Synopsis

A bride with three grooms? What could possibly go wrong?

When jilted grooms from the bride’s first two weddings show up at her beach wedding to groom number three, there’s definitely trouble on the horizon. Someone won’t be leaving the wedding alive.

A Beach Wedding To Die For is the second standalone mystery in the Cozy Mysteries To Die For series. The series follows Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother, Miss Alice, who own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop, a gathering place for locals and tourists a block off the ocean in Manatee Beach, Florida. They live above the bookstore with Beck’s feisty younger sister, Lizzie, a lifeguard.

Beck is determined to follow her lifelong dream of being a detective, but the amateur sleuth keeps butting heads with handsome Manatee Beach Police Department detective Devon Mathis. Will she have to give up one passion for the other?

Review

Beck is back in this new cozy set in Manatee Beach, Florida. Beck has always wanted to be a police detective but is a bit shy when it comes to public speaking. Instead, she runs a book shop and cafe with her grandmother. Her sister, Lizzie, also lives with them but she is a lifeguard on the beach. And I can’t forget to mention Cocquita, their Great Dane, that has a nose for who is good and who is not so nice.

The story opens and Beck has been roped into being a bridesmaid (yet again) for a childhood friend, Amelia. Now what is unusual is that this is Amelia’s 3rd wedding in about 3 years. Don’t get me wrong, she never actually married the guys in the first two weddings, she dumped them at the altar. So here she goes, perhaps 3rd time is the charm? All goes well until Amelia is stabbed at the wedding reception with the cake knife. The pool of suspects is not large and I have to admit, I really didn’t know who to suspect so when the killer was revealed I was surprised. I suppose I shouldn’t have been all things considered (motive etc) but it was a character that wasn’t on my radar.

I enjoyed the story and following the clues to try and unearth the killer. As I said, I was surprised at the reveal but also what happened after that. I obviously am not going to tell you, you’ll have to read the book to find out. Let’s just say I thought it was a bit out of the ordinary.

I was happy to see that Beck and Devon were still trying to work out a relationship of some sort. I’m sure Beck’s involvement did not make his job easier as the detective on the case. I have to admire that Devon kept his lips sealed when it came to information regarding the case, but that in turn made Beck dig her heels in and more determined to figure out who killed Amelia.

There are many light-hearted moments that made me laugh, especially with Jason, the best man. He is quite the flirt but Beck is having nothing to do with him….but it does make a certain police detective a bit jealous.

Overall, we give this book 4 paws up and can’t wait until the next book is out in early 2021.

About the Author

Judy Moore is the author of the popular thriller, “The Mother-in-Law,” as well as three mystery novels: “Somebody in the Neighborhood,” “Murder in Vail,” and “Murder at the Country Club.” She has also written numerous novellas, including the Christmas anthology “Christmas Interrupted,” which contains three novellas: “Airport Christmas,” “The Holiday House Sitter,” and “The Hitchhiker on Christmas Eve.” She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine feature writer, and publications editor for several years. A former tennis pro, Ms. Moore’s writing background also includes sports writing, and athletes from various sports are sprinkled throughout some of her novels. A lifelong resident of Florida, she currently resides in Vero Beach.

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