Killer Wedding

Madeline Bean #3

by Jerrilyn Farmer

Although not about to say "I do" anytime soon, hip party-planner Madeline Bean is no stranger to the phenomenon known as the LA wedding; the good, the bad and the kind where the party lasts longer than the marriage. Still, Maddie never expected to be the guest of Vivian Duncan, the West Coast's grande dame of wedding consultants, at a lavish affair held amidst the dramatically lit fossils in the Nature Museum's Hall of Dinosaurs. While checking out the glittering event, Maddie, with her keen event planner's instinct, realizes something is not quite right, but what? The groom is on time. The bride is beautiful. And a corpse wearing a Cartier bracelet is dangling from the triceratops skeleton. Ah, yes. That. With people disappearing and the bride in tears, Maddie just may be the next species to become extinct...unless she can reveal the murderer fast. Quicker than she can whip up a white chocolate wedding cake, Maddie follows the trail deep into dark jungles---urban and otherwise---amid tantalizing tales of smuggled gems, while fending off a nervous bridegroom, a crazed carjacker, and a half-naked ice-sculptor and his trusty chainsaw. Along the way, she discovers something old, something new, something deadly and something a wedding pro should never, ever do.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Food

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Jerrilyn Farmer, the author of the acclaimed, award-winning Madeline Bean novels, is a TV writer who has written for game shows such as Jeopardy! and Supermarket Sweep, and sketch comedy specials for Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Timothy Stack, Cheri Oteri, Tim Meadows, and others. Farmer also teaches mystery writing at the UCLA Extension's Writers Program.

Reviews

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first impression of this series was that it is too silly. Now I feel the need for a little humor between the grisly mystery novels. In this installment of the Madeline Bean series set in Los Angeles, The reader learns about the mining of emeralds in Africa. I always enjoy learning new data. The only flaw in Farmer's story is the answer of the riddle of the real father of the bride. The cooking smells delicious, but Madeline uses a lot of fish. I would kill right now for the lemon curd cake.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The renowned wedding planner that has been trying to get Madeline to purchase her business winds up dead at a wedding & you'll never guess whodunnit! Madeline has not one, not two, but three men vying for her attentions in this story. Somehow she convinces Detective Honnett to let her help on the case. Amusing as always!

[Donna Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun cozy mystery, it kept me guessing!

[HatGirl8]

8/23/2005

[Leah Wicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Cute cozy mystery

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another fun read but didn't care for the secondary characters. Oh well, on to the next book!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline attends a wedding at the LA Nature Museum. The company putting it on wants Madeline to buy it out, but then the owner is killed during the reception. Another fun book filled with great characters and a strong story. The ending scene is a bit of a cliche, but it is still fun.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the cue that something was wrong was the dead body in the dinosaur skeleton, but maybe that's just me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Reading the fabulous care they took over the meals they created certainly got my appetite going, but I wasn't really attracted to the characters and the plot was hard to swallow. I'm not sure I'll bother with any more in this series.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! I was a little bummed that Wes and Maddie weren't doing any actual catering or event planning this book, but the Vivian Duncan wedding made up for it.

[Danise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cute, easy read.

[Monica L Christopherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read.

This story is engaging. It told a bit about the history of emerald smuggling from Zimbabwe, which I found interesting. A good beach read.

[February Four · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story at the bottom of it all sounds fascinating and I like this Zelli guy a LOT. I hope we see him again in this series soon!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun frolic through a crazy "safari" themed wedding and lots of tantalizing foodie references.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 3.75

[Beni Botchway]

Mmmm.Delicious.