A criminal family turned good. A police officer as best man. But one of the guests is planning a murder….
Murder at the Wedding is the 9th book in the Rina Martin series. I have read and reviewed the previous book in the series, Murder at the Willows.
The book begins with a gangland killing and the escape of an undercover officer. The plot then jumps forward to the upcoming nuptuals of Bridie and Fitch, a chance for a new future on the right side of the law. But there are issue with a will and someone is prepared to murder in order to gain success and power for themselves.
There is plenty of build up to the murder which doesn’t occur until after the wedding, a third of the way through the book. Even Rina is almost a secondary character in this opening third as she enjoys the wedding preparations. Mac, a police officer has a better idea that something dangerous is brewing as he has been asked by his boss to keep an eye on proceedings, leaving him the difficult task of juggling the personal and professional.
As with the previous book, I felt a little overwhelmed by the number of characters and their pre-established relationships. I definitely think that the whole series should be read in order to understand the development of character profiles and their relationships.
I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the remote wedding venue which increase the tension. There were multiple layers of plot and I enjoyed the different viewpoints of the wedding location and guests.
Murder at the Wedding is a enjoyable murder mystery but a little slow at times as it relies on prior knowledge of the characters.
MURDER AT THE WEDDING (Rina Martin Murder Mystery Book 9) by Jane Adams
If you love Miss Marple or Agatha Raisin, you’ll love Rina!
Meet Rina Martin, a retired actress with a taste for tea, gardening and crime solving.
She played a TV sleuth for years, but now she has to do it for real.
Rina’s friend Bridie Duggan is tying the knot! At a majestic country house on a private island. Rina and thirteen other guests row out for the ceremony.
One of them has murder in mind . . .
The next day, Rina’s out exploring the island when she hears a blood-curdling scream. She races down the twisty steps to shore — to find a dead body!
This guest didn’t fall to their death. They were pushed.
A storm is rolling in on Bridie’s perfect day. Now there’s no way on or off the island.
Rina can’t stand by and wait for the police to come to their rescue.
But what if Rina’s snooping just moved her from the guestlist to the kill list?
If you love Agatha Christie, Jeanne M. Dams, Glenda Young, Stella Cameron and Frances Evesham, prepare to be hooked by this page-turning whodunnit mystery.
THE DETECTIVE
Determined and compassionate, Rina Martin on a mission is an unstoppable force. When Rina retired from acting, she bought a B&B in Frantham on Sea. There, she has a quirky cast of full-time boarders, including wannabe magician Tim. She only wanted a quiet life. Instead, events propel Rina into full investigation mode, and she gets a taste for sleuthing. Can she help it if crimes just keep turning up on her doorstep?
THE SETTING
Tucked away in a charming little bay on the Jurassic coast, Frantham on Sea is a typical Victorian seaside town, with a picture-perfect promenade, B&Bs, and a grand hotel perched atop the headland. At the end of the promenade is the police station, where the officers’ days have always been short and uneventful — until Rina comes to town, and things take a turn for the sinister.
JANE ADAMS
Jane Adams is the author of more than thirty published crime novels. The first, The Greenway, was nominated for both the Authors’ Club award and the CWA John Creasey for best debut novel.
Jane is constantly amazed at where life has taken her. Writing had never been on her ‘possible careers’ list, but she says once stories take root in your brain, they just have to be told – and she feels very fortunate that people want to read them.
In addition to writing, Jane teaches creative writing, read and mentor for The Literary Consultancy, and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and FRSA.
