by Sandra Murphy

Details on how to win a copy of Wedding Duress at the end of this review, along with a link to purchase the book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Tori’s wedding to Milo is just weeks away. Rose is putting the finishing touches on the wedding gown, Tori is finalizing flowers, the DJ and checking out the bridesmaids in their dresses. Rose is the oldest and reminds Tori of her great-grandmother. Tori can’t imagine her wedding without Rose as a bridesmaid, just like the rest of the sewing circle, nine in all. Leona is the most fashionable of the group and she never lets them forget it. She has a cameraman along to film the unveiling of the dresses for her cable TV show, Leona’s Closet. Of course, she can’t manage to get through the fitting without a snarky remark about Rose, likening her to an old goat in a housecoat, shuffling her way down the aisle at the speed of molasses. Her remark to Rose is not only rude but out of bounds. The clip of each of them in their dresses is included in her show, focusing on Rose with the comment “Get a mirror!” The rest of the group has had enough. Leona has gone too far this time, embarrassing Rose publicly as well as personally.

In the meantime, Beatrice, the English nanny, has exciting news. Miss Gracie, the woman who was her childhood nanny is coming to town to work for the Bradys. They just fired Cindy, who was neglectful of the children to the point of forgetting to notify the school about medication one of the girls needed.

Miss Gracie is a big hit with the girls and the Bradys are delighted to have her. During a meeting of the sewing circle, Beatrice gets a call that Miss Gracie has fallen down the basement stairs and died. She’s devastated, angry and sure it was murder, not an accident.

Tori wants to help, really she does, but with the wedding a week away and no evidence, what can they do?
Leona is not answering her phone, her shop hasn’t been open, so is she avoiding the group out of shame (unlikely) or punishing them for taking Rose’s side (probably)? Ever the peacemaker, Tori drops by her house, only to find Leona fell and broke her hip and has been in the hospital, had surgery, all without notifying anyone, not even her sister. Typical Leona, she swears Tori to secrecy about her fall and hospital stay and then pouts when no one comes to check on her.

With help from Margaret Louise, Tori is able to investigate, get the wedding favors done and pull it all together in time to say “I do.”

Although I decided on a killer by page 190 (out of 287 pages), and for once, I was right, I only had a glimpse of the motive which had far-reaching consequences. Knowing that, it didn’t distract from the story because the sub-plots of Leona vs. the sewing circle and the wedding which kept the story moving as all the clues were uncovered.

To add to the enjoyment, Charles, who the group met when they were in New York, is in town for the wedding. Thank goodness, he arrived early and can be in charge of corralling Leona. He’s a welcome addition to the group and I can only hope he decided to move from New York so he can be close to the group of friends.

The characters have developed nicely (except Leona), the romance between Milo and Tori is a joy and there’s fun throughout the book. I hope Leona has learned her lesson and will tone down her snarky remarks and over the top sex appeal a bit in the future (think Blanche on the Golden Girls).

This is the tenth book in the series. At the back of the book find sewing tips and a pattern for Tori’s wedding favors.

To enter to win a copy of Wedding Duress simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Wedding,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 18, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Use this link to purchase a copy of the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore:

Wedding Duress

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster. Sandy’s latest short story “The Tater Tot Caper” is one of eleven stories in The Killer Wore Cranberry: Fourths of Mayhem. The annual Thanksgiving anthology has eleven stories and this year, includes recipes. And it’s on sale! Available in all e-versions and in print.