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Rex Graves Mystery #5
Murder of the Bride
Scottish Barrister Rex Graves and his fiancee Helen have traveled to Aston-on-Trent in Derbyshire, England to attend the wedding ceremony of one of Helen's former students. The dreary gray skies and bickering families underscore Rex's private reservations about the unlikely couple's long-term prospects. But when people connected to the ill-fated wedding start falling faster than the gloomy May rain, Rex must determine who among the sniping wedding guests is the killer in this traditional locked-room mystery. Murder of the Bride is book 5 in the Rex Graves Mystery series.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
29 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Challinor
19 books67 followersC.S. Challinor was raised and educated in Scotland (St. George's School for Girls, Edinburgh) and England (Lewes Priory, Sussex; University of Kent, Canterbury: Joint Hons Latin & French). She also holds a diploma in Russian from the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. She now lives in Southwest Florida. Challinor is a member of the Authors Guild, New York, and writes the critically acclaimed Rex Graves cozy mystery series featuring Rex Graves, Scottish barrister-sleuth.
CHRISTMAS IS MURDER, the first in the series, reached #1 on the Kindle Bestseller List. This title is also available in large print hardcover through Thorndike Reviewer's Choice. The fifth in the series, MURDER OF THE BRIDE, was a Mystery Guild Book Club pick (hardcover) and a Top Five Books of 2011 Selection by Crime Fiction Lover. JUDGMENT OF MURDER, #8, the newest Rex Graves title from Midnight Ink, was released on November 8, 2016, to highly favorable reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews.
Please note, the covers shown on Goodreads for MURDER IN THE RAW and PHI BETA MURDER are the old covers. These two titles have since been recovered for subsequent editions, print and digital.
CHRISTMAS IS MURDER, the first in the series, reached #1 on the Kindle Bestseller List. This title is also available in large print hardcover through Thorndike Reviewer's Choice. The fifth in the series, MURDER OF THE BRIDE, was a Mystery Guild Book Club pick (hardcover) and a Top Five Books of 2011 Selection by Crime Fiction Lover. JUDGMENT OF MURDER, #8, the newest Rex Graves title from Midnight Ink, was released on November 8, 2016, to highly favorable reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews.
Please note, the covers shown on Goodreads for MURDER IN THE RAW and PHI BETA MURDER are the old covers. These two titles have since been recovered for subsequent editions, print and digital.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 22, 2019
One good thing about this series is that the stories are pretty different just like the outcome is hard to predict just based on the previous books.
In this one we have a lot of characters, a lot of dead bodies and a lot of alleged murderers. Was a fun read following it all. The final twist was probably not necessary but it was still really surprising and well thought through.
And I probably said it before. I love Rex Graves. A great character who solves mystery who is a bit grumpy and whose attitude makes me laugh once in a while.
In this one we have a lot of characters, a lot of dead bodies and a lot of alleged murderers. Was a fun read following it all. The final twist was probably not necessary but it was still really surprising and well thought through.
And I probably said it before. I love Rex Graves. A great character who solves mystery who is a bit grumpy and whose attitude makes me laugh once in a while.
April 30, 2025
Honestly probably my favorite out of them all so far in my humble opinion
November 12, 2017
Not the best in the series
I've read the first few books in this series and enjoyed them. This one seems rushed, the dialogue is unnatural and the story just too farfetched. Way too many characters and not enough time to develop them. I had to keep referring to the cast list in the beginning to remind myself who each person was. I'm afraid this one has soured me on the series.
I've read the first few books in this series and enjoyed them. This one seems rushed, the dialogue is unnatural and the story just too farfetched. Way too many characters and not enough time to develop them. I had to keep referring to the cast list in the beginning to remind myself who each person was. I'm afraid this one has soured me on the series.
August 8, 2019
I thought I was going to appreciate the chance to leave my brain at the door (this sort of book is my TV it is what I read when I am too tired to read proper stuff). This one was uncommonly badly written in a "try to impress your year 4 teacher" sort of a way. P13 one voice "chorused" in a whisper. Um...writer do you know what "chorusing" is? All through the book there are instances of not quite the right word used pretentiously. I am more forgiving of that in amateur texts.
