Mystery shopper Josie Marcus is thrilled to be getting married. But when a deranged bride meets a grim end, Josie will have to catch a murderer before she tosses the bouquet…

As a bride-to-be, Josie’s latest assignment is absolutely fitting—investigating wedding flowers and wedding cakes. Josie can’t wait to pick out the details to make her own wedding perfect, even as her fiancé Ted’s outrageous mother has plans to turn the celebration into an over-the-top extravaganza. Still, the pistol-packing Lenore does come in handy when she draws her gun on Molly—a homicidal bridezilla who threatens to kill Ted unless he agrees to marry her—and saves the day.

Josie thinks the worst pre-wedding disaster is behind her—until Molly is shot and Lenore becomes the prime suspect. With her mother-in-law behind bars and her wedding on hold, Josie’s about to become fully engaged in finding the bridezilla killer and getting her own wedding back on track…

Series: Josie, Marcus Mystery Shopper

Review

Josie Marcus is getting married to veterinarian Ted Scottsmeyer in only one month, and for once, she gets a perfect mystery shopping assignment from her boss, “Harry the Horrible”. Josie is asked to check out wedding flower and cake suppliers in the St. Louis area to make sure the service given to eager brides-to-be is up to par. Josie is thrilled over the excellent service she receives from one shop, especially from a friendly salesperson named Molly. A few days later, Josie is stunned when Molly shows up at Ted’s veterinary clinic decked out in an expensive wedding gown claiming to be engaged to Josie’s own fiancé, Ted! Molly is later found murdered, with both Ted and his mother as prime suspects. Josie’s wedding plans could be derailed if she can’t find the true killer of Ted’s stalker.

This latest installment of Elaine Viets’s mystery shopper series is excellent. There is a nice mixture of shopping and sleuthing and is fun to read. Josie is a delightful main character. She is a hard-working single mother who puts up with a jerk of a boss so she can provide for her eleven-year-old daughter, Amelia. The job’s flexible work schedule gives her plenty of time to be available for her Amelia, as well as solve a few murder mysteries. This time, the investigation hits close to home when her beloved fiancé and future mother-in-law are both suspects. Ted has the motive and Lenore has the means, since she carries a gun in her purse and isn’t afraid to use it. With her friend Alyce by her side, Josie decides to take matters in her own hands and get to the bottom of who really killed the disturbed young woman who was stalking Ted. Josie is able to learn quite a bit about Molly as well as possible suspects through her mystery shopping adventures and the result is a quick, fun-to-read book. Although there isn’t as much substance to the investigation as in some of the prior installments, it’s still a solid entry in the series.

Josie’s daughter has been a little hard to take in some of the earlier books in this series. This time, although Amelia isn’t always perfect, she is likeable. The author captures the tween years perfectly in the way Amelia acts toward her mother. One of my favorite lines sums this up wonderfully and shows a little of the author’s humor.

“The National Weather Service couldn’t track Amelia’s changing moods.”  

Josie’s mother Jane has also mellowed throughout this series, and has grown to become an appealing character in the last couple of books. She used to be so judgmental over everything Josie did and came across as hateful. Now, Jane is less worried about what the neighbors will think, and more focused on loving her daughter and forgiving her for past mistakes. Ted’s mother Lenore is a pushy, over-the-top character, but her heart is in the right place and she adds even more fun to this delightful story.

The St. Louis setting of the book is accurate and detailed and those who know the city will be pleased to see familiar landmarks featured in the book. Others will learn a little about the “Gateway to the West” as they experience a few weeks in the life of Josie and her family. It looks like Josie may be getting the happy ending she deserves, and I am interested to see what is in store for her in the next installment. The bonus wedding planning tips support the story and may give real-life brides-to-be some inspiration for their own wedding. Fans of Deborah Donnelly will enjoy reading Murder is a Piece of Cake.

Reviewed by Christine K.

READERS COMMENTS