Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496704801
Kensington Mystery
353 Pages
$6.51; $5.99 Amazon
January 31, 2017
⭐⭐⭐
Mallory hopes to unveil her new B&B just in time for her first ceremony as a wedding planner. The renovations to Thistle Park -- the mansion she inherited in small-town Port Quincy, Pennsylvania -- are almost complete. But what Mallory didn't plan on is the bride's aunt being poisoned at the wedding tasting and her perfect venue becoming a crime scene.
Adding to the mystery is the discovery that this is not the first murder in the bridal family, and as Mallory becomes engaged in her own investigation she learns the man convicted of the crime may not be guilty. Now she has two crimes to solve before the bride walks down the aisle -- but a killer has other plans to ensure that Mallory forever holds her peace...
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Mallory Shepard is hosting her first wedding at her new B&B, that is, if it's finished in time. The bride, Whitney Scanlon, has moved the wedding up because her father is dying and she wants him there. So Mallory is on a crunched schedule to get things done, and she needs all the help she can get. Her contractor, Jesse Flowers, and his crew are working overtime, and she's crossing her fingers everything will be done.
But Whitney requests a special menu because several of her family members have allergies, and Mallory and her sister Rachel are happy to comply. At the wedding tasting, everything seems to be going fine...until Rachel discovers the body of Whitney's aunt, Lois, on the floor. At first it's ruled an accident, but then the police chief, Truman Davies, tells Mallory it was murder. Now Mallory wants to know who killed the woman and why. But even though Truman tells her to stay out of the investigation, he finds himself leaning on her a bit, and if Mallory can stay alive, she just might figure this out...
But there's more going on behind the scenes: a ghost hunting crew has shown up because of the strange noises coming from the house; Mallory can't find time to spend with her boyfriend, attorney Garrett Davies, who is Truman's son; the construction crew doesn't want to work with ghosts; there are 'accidents' befalling several people; the planning commission is stalling on her request to open a B&B; and her ex-fiancé Keith has shown up with his girlfriend Becca (the one who broke up the engagement).
Mallory's also taken with the story of Whitney's mother Vanessa, who just disappeared one day and then her body was found ten years later. Garrett believes the man convicted is innocent, and Mallory believes him. But in looking at past history, she just might find herself in danger in the present...
This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I really enjoyed the first. But this book somehow, as you can tell, has just Too Many Plot Lines. All these subplots -- including her mother showing up with a secret of her own and an ex-girlfriend of Garrett's showing up (well, you get the drift) -- distract from the murder. I would much have preferred if it only included the present murder and the murder of Vanessa, sort of a link from past to present. But with everything else going on, it seemed just a bit too much.
What didn't make sense is that at one point Mallory said that Lois made an offer for a bribe when she meant a request for one. I also do not like Rachel at all. Yes, she's a good cook, but she steals clothes and jewelry from her sister which she just laughs off and Mallory allows her to get away with it. (I grew up with a sister who did this to me, and it's not funny at all. We weren't the same size and she split seams, stole my entire jewelry box -- which was never recovered -- and many other things from my room and closet and it was not funny. It was downright mean.) So Rachel needs to buy her own clothes and leave Mallory alone. She needs to stop being so selfish and self-centered. Not to mention growing up a bit about men. Looks (cleft chins) aren't everything, as she's hopefully finding out. Rant over.
Anyway, other than that, there was just too much going on all the time. Automatically calling a ghost hunting team seemed a bit overkill, and there were too many scenarios that just screamed Over the Top. Especially her mother, who somehow thinks a tropical setting is perfect for an old Victorian mansion. Seriously? I would not enjoy living in that space.
Anyway, these are the reasons I'm only giving it three stars. Hopefully in the next book Mallory won't find herself in the middle of a frenzy.
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