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A Luxurious Wedding Turns Into a Murder Mystery Amidst Unraveling Twisted Secrets
by Joan O'Leary
Christine can't believe her luck.
The iconic Gloria Beaufort, founder of the billion-dollar beauty empire Glo, has personally chosen her to cover her grandson's wedding for Bespoke, the cult fashion magazine that every A-list bride dreams of being featured in. A career-making scoop and a free trip to a castle turned five-star hotel on the Emerald Isle? It feels too good to be true…
Because it is.
Gloria is found dead on the very first morning of the celebratory weekend, and her entire family wants to keep her death a secret and for the wedding to march on. When Gloria's heirs issue a chilling warning to Christine to keep things quiet, she can't help but wonder if one of them is guilty. There's the son who's hiding a damaging lawsuit; the resentful daughter-in-law; the grandson who's had a few too many run-ins with the law; his ambitious wife who's hiding more than one secret; and Gloria's favorite grandchild, the picture-perfect groom. As Christine navigates a world where glamour masks grimy secrets and everyone she meets is a suspect, she realizes that among this glitzy elite, nothing is as it seems.
Set against the dazzling backdrop of ultimate luxury and an endless reveal of surprises, A Killer Wedding is a fast-paced, humorous mystery the pulls back the curtain on toxic family dynamics hidden beneath the surface of billionaire-level wealth.
"Debut novelist O'Leary breathes new life into the sad oversupply of murder-stricken weddings by the simple expedient of stuffing her entry to the bursting point with subplots and villains…. [R]eads like the wedding-cruise version of Death on the Nile. Not to be missed." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Former Tonight Show producer O'Leary debuts with an intricate whodunit… O'Leary luxuriates in the gleeful nastiness of her characters and juggles perspectives and timelines like a seasoned pro. With a surprisingly sophisticated plot and a winningly fizzy atmosphere, this is a memorable first outing." ―Publishers Weekly
"O'Leary's mystery is a fast-paced, funny whodunit… Murder, riches, and glamour are blended to engaging effect in O'Leary's first novel. For fans of Jesse Sutanto and Benjamin Stevenson." ―Library Journal
"A Killer Wedding is bursting with everything I want in a novel: glamour, secrets, family drama--and a castle in Ireland to boot! Debut novelist Joan O'Leary has crafted a whip-smart whodunit that's as surprising as it is stylish. With razor-sharp wit and irresistible intrigue, this novel had me guessing (and gasping!) until the very last page. A wildly fun escape from a standout new voice." ―Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of Beach House Rules
"A Killer Wedding is a clever and biting send-up of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, with all their attendant magazine coverage and social media moments. O'Leary adds murder to the mix, raising the stakes with an expertly plotted whodunit and an ensemble cast of suspects." ―Emily Dunlay, author of Teddy
This information about A Killer Wedding was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Joan O'Leary was a producer at The Tonight Show and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of San Diego. She's recently taken an NYC sabbatical and currently lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband—who yes, she did marry in an Irish castle, but the similarities end there.
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