Death, Taxes, and a Shotgun Wedding: A Tara Holloway Novel
By Diane Kelly
St. Martin’s Press
October 31, 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

Tara Holloway and Nick Pratt are indeed planning a shotgun wedding, but the bride isn’t pregnant and no one is reluctant to walk down the aisle. This is Texas, and since Nick and Tara are IRS Criminal Investigation Agents there’s a 100% probability that the wedding party will be armed. Ensuring a weaponized ceremony are threatening notes and recent attempts on Tara’s life, indicating that someone intends to see that she never receives a Happily Ever After.

The diminutive agent is more than a little proud of both her marksmanship and skill at tracking down criminals, so it’s no surprise that Tara has a rather long list of enemies. It’s up to Tara and her fellow agents to discover which of her many foes want their revenge, all the while pursuing a new case, moving into a new home, and remaining under constant protection. She’d never call it being babysat, but having to temporarily move in with her future-mother-in-law does kill the mood on any hanky panky with her fiance. A real estate scam brought to them by a frustrated Dallas PD detective may have cost its victims a total of $120,000, but it also has the benefit of Tara working undercover as an Uber-like driver and enduring immediate customer-service ratings. The only thing more frustrating than demanding passengers is the paranoia caused by an unknown opponent.

As the 12th and final novel of the series, readers are treated to a nostalgic journey through her past cases, reintroducing us to some of our favorite characters. Drug dealers, terrorists, con artists, strippers, and gangsters have entertained us for years, and we are reminded how intricate and deadly Tara’s cases have been. They were also undeniably fun, and the reward for going along on her often hysterical adventures is a wrap-up and coda that beautifully ties up storylines and delivers a heart-warming finale. As a long-time fan of this very funny, witty, and thrilling series, I can’t imagine a more satisfying conclusion than the one presented here. As bittersweet as it is to say goodbye to Tara, Nick, Eddie, and their bouffanted boss Lu Lobozinski, readers can re-read past books and look fondly upon these fascinating tales of financial shenanigans, larcenous villains, and the law enforcement heroes who track them down.