by: Nancy J. Parra
Series: A Perfect Proposals Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Source: Berkley Prime Crime
In the new Perfect Proposals mystery from the author of Bodice of Evidence and Engaged in Murder, a country club wedding reception becomes the scene of a baffling crime.
The wedding for Pepper Pomeroy’s sister Felicity starts with dearly beloved but it ends with dearly departed when Ashley, the bartender Pepper befriended earlier in the evening, drops dead from a lethal nightcap. Authorities think it’s just a tragic accident. After all, who’d want to kill a virtual stranger at a country club wedding reception? That’s what Pepper wants to know.
A search into Ashley’s past reveals a twisty path of secret sororities, well-connected enemies, and an unsolved slaying still shadowing members of high society—including a filthy-rich battle-ax whose demands for the services of Pepper’s Perfect Proposals are starting to sound more like veiled threats. Pepper’s business may be booming but continued success means outsmarting a mysterious culprit who’s still wedded to the idea of murder.
REVIEW
Newlywed Dead by Nancy J. Parra is a fantastic read. I continue to love this series. If you haven’t read the previous two books don’t worry, this is truly a stand alone read. If you have read the series, then favorite characters like Detective Murphy, Gage, and Toby are back.
Newlywed Dead finds Pepper Pomeroy attending the wedding of her younger sister, Felicity to Warren Evans, a member of Chicago high society. Over the course of the night, Pepper befriends bartender, Ashley Klein. Everything is going great until Pepper discovers Ashley’s lifeless body in the hallway of the country club. The police have ruled Ashley’s death an overdose, but knowing what she knew about Ashley, Pepper disagrees and sets out to get justice for a friendly stranger.
Over the next month or so, Pepper is going to be very busy trying to solve a murder and plan perfect one of a kind proposals for her event planning business, Perfect Proposals. Who knew her sister’s wedding would result in so much business. There’s the surprise engagement of a returning serviceman, a family friend who seems to be very secretive, a bride-to-be who insists on being a part of the whole planning process (even though she wants to be surprised) and a couple who seems to be too young for marriage. But if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s Pepper. What she doesn’t expect is the past and the present to collide in an epic reveal.
There is so much to love about Newlywed Dead I don’t even know where to start. I was able to narrow down the murderer pretty easily, even if I did second guess myself. However, the “why” completely blindsided me. The reveal was EPIC and one I don’t see forgetting anytime soon or if at all. Hopefully, there will be more books of this series to come.
**Received a copy from Berkley Prime Crime in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.**
Rating: 5
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Sounds fantastic! I have missed the second one, and glad this is only the third, to catch up!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the first one. I really need to go back and read it. I like this series a lot. Oh and There's an ebook sale on one of my favorites, Basket Case by Nancy Haddock. I LOVED that book.
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