Customer Reviews

Murder on the Bride's Side: A Mystery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed the first volume to this series, Murder at Longbourn, and the trend continues. We are back with Elizabeth, now in the Richmond VA area and not MA. She and Peter are still together but she continues to let her past insecurities affect the relationship. It is no surprise who gets murdered since that character is as obnoxious as can be. This story has less Jane Austen influence as it proceeds, starting off with more quotes from Sense and Sensibility but it is not needed to keep your attention.
The ending was a bit of a surprise and very well done.
I am hoping that the author continues these delightful books!!

An old Richmond, Virginia plantation, a festive wedding and family disputes set the stage for murder in Tracy Kiely's novel MURDER ON THE BRIDE'S SIDE, the second novel in the Elizabeth Parker mystery series inspired by Jane Austen's classic novels. A year ago, Kiely wowed me with her debut novel MURDER AT LONGBOURN loosely based on characters from Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. This time we follow the further adventures of her endearingly flawed, angst ridden sleuth Elizabeth Parker as she draws strength and great quotes from SENSE AND SENSIBILIY.

The story picks up eight months after Elizabeth solved a double murder at her aunt Winnie's B&B in Cape Cod. She and her boyfriend Peter McGowan (who she reconnected with in Murder at Longbourn) are still an item, but the challenge of a long distance relationship niggles at her insecurities. He is joining Elizabeth in Richmond, Virginia while she fulfills her maid-of-honor duties for her best friend Bridget Matthews whose wedding is at the family estate Barton Landing, a former tobacco plantation fronting the James River. It would not be a proper old southern family without an elderly potentate to wield their cane and pelt cross words at their children, so Kiely has supplied us with Elsie Matthews, a meddling grand dame who likes to match make and foretell the future. Upon Elizabeth's arrival her ominous prediction of "death is coming" ultimately comes to pass the day after the wedding when the body of her daughter-in-law Roni is found brutally murder with a large kitchen knife in her chest. This is a tragic event, so why is no one grieving?

Elizabeth soon discovers that almost everyone in the Matthews clan wanted Roni dead. She is what Barbara Bush quipped "a noun beginning with b and rhyming with witch." She was the much younger second wife of Elsie's eldest son Avery, the heir presumptive and president of a thriving landscaping company whose recent stroke has left him in a wheelchair. His scheming wife (with a man-made figure) was determined that he sell in order to slow down and enjoy life. This news sends the family into a tailspin of anger and fear, so much so that someone commits murder to stop her.

Among Elsie's three children and their families the chief suspect is Bridget's cousin Harry Matthews, a Willoughby-like playboy who is often in his cups but not at all the killing kind. Because of Elizabeth's success with sleuthing out the murderer at her aunts B&B last January, she is called upon by Bridget to find the proof of the real murderer and free Harry. Could it be Roni's browbeaten teenage daughter Megan, Avery's starchy infatuated nurse Millicent McDaniel, womanizer and family leech David Cook, Avery's jilted girlfriend Julia Fitzpatrick, or Elizabeth herself, who is found in possession of the valuable diamond necklace missing from Roni's body? Add to this drama the coincidence of Peter's former flame, wedding coordinator Chloe Jenkins, who is on the prowl for Peter and Elizabeth will need to channel the Dashwood sisters: Elinor's inner strength and Marianne's passionate determination to solve the crime.

Written from her heroine's perspective, it was a delight to return to Kiely's breezy, familiar, blog-like writing style. It drew me into Elizabeth's anxious world as a singleton and struggles with confidence in her own abilities, building upon my desire for her to succeed. Like Austen, Kiely excels at endearing characterization supplying an array of odd, interesting, unique but somehow familiar characters. I particularly appreciated her descriptive use of metaphor and subtle humor. This mystery enthusiasts paid close attention to clues, had my predictions, but was still surprised at the final reveal. My major quibble is that this novel has even less connections to Austen than her previous outing. If you are going to claim that it has been drawn from SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, you better deliver. Elizabeth's ongoing relationship with Peter had its ups and downs - but really - how could anyone not be besotted by a man who can quote lines from Cary Grant movies by heart? Kudos to St. Martin's for the beautiful cover. BIG improvement. I am looking forward to Tracy's next murder mystery in the series inspired by Austen's PERSUASION. Yay! Men in blue. Go Wentworth.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

In Richmond, Virginia, the day after the wedding between Bridget and Colin, someone kills the bride's Aunt Roni. Bridge's BFF maid of honor Elizabeth Parker notices that no one seems concerned about Roni's homicide; in fact the wedding party seems as celebratory as they did for the marriage.

Although the cops insist everyone is a suspect, they narrow the field to Bridge's dashing bad boy cousin Harry and Elizabeth; the latter who found the body had a diamond necklace that belonged to Roni in her hotel room. Not one to panic even when her boyfriend Peter seems engrossed in the wedding planner, Jane Austen aficionado Elizabeth, heeds the serene composure of Sense and Sensibility's Elinor Dashwood in a crisis and then investigates.