P53 the vicar "warbled" when he definitely should have just asked (this is what I mean by year 4). The terrible writing alone I would not have given it one star, but there were other problems. The pacing was such that it was hard to read. The writer didn't successfully bring her along with us or with her characters we kept having to say "wait, what?". It's possible this was just my experience because I was relatively bored, the characters were very two-dimensional, mostly misogynist stereotypes one way or the other (the exception being Aunt Gwen who seemed to have potential but was only fleetingly in the story and afterwards referred to as "the welsh woman" or by the fact she was fat). The characters did not convince, there seemed to be too many instances of people being played for (an attempt at) comedy. The scene in the bar is a good example of this.
Rex is not the most relatable character in the world being a boring white middle-aged man who thinks about alcohol entirely too much. I thought his fiance Helen (being his connection to these people) would play a bigger and more active role but no apparently the police just inexplicably let him take over and noone else is bothered by this either. Speaking of Helen being entirely surplus to requirements, I didn't think to apply the Bechdel test as I was reading (as it starts with plenty of female characters that you think are going to be main ones) but I suspect the book might fail it or sections of it might. An amazing proportion of female characters were got rid of as victims or criminals of various types. Criminals in the book on the whole are unbelievably weak and ready to spill the beans.
Men who manage to get out of the scene of the book, outside of the orbit of the female characters have a tendency to settle down and live happily with some insignificant non-character woman and make babies whereas women are unhappy and psycho if they lose the man. SO MUCH MISOGYNY.
I am disappointed, because I expected little from this book but I expected more than I got. You think train journeys and weddings in huge mansions and a thief and bodies piling up is going to be fun. I was ready to forgive some stereotyping but there was nothing to this apart from that.
Next.
P53 the vicar "warbled" when he definitely should have just asked (this is what I mean by year 4). The terrible writing alone I would not have given it one star, but there were other problems. The pacing was such that it was hard to read. The writer didn't successfully bring her along with us or with her characters we kept having to say "wait, what?". It's possible this was just my experience because I was relatively bored, the characters were very two-dimensional, mostly misogynist stereotypes one way or the other (the exception being Aunt Gwen who seemed to have potential but was only fleetingly in the story and afterwards referred to as "the welsh woman" or by the fact she was fat). The characters did not convince, there seemed to be too many instances of people being played for (an attempt at) comedy. The scene in the bar is a good example of this.
Rex is not the most relatable character in the world being a boring white middle-aged man who thinks about alcohol entirely too much. I thought his fiance Helen (being his connection to these people) would play a bigger and more active role but no apparently the police just inexplicably let him take over and noone else is bothered by this either. Speaking of Helen being entirely surplus to requirements, I didn't think to apply the Bechdel test as I was reading (as it starts with plenty of female characters that you think are going to be main ones) but I suspect the book might fail it or sections of it might. An amazing proportion of female characters were got rid of as victims or criminals of various types. Criminals in the book on the whole are unbelievably weak and ready to spill the beans.
Men who manage to get out of the scene of the book, outside of the orbit of the female characters have a tendency to settle down and live happily with some insignificant non-character woman and make babies whereas women are unhappy and psycho if they lose the man. SO MUCH MISOGYNY.
I am disappointed, because I expected little from this book but I expected more than I got. You think train journeys and weddings in huge mansions and a thief and bodies piling up is going to be fun. I was ready to forgive some stereotyping but there was nothing to this apart from that.
Next.
December 7, 2021
"A PERFECTLY DREADFUL DERBYSHIRE WEDDING
"Scottish Barrister Rex Graves and his fiancee Helen have traveled to Aston-on-Trent in Derbyshire, England, to attend the wedding ceremony of one of Helen's former students. the dreary gray skies and bickering families underscore Rex's private reservations about the unlikely couple's long-term prospects. But when peop0le connected to the ill-fated wedding start falling faster than the gloomy May rain, Rex must determine who among the sniping wedding guests is the killer in this traditional locked-room mystery."
~~back cover
A lovely little English cozy, with a very surprise ending. Easy read.
"Scottish Barrister Rex Graves and his fiancee Helen have traveled to Aston-on-Trent in Derbyshire, England, to attend the wedding ceremony of one of Helen's former students. the dreary gray skies and bickering families underscore Rex's private reservations about the unlikely couple's long-term prospects. But when peop0le connected to the ill-fated wedding start falling faster than the gloomy May rain, Rex must determine who among the sniping wedding guests is the killer in this traditional locked-room mystery."
~~back cover
A lovely little English cozy, with a very surprise ending. Easy read.
July 13, 2023
Rex Graves is at it again, this time as a guest at a wedding where the wedding party quickly falls ill and not everyone survives. Rex races to solve the crimes alongside the local police before their crime scene and its witnesses disappears.
