whichwasbetter.com/episode...

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wedding planner/consultant and amateur sleuth Carnegie suspects a car crash and death were not accidental.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to an interesting series.

[Liza · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little on the darker side of "cozy" as far as cozy mysteries are concerned. SPOILER: not a good book if you don't like plots where pets are harmed.

[Libby]

(P-Lib) This was a good first installment. I like that Carnegie lives on a house boat. For some reason, I had a feeling that Holt was a bad guy; I hope Aaron sticks around in future books.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was curious about this one because I saw the Hallmark Movie Channel movie made from it (Wedding Planner Mystery) and wondered how much the movie differed from the book. The plot of the book is much more complex, of course, but also more violent. And an animal is killed, which I did not like at all and thought rather unnecessary. That's not a spoiler. That's a warning to those like me who are squeamish about killing off pets. That said, this was a well constructed mystery in the "traditional" genre and the protagonist is an interesting character, even if she is somewhat too quick to make assumptions about people. The attention to detail necessary to be a wedding planner translates well into spotting clues as an amateur sleuth.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait for it...wait for it...almost now...wait...now! I really enjoyed this book and the characters that people it. It took a good bit of background information and explaining who, what, where, and why but once the action started, well I couldn't stop one night late and dreary until I finished.

I didn't realize that this book was published in 2002. No, it is not a re-released with a different cover, it just never crossed my lists of authors and books to do so I was mildly surprised and thought it was a new release. Never mind, I have ordered the other books in the series.

Good for a winter's eve of cozy, tea-sipping or wine slurping reading.

[Sherri Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little predictable, but overall a decent story with some very interesting twists. Carnegie is a strong character, though I did get annoyed a little at the way she jumped to conclusions about certain events. I'm curious to find out who she is with, relationship wise, in the next book as this one leaves it wide open. I enjoyed the premise of a wedding planner as the protagonist in the book. Don't think I've read anything similar so I found the change quite refreshing.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really ended up liking this book. I wasn't sure at the beginning but the plot picks up fairly quickly. I really liked Carnegie Kincaid, Eddie, Lily and Aaron Gold. I guessed who one of the "baddies" was but still got a surprise. The last third to quarter of the book was surprisingly suspenseful. Once I hit a certain point, I couldn't put the book down. So, I'll definitely check out more in this series.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Entertaining. Managed to keep me guessing through most of it. I had suspicions on "whodunnit" several times but the author threw enough curve balls in that I second guessed my hunches and tried to imagine different possibilities so it was a fun ride trying to figure out the mystery. Nothing deep or meaningful (or probably very realistic) but entertaining. And only one editing mistake that I found (but there is a big difference between widow and window so it was kind of a doozy...)

[Mary]

Time for a fluff break! I've read 2 of this author's mysteries featuring wedding planner..uh...whats-her-name, and they're good fun.

Update: But I returned it to the library unfinished when I accumulated too many other books I wanted to read more. I just didn't care enough to pick this back up. But I still think they're fun.

[Margaret]

Liked the wedding planning angle - something different and I can see that you could devise quite a few plots within that setting. Liked the main character Carnegie, but like a lot of main characters in cozy mysteries, I thought she was a little too naive. Despite this, I would probably read more in this series.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carnegie is such an interesting character, I wish that I had her career.

I love the way that this story played out! All the twists and turns and the big reveal in the end. & that final wedding seemed like a dream come true.

I look forward to reading more about Carnegie's adventures in wedding planning soon.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent mystery about a wedding planner/coordinator who inadvertently stumbles onto a murder and kidnapping plot involving one of the family's she is working with. The book is very well-written and the reader keeps turning the pages to find out what happens next. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

[Iris Davidson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not read past the first couple of chapters. I liked the characters and was interesting from the beginning. The language was too harsh for me. I see no reason for the f word to be used. I don't care it that is how other people talk. I guess this series is for a different audience. Would have loved it if not for the swearing and vulgar words

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to get into this book at first. I did become frustrated with the main character, jumping into bed with a man she didn't even know, etc. But the plot did get better. I would probably read another by this author.