The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (October 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1597895245
ISBN-13: 978-1597895248
From the back cover:
When a $25,000 night deposit mysteriously disappears from the Clark County Savings and Loan, Annie Peterson has reason to be concerned and to assume the role of amateur sleuth. Her husband’s job at the bank makes him a potential suspect, but knowing him to be a godly man, she can’t imagine it. Then again, there is that matter of the weddings to factor in. Twin daughters Brandi and Candy have just received proposals and two weddings are pending. Sure, Warren occasionally jokes about robbing the bank to pay for the ceremonies, but Annie knows him better than that. . .doesn’t she?
Just about the time Annie thinks she can wriggle Warren off the suspect hoook, he shows up with enough cash to cover the cost of both weddings.
Annie dives into the investigation, and the suspects pile up. One by one they fall, leaving her with only one logical choice. Who will it be: a somber-faced loan officer, a security guard with a shady past, a drifter with local ties – or the man she loves.==
This cozy mystery was a fun read. Especially as you see Annie sign up on the internet for a mystery-solvers course, she gathers advice on how to search for clues to solve her crime. She finds herself befriending the young security guard (a young single mother) at the bank, while suspecting her of stealing the $25,000 from the night deposit drop-off box. She also suspects her own husband since he shows up with $25,000 cash to pay for their twin daughters weddings, with no explanation as to where he obtained the funds.
Then there’s the saddened bank loan officer. His wife is dying and she needs urgent medical treatment. Would he do anything to save his wife’s life? She also suspects a caterer who handles money in a not-so-ordinary way, and the caterer’s troubled teen-aged son, who ran away from home, but returns to make amends with his family.
Annie’s sleuthing takes her back to the scene of the crime, and all the way to Amish territory. As the list of suspects gets longer, you’ll be drawn into the story, wanting to solve Annie’s case.