Of the six stories featuring Rex Graves that I have read, I think this one is my favorite. It’s the closest in style and concept to Agatha Christie, whom the author is clearly inspired by. I could do without the last chapter, however, because it just isn’t believable for a killer to confess all with so little prompting.
Of the six stories featuring Rex Graves that I have read, I think this one is my favorite. It’s the closest in style and concept to Agatha Christie, whom the author is clearly inspired by. I could do without the last chapter, however, because it just isn’t believable for a killer to confess all with so little prompting.
May 21, 2025
This was the fifth book I’ve read in the Rex Graves series and my favorite so far. I would love to go to this murderous wedding! I thought I knew who done it fairly early on and I was mostly correct, but it turns out there was a twist! There is kind of a Scooby Doo ending in the series of books as the culprits confess and explain exactly what they did. Makes it easy to wrap it up for me!
August 9, 2018
The best in this series so far. Rex Graves attends a wedding with fiancé Helen and dead bodies start piling up. The suspects are an interesting bunch and motives abound. Rex's deduction of the villain is quite clever and a legitimate surprise.
Read
June 11, 2024This is the first book I read by C.S. Challinor. I found it on a vacation rental and could not stop reading. The books by Challinor keep you on your toes. I just finished the first one of the series Chistmas is Murder
October 1, 2025
another way for our hero Rex to sniff out the murderer...and a different plot line than previous with lots of interesting characters and potential murderers. surprise ending. Easy to pick up and read when you have a free minute or two; or are awake at 2 am
March 5, 2017
good up to the last over the top twist
October 9, 2017
This is my first time reading a Rex Graves novel and I have to say it was really good. Rex Graves was funny and intelligent. Looking at reading the other novels in this series.
April 24, 2018
First I’ve read of the series. I’ll be looking for the others to read now.
September 14, 2020
Fast paced. Done all in one day.......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2021
Light murder mystery that has great setting and characters.
September 21, 2022
Interesting ending
February 26, 2012
Murder of the Bride
(Rex Graves Mystery Series Book #5)
C.S. Challinor
Midnight Ink, March 2012
ISBN 978-0-7387-2335-8
Trade Paperback (E-ARC)
Rex Graves is back, this time visiting his fiancee, Helen d’Arcy, so they can attend the wedding in Aston-on-Trent of one of her former students. Polly is very pregnant and her groom, Timmy, looks a bit peaked but is it just the dreary day leading Rex to think the success of this marriage is doubtful? Perhaps not, as the reception at the bride’s family country home in Derbyshire soon turns from a pleasant celebration to a scene of mayhem when Polly collapses, looking more than a little green. The vicar and Victoria, the bride’s mother soon fall just as ill and it becomes apparent that food poisoning may be the cause. When the ambulance arrives, though, Rex suggests that the hospital might want to test for arsenic poisoning as he has recognized the symptoms.
As a barrister in Scotland, Rex has some knowledge of such things and he has begun to develop a reputation as a sleuth. Certainly there are indications that mischief is afoot, such as the disappearance of the bride and groom figures from the top of the wedding cake and the apparent theft of some very valuable collectibles but the news that Polly’s long-lost father may have returned to the area and the discovery of a body at the bottom of the tower solidify Rex’s misgivings.
Leaving the reception and heading to Aston-on-Trent, Rex learns a great deal more about the secrets of the Newcombe and Thorpe families. Is jealousy behind the attacks? Greed? Infidelity? Overbearing mothers? Rex and the local police have an overabundance of clues and evidence and getting to the solution to the case will require much thought and cooperation.
This latest case for Rex Graves is every bit as charming and entertaining as those in earlier books and readers will not be disappointed. The setting, an English country home, is as much a character as the people and many of those characters are a delight, especially Police Constable Perrin (and the cast of characters provided by the author is very much appreciated). It should be noted that, while the book is billed as a locked-room mystery, that really isn’t true. That slight failing does nothing to dampen enjoyment of Murder of the Bride and I will look forward eagerly to my favorite Scottish barrister’s next case.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2012.
