The Wedding Caper

The Wedding Caper by Janice A. Thompson is the last complimentary copy book I received at the ACFW conference and I just finished reading it this morning.

The title lists it as a cozy mystery, and it certainly is that. But I also get the feeling it could be classified as some sort of "chick-lit". Granted, I'm not entirely familiar with the chick-lit genre, so I could be waaaay off, but there you go.

Annie Peterson finds herself thrust into a mystery: where did her husband get $25,000 to pay for her twin daughters' weddings? Is it possible that he's responsible for the burglary at the Clark County Savings and Loan? Annie, using insight she gains from an on-line sleuthing course, tries to unravel the mystery while at the same time dealing with two weddings, a hyperactive dachsund, and a husband who she's not sure she can trust anymore.

Thompson is a talented writer. The characters were fresh and memorable and she displays a great deal of wit throughout the story. That being said, I didn't enjoy it that much. That's not a knock on Thompson; it's just a genre-related thing. I'm a fantasy and sci-fi type of guy; a cozy mystery with strong chick-lit overtones just doesn't do anything for me.

The only other thing that bothered me is that Thompson loads up the story with Christian themes and elements. It was almost too much for me. This especially was the case with the numerous deus ex machina moments throughout the story. Things came together a little too easily at times and it didn't really ring true for me.

But hey, that's just my opinion. For someone who loves cozies, this book would probably be wonderful. It's just not my cup of tea.