Florrie Fox manages the Color Me Read bookstore in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She is an artist who has published advanced coloring books. She is also interested in solving any mysteries that come her way. She and her cat Peaches live in the carriage house behind her boss's mansion. She dates police officer Eric Jonquille, and she narrates these stories.

FINALLY! Bookstore owner John Maxwell and romance writer Jacquie Liebhaber are going to tie the knot! Again! They were married, once before. Over the years -- and over the course of the three previous books in this series -- the two have allowed their paths to cross enough to begin to care and to love again. The wedding will be held in the yard of the Maxwell mansion. Five hundred guests are expected, including authors, reviewers, and a variety of other publishing industry folks. Florrie's sister Veronica has taken on the role of wedding planner. What could go wrong?

Well, you know. This is a mystery book, after all. Someone is found floating in the pool on the morning after the ceremony and the reception. Who is it? How do they relate to the publishing community? Will Florrie and her friends be able to figure out who is responsible for this terrible tragedy? And will John and Jacquie ever be able to take a leisurely honeymoon?

The strong cast of characters makes this story a fun one to follow. (In spite of someone getting offed after the wedding, I mean.) A key minor star in each episode is Mr. DuBois, who serves as John Maxwell's butler, chef, valet and household manager. Every one of his talents is called upon this time, as the big event takes place at "his" mansion. He may seem gruff at first, but this is only because he takes his job quite seriously. Here also, late-comer Jezebel Fish is an unexpected addition to Florrie's informal investigation. Jezebel is a sheer delight. If author Krista Davis decides to continue this series, we would expect this senior citizen to be a mainstay in it.

I guess every devoted reader likes the idea of someday owning and running a bookstore. To maintain some level of accuracy with this series, the author may want to check in and spend some time interviewing an actual independent bookseller. In the last episode, Murder Outside the Lines, she had Florrie ordering copies of books on a Monday or a Tuesday, that she wanted to receive in time for a book signing event on Friday. Realistic? Not without asking for a high-rush order and keeping one's fingers firmly crossed. Details matter.

Following the style that has been set by the other episodes in this series, a few recipes are included on the last pages, since Florrie cooks some interesting dishes for herself and for her friends. And because Florrie is a coloring book artist, the paperback cover features an all-over outline drawing that could be colored by the new owner of the book. I still believe that more coloring pages should have either concluded the book, or have been made available online on the author's or publisher's web sites. If you're going to lead with a specific motif, why not go all the way?

A Colorful Scheme returns us to the spirit of the first two books in the Pen & Ink Mystery series. I think the third one missed its mark, in spite of the characters' best efforts. I DO hope that a sequel will materialize someday, because a few minor threads have been left to dangle. This place and these people are fun and interesting to hang out with. It would be a shame to allow them to fade away from view.