(Rex Graves Mystery Series Book #5)
C.S. Challinor
Midnight Ink, March 2012
ISBN 978-0-7387-2335-8
Trade Paperback (E-ARC)
Rex Graves is back, this time visiting his fiancee, Helen d’Arcy, so they can attend the wedding in Aston-on-Trent of one of her former students. Polly is very pregnant and her groom, Timmy, looks a bit peaked but is it just the dreary day leading Rex to think the success of this marriage is doubtful? Perhaps not, as the reception at the bride’s family country home in Derbyshire soon turns from a pleasant celebration to a scene of mayhem when Polly collapses, looking more than a little green. The vicar and Victoria, the bride’s mother soon fall just as ill and it becomes apparent that food poisoning may be the cause. When the ambulance arrives, though, Rex suggests that the hospital might want to test for arsenic poisoning as he has recognized the symptoms.
As a barrister in Scotland, Rex has some knowledge of such things and he has begun to develop a reputation as a sleuth. Certainly there are indications that mischief is afoot, such as the disappearance of the bride and groom figures from the top of the wedding cake and the apparent theft of some very valuable collectibles but the news that Polly’s long-lost father may have returned to the area and the discovery of a body at the bottom of the tower solidify Rex’s misgivings.
Leaving the reception and heading to Aston-on-Trent, Rex learns a great deal more about the secrets of the Newcombe and Thorpe families. Is jealousy behind the attacks? Greed? Infidelity? Overbearing mothers? Rex and the local police have an overabundance of clues and evidence and getting to the solution to the case will require much thought and cooperation.
This latest case for Rex Graves is every bit as charming and entertaining as those in earlier books and readers will not be disappointed. The setting, an English country home, is as much a character as the people and many of those characters are a delight, especially Police Constable Perrin (and the cast of characters provided by the author is very much appreciated). It should be noted that, while the book is billed as a locked-room mystery, that really isn’t true. That slight failing does nothing to dampen enjoyment of Murder of the Bride and I will look forward eagerly to my favorite Scottish barrister’s next case.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2012.
May 10, 2012
Loved it! A classic who-done-it.
The butler did it in the drawing room with a candlestick! Picture the tried and true who-dun-it mystery and you have C.S. Challinor’s “Murder of the Bride.” In the fifth installment of her Rex Graves Mystery Series, Challinor offers up yet another entertaining and often humorous adventure.
Barrister and amateur sleuth Rex Graves and his fiancée Helen are off to Derbyshire, England for the wedding of a former student. Almost immediately upon their arrival at the church, the comedy of errors begins. When the bride Polly makes her entrance to walk down the aisle she is preceded by a very prominent and very pregnant belly, obviously this is a “shot-gun” wedding. She is quite the contrast to her scrawny, sickly looking groom Timmy Thorpe leaving the guests wondering how the two ended up a couple and on their way to the altar.
When they arrive at the afternoon reception in the bride’s childhood home, it becomes apparent the families of the newly married couple are highly dysfunctional in their own ways. Polly’s father ran off when she was a teenager and hadn’t been seen since, and Timmy’s mother Mabel is an overbearing shrew of a woman.
The buffet over and the cake finally cut and served, the bride becomes sick and is rushed to the hospital where it is discovered she’s been poisoned at the reception. Instantly Rex Graves goes into sleuth mode to solve the murder. In the process of tracking the guilty party, bodies start piling up as Aunt Gwen takes a dive off the top of the castle and Polly’s father is found dead on the train tracks.
One by one the guests are cleared of suspicion as Rex zeros in on the killer in a surprising twist the reader won’t see coming.
Challinor deftly writes a classic English-style mystery in the class of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen. With her words, you can almost see Rex in a tweed jacket with a pipe between his teeth questioning all the attendees of the reception. Devoted readers of the mystery genre will love this offering from Challinor.
Reviewed for Suspense Magazine
The butler did it in the drawing room with a candlestick! Picture the tried and true who-dun-it mystery and you have C.S. Challinor’s “Murder of the Bride.” In the fifth installment of her Rex Graves Mystery Series, Challinor offers up yet another entertaining and often humorous adventure.
Barrister and amateur sleuth Rex Graves and his fiancée Helen are off to Derbyshire, England for the wedding of a former student. Almost immediately upon their arrival at the church, the comedy of errors begins. When the bride Polly makes her entrance to walk down the aisle she is preceded by a very prominent and very pregnant belly, obviously this is a “shot-gun” wedding. She is quite the contrast to her scrawny, sickly looking groom Timmy Thorpe leaving the guests wondering how the two ended up a couple and on their way to the altar.
When they arrive at the afternoon reception in the bride’s childhood home, it becomes apparent the families of the newly married couple are highly dysfunctional in their own ways. Polly’s father ran off when she was a teenager and hadn’t been seen since, and Timmy’s mother Mabel is an overbearing shrew of a woman.
