Southern Sass and a Battered Bride

With an intriguing and complex plot, this book was totally compelling, I especially liked the quirky southern characters, some of whom I wanted to reach into the pages and shake and others I just wanted to give a big hug. That’s how realistic the characters were; they joined me in my living room each evening and we chatted together about our days and the murders that were happening instead of the wedding that was supposed to happen. Marygene Brown ends up catering the wedding of her teen-aged sweetheart Alex, and he’s not marrying her. Instead he is marrying a newcomer to town, Lucy Carmichael, who has done nothing to endear herself to the little town’s residents since she is self-centered and demanding. Nevertheless, Marygene agrees to the catering job and that wedding becomes the wedding of the century, mostly because the bride is not exactly ready for the reception. Face down and dead in the diner’s catering tent, Lucy appears to be the victim of foul play and Marygene is, of course, a prime suspect. When Detective Thornton is brought over from the mainland to investigate, the conflict really begins. Marygene has to prove that she and her best friend Betsy are innocent and that there is someone who wants the two of them dead, also. This is a fun romp through a mystery with the spirit of Marygene’s deceased mama giving her advice and Marygene falling for someone new, leaving Alex, the grieving groom to handle his grief on his own. I really enjoyed the fast-pace of the story and the handy recipes included at the end. Yum! This tale is told humor, with one surprising revelation after another. This will go down as one of my favorite cozy mysteries this year...highly entertaining with laugh aloud incidents. Fans of cozies and those who just love a well-written mystery will definitely want to read this one! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”