Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: May 13, 2025
Summary:
The second in a witty, USA Today bestselling series following author Eleanor Dash as she goes from wedding guest to murder mystery investigator at her best friend’s wedding on Catalina Island.
Attending your best friend’s wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on vacation and is definitely her uninvited plus-one to the special occasion.
Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since childhood, is starring in the movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel. Emma is also marrying Fred Winters, a major movie star and Emma’s co-star, who just happens to be playing Connor Smith, Eleanor’s ex and leading man of the series.
Filming wraps and they invite the whole cast and crew to their wedding at nearby Catalina Island. There may be a storm headed their way—because of course there is—but nothing will stop their nuptials . . . that is until Emma receives a note that says “Someone is going to die at the wedding.”
Eleanor is a professional at this point, and she’ll do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail . . . before it’s too late for her and the rest of the storm-trapped wedding party.
My thoughts:
This is the 2nd book in Catherine Mack’s Vacation Mystery series and it’s another clever, fun read. Just like the Finlay Donovan series, but with more snarkiness, witty banter and a meta fiction vibe, this series is definitely one I cannot get enough of! While I realize it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – the whole footnotes thing and having Eleanor talk directly to you, the reader – I happen to find it quite refreshing. This is definitely not something you see in every book and I like the way it’s done here.
Once again, we have a mystery that kept me guessing – this time a locked-room mystery (hell0 – these are my absolute favorites!!!) at this dumpster fire of a wedding – I mean, everything that could go wrong most definitely does! And yet, the wedding goes on…and all the things happen. You just have to read it to believe it…and yet, you cannot possibly predict what will happen next!
I am enjoying this series so much! I love Eleanor and cannot wait to see what disaster awaits her next!
Audio thoughts:
I was glad they brought back Elizabeth Evans to narrate this second book – she does such an amazing job. Between all the characters & having to read the footnotes, she really made this audiobook a joy to listen to. I do hope she’ll be back to narrate the next in the series, no matter how many books there end up being!
Books in this series:
- Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies
- No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding
Purchasing from the link below supports independent bookstores and my blog!
