Saturday, August 14, 2010

Murder on the Bride's Side-Tracy Kiely

Murder on the Bride's Side
Tracy Kiely
Minotaur, Aug 31 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312537579

In Richmond, Virginia, the day after the wedding between Bridget and Colin, someone kills the bride’s Aunt Roni. Bridge’s BFF maid of honor Elizabeth Parker notices that no one seems concerned about Roni’s homicide; in fact the wedding party seems as celebratory as they did for the marriage.

Although the cops insist everyone is a suspect, they narrow the field to Bridge’s dashing bad boy cousin Harry and Elizabeth; the latter who found the body had a diamond necklace that belonged to Roni in her hotel room. Not one to panic even when her boyfriend Peter seems engrossed in the wedding planner, Jane Austen aficionado Elizabeth, heeds the serene composure of Sense and Sensibility’s Elinor Dashwood in a crisis and then investigates.

The second Parker amateur sleuth (see Murder at Longbourn tied to Pride and Prejudice) is an engaging southern cozy due to the fine cast especially the Austen quoting heroine. The lighthearted story line is entertaining as energizing Elizabeth emulates Elinor’s unruffled behavior while on the case of the killer and of Peter’s affection. In spite of a thin plot, this is a fun regional whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

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