Ninth in the Agatha Award-winning
series that's been hailed as "engrossing" (Publishers Weekly), Steps
to the Altar finds folk art expert Benni Harper digging up clues to an
unsolved murder -- and struggling with a very personal crisis of the heart.
Benni's
life has never been so hectic. She's busy preparing for two upcoming
weddings -- first, her best friend Elvia will walk down the aisle...and just a
short time later, her grandmother Dove will also tie the knot. And she
hasn't even looked at her costume for San Celina's Mardi Gras ball. The
last thing she needs right now is more work...
But when a friend from the
local historical society asks her to catalog the contents of some old
trunks, she agrees -- only to discover that they may hold clues to a
crime that's remained unsolved for nearly half a century. The
trunks belonged to young Maple Bennett Sullivan, who married a local
rancher in the 1940's -- and allegedly murdered him just a few short
years later. Rumor has it she ran off with her lover, her
husband's best friend, and was never heard from again.
Benni is all too aware of how difficult
marriage can be, especially now that her husband's blonde, gorgeous
ex-girlfriend is back in the picture. A disturbing reminder of his shadowy
past, she poses a real threat to his future with Benni. Suddenly, Benni
finds herself empathizing with Maple Sullivan's plight -- and vows to prove
Maple's innocence...or guilt. But there's more to this cold case than
meets the eye -- and more than a few people who would rather let sleeping dogs
lie.
