Book ~ "A Wedding and a Killing" (2014) Lauren Carr

From Goodreads ~ When Mac Faraday decides to do something, there’s no stopping him … even murder!

Not wanting to wait until their big day to start their life of wedded bliss, Mac Faraday and his lady love, Archie Monday, decide to elope to the little church where his ancestors had all married - along the tranquil shore of Deep Creek Lake. However, before they can say, “I do,” the sanctuary erupts into chaos when Gnarly finds a dead body in the church office.

As they dive into the investigation, Mac and his team discover more questions than answers. What kind of person walks into a church and shoots a man for no apparent reason? How do you solve the murder of a man who has no enemies in the world? Which of the seemingly kind-hearted church members is really a cold-blooded killer?

Then, there is the all-important question, how long do Mac Faraday and his lady love have to wait to get married?

Mac is the illegitimate son of the famous mystery writer, Robin Spencer.  He discovers this when she dies and leaves her estate to him.  He was a homicide detective and his inheritance prompted him to retire and act as a consultant with the local police department.

Mac and Archie Monday, who had worked for Robin, decide to secretly get married.  Just as the ceremony is about to start, his dog, Gnarly, causes a ruckus and they discover a dead body in the church office.  Eugene had been counting the church's collection when someone shot and killed him but left the money behind, so robbery isn't the motive.  Needless to say, this interrupts the wedding. Mac and David, the chief of police, start investigating and there doesn't seem to be a reason for Eugene's murder and no obvious suspects.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I liked it ... it is the second I've read in the Mac Faraday series.  Though it is the eighth in a series, it worked well as a stand alone ... you don't need to have read the previous ones to know what's going on.  I liked the writing style ... it was funny at times and is written in third person perspective.  I found it a bit too religious (I'm not), though ... I guess that makes sense considering a lot of the action takes place in a church.  Plus I wasn't buying the "whodunnit" at then end.  I did like the other storylines in this book with Edna and Ruth.

I look forward to reading others in this series and others by this author.