The second Parker amateur sleuth (see Murder at Longbourn tied to Pride and Prejudice) is an engaging southern cozy due to the fine cast especially the Austen quoting heroine. The lighthearted story line is entertaining as energizing Elizabeth emulates Elinor's unruffled behavior while on the case of the killer and of Peter's affection. In spite of a thin plot, this is a fun regional whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

Murder on the Bride's Side by Tracy Kiely is the follow-up to Murder at Longbourn, following the misadventures of Elizabeth Parker, who loves Jane Austen and has a bad habit of stumbling onto murders. It picks up on the eve of Elizabeth's best friend Bridget's wedding. The women have been friends since childhood, and Elizabeth treats her friend's family as her own. As maid of honor, she has many responsibilities on her plate, but she had no idea that solving Bridget's Aunt Roni's murder would be one of them! Roni was barely tolerated by the family, and her desire to get husband, Avery, to sell the family business has everyone up in arms. The murderer seems to have planted evidence to make Elizabeth appear guilty, so she needs to find the culprit in order to clear her own name, but can she keep her mind on the crime when she discovers that her boyfriend Peter used to date the wedding planner, Chloe, who doesn't even hide her intentions to win him back? Kiely uses the occasional Austenism as well as some characters remarkably similar to Austen's; Elsie shares a remarkable resemblance to Lady Catherine. Bridget and Elizabeth make for a charming and humorous team of crime-solvers, and it's their friendship that really carries the story. Their history and love for each other allows them to tease and know each other, making each come to life for the reader as well. The culprit is a definite surprise when revealed, and Kiely throws in a heart-breaking twist at the end. Elizabeth and Bridget will keep Kiely busy writing mysteries for awhile, much to readers' delight!

It's the day before her best friend's wedding and there's a heap of chaos and commotion surrounding maid-of-honor Elizabeth Parker. With the grandmother-of-the-bride having premonitions about death, the bride's (Bridget) contentious family all living under the same roof, and a wedding planner who is after her boyfriend, Elizabeth is just hoping to make it through the weekend alive!

Well, the good news is that Elizabeth does make it through the weekend alive, the bad news is that Bridget's Aunt Roni does not. Found dead the morning after the nuptials, Roni Matthews, the much younger, narcissistic, conniving, and artificially enhanced wife of Bridget's Uncle Avery, was not very popular with the Matthews' clan. In fact, Avery seems to be the only one who isn't celebrating the death of this vile and vindictive person. The Matthews' lack of grief and sorrow leads Detective Grant, who is called to investigate this case, to suspect one of the family members of this heinous act of murder.

In this case, the question isn't "who would want to kill Roni?" but "who DIDN'T want to kill Roni?" Was it her daughter Meg, whom she constantly belittled and ridiculed? Or maybe it was her stepson Harry, who had a drunken altercation with her the night of the murder? Perhaps it was her brother by marriage, David Cook, who is known to possess a violent and unrestrained temper? Other suspects include: Avery's live-in nurse, Bridget's grandmother, and our very own Elizabeth Parker! Since the gruff and narrow-minded Detective Grant seems to be making little progress with this case, Elizabeth is asked to once again step in and help solve the mystery...

I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be back in the world of a Tracy Kiely mystery! I fell in love with Ms. Kiely's writing when I read her incredible debut novel Murder at Longbourn last year. I just adore her heroine, Elizabeth Parker, who reminds me a little of Bridget Jones, but with a few less neuroses and vices. While she is not the most sophisticated, witty, or put-together heroine, she is one most people can empathize with. Elizabeth is a heroine after any Janeite's heart! In Murder at Longbourn Elizabeth and her Aunt Winnie were constantly spouting quotes from Pride and Prejudice, similarly in Murder on the Bride's Side, Elizabeth and Bridget are often engaged in quote battles from Sense and Sensibility.

What I love most about Tracy Kiely's writing is her characters. Similar to Jane Austen, Tracy Kiely creates some of the most quirky, accessible, entertaining, and endearingly flawed characters. I was engaged and invested with these characters from page one! Another part I loved was discovering the subtle nods and allusions to Sense and Sensibility scattered through the novel. What I wasn't too fond of was this story's conclusion. It felt like the pace of the story started to accelerate towards the end and the resolution just didn't feel as satisfying. In addition, I would have loved for more about the Chloe-Peter-Elizabeth love triangle. It felt a little unresolved.

In Murder on the Bride's Side, Ms. Kiely delivers another diverting and engrossing mystery for us Janeites to enjoy! I eagerly await her third installment in this magnificent series, which is rumored to have some parallels with Jane Austen's Persuasion!

Austenesque Reviews

Elizabeth Parker attends the wedding of her best friend, Bridget and is tossed amidst the internal unhappiness of the Bride's family. As a reader, you are quickly introduced to the person causing the vortex. When the person is discovered dead, you are not surprised.

You are surprised by the intricately woven story surrounding the victim. It is not as simple as implied. The honeymoon is cancelled, engagements to be are postponed, and hearts are wounded as Elizabeth tries to make sense of the murder.

Ms. Kiely writes a tight storyline and her characters are three dimensional.

I highly recommend this novel and series.

As others have pointed out, there is very little Jane Austen in this book, but lots of clues and red herrings. Even if you've been taking notes, the author keeps us guessing who the killer is until the last few pages. It's a short read yet well done mystery, and has almost no romance although -- just as in all major Austen novels -- the "good" characters have happy endings.

I will not summarize this book as it has been done well by other reviewers. The new book was extremely enjoyable. The revealing of the murderer was a bit of a surprise as I thought it was someone else. I am also happy with the ending, and I'm looking forward to book three to see what life has in store for Elizabeth.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it, for the most part. The story, descriptions, convoluted plot twists were all interesting. What I did not enjoy was Elizabeth's friend, Bridget:her language and lack of respect for her grandmother. Bridget is definitely a "bridezilla" and not my idea of a Southern belle. Although I have to say the victim, her aunt, makes Bridget seem nice by comparison. I may be a prude but I really don't see what profanity/obsenity add to a story. I guess that is why I usually prefer reading Christian fiction(which this is definitely NOT or claims to be)because you don't have to worry about bad language or sex. In my opinion, if a story has a lot of either of those, it's not enjoyable reading.