Life is a lot like making a scrapbook, something Carmela Bertrand truly understands as she owns a thriving scrapbooking business in the French Quarter. Carmela's livelihood is as well-known by the locals for its excellence as she is for her philanthropy and creativity. Gabby is not only her employee, but her friend as well. So when Gabby's niece, Wren, is all set to marry her beloved Jamie, Carmela is right there making table and placard decorations fit for royalty for the pre-wedding dinner.

Next thing she knows, Carmela is knee deep in turmoil when Jamie becomes an entrée for death - the carving knife in his back indicating he won't be around for the wedding. But who would want Jamie dead? Everyone thought he was an orphan who had managed to beat the odds with a successful antique bookstore and a successful software company. It's up to Carmela to sift through the red herrings and threats and uncover the skeletons hanging in Jamie's closet. As if that's not enough, she must come to grips with her feelings for the husband she's never divorced and a romantic restaurateur. In the meantime, Carmela and her scrapbooking crew wield equal parts of compassion and creativity to get Wren through the most trying time of her life.

Scrapbook aficionados rejoice! Ms. Childs creates a charming mystery series with lively, quirky characters and plenty of how-to. Her vision is not just limited to scrapbooking, trinket box making and various other knickknacks; she also provides exceptional recipes to boot! Serving up some hors d'oeuvres of murder and mystery, creativity and fashion, she has a winning formula to get even the laziest of us in a scrapbooking mood.

Book Summary

New Orleans scrapbooking shop owner Carmela Bertrand's pre- wedding party is overshadowed when a friend's intended groom is murdered. Asked by the heartbroken bride to look into the case, Carmela must help her friend pick up the pieces while wrapping up a murder that has more than one lethal loose end.