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A review by tough_cookie
Better Off Wed by Laura Durham
3.0
A slightly charming, though somewhat poorly executed first novel. Better Off Wed introduces readers to Annabelle Archer, wedding planner and amateur sleuth (with extra emphasis on the "amateur" part). When the overbearing mother of one of her high society brides suspiciously dies at the wedding reception, Annabelle's curiosity is piqued and she immediately starts asking questions. She is accompanied by her assistant, Kate, who has an annoying (and unconvincing) habit of messing up idioms, and Richard, her go-to caterer and best friend.
The synopsis on the back of the book states that Richard becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation, which is what prompts Annabelle to take action, but that is not the case; Richard is barely considered as the murderer, even when a second death occurs. Annabelle just wants to get involved in something that is way out of her depth. And it is; throughout the entire book, Annabelle goes bumbling around, trying to find clues, and generally just causing problems that highlight her own ineptitude. Why the investigating detective, Reese, seemed to like her, I have no idea.
The supporting characters were pretty distinct, I will give the author that. However, not many of them were very likable; I mentioned Kate earlier, but Leatrice, Annabelle's elderly neighbor, would have been cute if she didn't butt in literally every time I turned around. She had no concept of minding her own business, and it got annoying very quickly. Detective Reese was okay, but his character kept jumping back and forth between a serious, no-nonsense policeman and a complete flirt, all within the same conversation! I wasn't convinced by him, either.
As for the mystery itself, it was interesting enough to hold my attention, but towards the end, it just became obnoxious as Annabelle and co. danced around the same two suspects. By the time the killer was revealed, I was just glad to be done with the constant conversational circling. Also, the way in which Annabelle figured out who did it was a bit of a reach; pulling some obscure fact out of her head after sustaining a concussion, even if it was a mild one, wasn't very realistic. And then, all of a sudden, it was over. The final showdown, the arrest, and the "resolution" took place in about four pages, leaving things feeling a bit unsettled after such an abrupt end.
The story as a whole has a certain charm to it that kept me reading, but it's not enough to encourage any continuation in the series, at least for me.
The synopsis on the back of the book states that Richard becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation, which is what prompts Annabelle to take action, but that is not the case; Richard is barely considered as the murderer, even when a second death occurs. Annabelle just wants to get involved in something that is way out of her depth. And it is; throughout the entire book, Annabelle goes bumbling around, trying to find clues, and generally just causing problems that highlight her own ineptitude. Why the investigating detective, Reese, seemed to like her, I have no idea.
The supporting characters were pretty distinct, I will give the author that. However, not many of them were very likable; I mentioned Kate earlier, but Leatrice, Annabelle's elderly neighbor, would have been cute if she didn't butt in literally every time I turned around. She had no concept of minding her own business, and it got annoying very quickly. Detective Reese was okay, but his character kept jumping back and forth between a serious, no-nonsense policeman and a complete flirt, all within the same conversation! I wasn't convinced by him, either.
As for the mystery itself, it was interesting enough to hold my attention, but towards the end, it just became obnoxious as Annabelle and co. danced around the same two suspects. By the time the killer was revealed, I was just glad to be done with the constant conversational circling. Also, the way in which Annabelle figured out who did it was a bit of a reach; pulling some obscure fact out of her head after sustaining a concussion, even if it was a mild one, wasn't very realistic. And then, all of a sudden, it was over. The final showdown, the arrest, and the "resolution" took place in about four pages, leaving things feeling a bit unsettled after such an abrupt end.
The story as a whole has a certain charm to it that kept me reading, but it's not enough to encourage any continuation in the series, at least for me.