An Intimate Ghost, by Ellen Hart

This is one of a series of mysteries by Hart featuring Jane Lawless, a lesbian amateur sleuth and restaurant owner. I am always looking for good books that feature lesbians as main characters. They can be hard to come by ("good" being the operative word), which is why I particularly love the Jane Lawless series.

In this novel, Jane finds herself facing possible ruin careerwise. At a wedding she has catered, someone spikes the food with hallocenogenic mushrooms. As a result, the groom dives into an empty pool and has to be rushed to the emergency room, where he has surgery for a fractured skull. The bride, Lauren, seems to suffer some sort of emotional breakdown and stops speaking altogether.

Jane enlists the help of her friend Cordelia in clearing her name. Cordelia has some complications in her own life, however. Cordelia's sister, who lives in a distant state, drops by unexpectedly and disappears just as unexpectedly, leaving her 1 1/2 year-old daughter in Cordelia's care. (Cordelia is not the maternal type, by the way).

Jane figures out who must have been responsible for contaminating the food. She confronts this person, but it turns out that someone paid him to do it, and he has no idea why.

Several people might potentially want to hurt Alden, the groom's father. The previous spring, Alden, a high school teacher, had been a hero in a school shooting situation. A troubled teenaged boy held him and a classroom full of kids hostage. Alden managed to calm him down enough to let the kids go, but he was unable to stop the boy, Cullen, from shooting himself. A few days after Alden's son's wedding, a friend of Cullen's accuses Alden of sexually abusing him and Cullen. Cullen's father decides that this is what led to Cullen's suicide. Jane is left to wonder if this is true or if Cullen's friend might have some other reason for wanting to get Alden fired.

Everyone has secrets--Alden, his wife Mary, Lauren, the best man, whom many people think is in love with Lauren, and even Kenzie, the mysterious woman hired to help Alden and Mary take care of Lauren. Jane gets romantically involved with Kenzie, but even Jane wonders who this woman really is and whether or not she can be trusted.

This is a thoroughly engaging read. I read most of it in one sitting. Jane is a great character, so smart and independent, yet vulnerable and genuinely kind. Her friend Cordelia is so entertaining, an outrageous, opinionated theater type who hates getting up before noon. I am eagerly looking forward to the next Jane Lawless novel.