Book Review: Terror In Taffeta

Author: Marla Cooper

Publication Date: March 22, 2016

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination wedding in the charming, colonial Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. The reception is all set up, the tequila donkey is waiting outside, and the bride and groom are standing on the altar, pledging their eternal love. But just as the priest is about to pronounce them husband and wife, one of the bridesmaids upstages the couple by collapsing into a floral arrangement. Worst of all, Kelsey discovers that she hasn't just fainted-she's dead. The demanding mother of the bride, Mrs. Abernathy, insists Kelsey not tell the wedding party; she paid for a wedding after all, not a funeral.

Losing a bridesmaid is bad enough, but when the bride's sister is arrested for murder, Mrs. Abernathy demands that Kelsey fix the matter at once. And although she's pretty sure investigating a murder isn't in her contract, crossing the well-connected mother of the bride could be a career-killer. Before she can leave Mexico and get back to planning weddings, Kelsey must deal with stubborn detectives, another dead body, and a rekindled romance in this smart, funny cozy debut perfect for fans of Carolyn Haines.

When it comes to weddings, there are emergencies, and then there are emergencies. Having a trio show up when you were expecting a quartet? Unfortunate, but salvageable. Finding out the bakery accidentally sent a Styrofoam dummy cake to the reception? Pretty disappointing, but still not an emergency. Wedding dress catching fire? Okay, I suppose that would be an emergency – but still nothing compared to what I was dealing with now.

As a wedding planner, you never know what you might be called upon to do. My list of services was now growing to include “sneak police officers past unsuspecting brunch guests.”

“So let’s recap,” said Brody. I had texted him to meet me back in my room so I could update him on the situation. “You voluntarily called the police about a robbery and now you’re a suspect in a murder? That doesn’t make any sense!”

He ducked behind a chair just in time to deflect the bottle of water I threw at him.

This debut novel was pitched for fans of Carolyn Haines; I LOVE everything about Carolyn’s books, so I was sure to request a copy of this book for review. This fast-paced, cozy mystery story was so easy to read and took me no time at all to finish. It was the perfect escape for a rainy afternoon. I was not disappointed with this new mystery series. Kelsey, our leading detective, is a wedding planner, a job I always wanted as a child. So while I was sure some chaos would ensue, I was not sure just how much. It was hilarious and completely unexpected. When the bride’s sister was arrested on a murder charge, I was hooked and from that point on I did not stop reading until I hit the last page.

The cast of funny, quirky characters that filled these pages was enough to make me fall in love with this book and this author. The story takes place in Mexico because Kelsey is in the process of planning a destination wedding. This was such an added plus to an already action-packed story. As you read, you will hear about all kinds of yummy Mexican dishes, so don’t read the book if you are too hungry. Kelsey is a wonderful lead to take readers through a jam-packed mystery. There were several possible suspects, which I love in a mystery story. I like have a lot of choices when it comes to figuring out the killer. Overall, awesome new series that I will definitely continue to follow!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Minotaur books in exchange for my honest review***