The buffet over and the cake finally cut and served, the bride becomes sick and is rushed to the hospital where it is discovered she’s been poisoned at the reception. Instantly Rex Graves goes into sleuth mode to solve the murder. In the process of tracking the guilty party, bodies start piling up as Aunt Gwen takes a dive off the top of the castle and Polly’s father is found dead on the train tracks.
One by one the guests are cleared of suspicion as Rex zeros in on the killer in a surprising twist the reader won’t see coming.
Challinor deftly writes a classic English-style mystery in the class of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen. With her words, you can almost see Rex in a tweed jacket with a pipe between his teeth questioning all the attendees of the reception. Devoted readers of the mystery genre will love this offering from Challinor.
Reviewed for Suspense Magazine
January 4, 2014
"Murder of the Bride" was another excellent story in this series of books. I have to say it's even better than the "Murder on the Moor" and had more interesting characters in it too. With a wedding event, there was a huge selection of "suspects" to choose from and considering all the secrets that were being uncovered throughout the story, it's very fitting that it wasn't easy to properly predict who the killer actually was and don't worry, I shan't reveal it here; that'd be rude as well as disrespectful of the author. I have to say, Rex & Helen are a great pair; they both have an understated sense of humor that I really enjoy; especially when the sarcasm kicks in. It was also good to see a police inspector such as Lucas in this story. So many times in mysteries, the cops are shown to be completely clueless or moronic at the least but here the police were more than willing to work with Rex and didn't try to prevent Rex from helping with the investigation. I don't know what'll happen with the married couple in the story since that wasn't written about after the murder was caught but it'd be interesting to add something about that in the next book, should there be one. Just to help finalize the previous book a bit more.
March 7, 2012
Scottish Barrister Rex Graves and his fiancée Helen have been invited to a wedding in England after which they play on taking a walking holiday. The bride to be, Polly is a former student of Helen's who lives with her mother in what some might call a faux castle. The bride and her mother were deserted by Polly's father years before in mysterious circumstances.
Aside from the excellent food and beverages, the wedding offers an opportunity for Rex to meet some of Helen's co workers and in particular her old boyfriend Clive. When the festivities re wrapping up and the wedding cake is distributed a hidden scenario comes into play and murder is added the menu.
All the clues are there and it is very fortunate the QC Rex with his sharp eyes, intelligent instinct photographic memory is on the scene. The reader has the same inside tract to solving the case.
This mystery moves a at a rapid pace, is interesting, entertaining and fun.
Aside from the excellent food and beverages, the wedding offers an opportunity for Rex to meet some of Helen's co workers and in particular her old boyfriend Clive. When the festivities re wrapping up and the wedding cake is distributed a hidden scenario comes into play and murder is added the menu.
All the clues are there and it is very fortunate the QC Rex with his sharp eyes, intelligent instinct photographic memory is on the scene. The reader has the same inside tract to solving the case.
This mystery moves a at a rapid pace, is interesting, entertaining and fun.
December 17, 2011
Murder Of The Bride
By C.S. Challinor
Love this very English and very cozy mystery!!!
Rex...a barrister and Helen...a teacher...are off to a lovely wedding of one of Helen's former students.
Little do they know that almost everyone there will soon be murdered!!!
So much fun!!!
It was an excellent well told tale with lots of twists and turns and tons of potential suspects and I might add a surprise ending!!!
I loved Rex...he has a reputation for solving murders and he does this brilliantly.
There were so many potential suspects, too. At any given point it could have been anyone from the caterer to the brother in law to the best friend.
You, my friends, will have to read this lovely book to discover all of its cozy mystery beauty!!!
I personally can't wait to read more from this author.
By C.S. Challinor
Love this very English and very cozy mystery!!!
Rex...a barrister and Helen...a teacher...are off to a lovely wedding of one of Helen's former students.
Little do they know that almost everyone there will soon be murdered!!!
So much fun!!!
It was an excellent well told tale with lots of twists and turns and tons of potential suspects and I might add a surprise ending!!!
I loved Rex...he has a reputation for solving murders and he does this brilliantly.
There were so many potential suspects, too. At any given point it could have been anyone from the caterer to the brother in law to the best friend.
You, my friends, will have to read this lovely book to discover all of its cozy mystery beauty!!!
I personally can't wait to read more from this author.
March 17, 2012
Rex and his fiance Helen are invited to a wedding. The bride is a former student of Helen's and she has invited Rex to be her escort.
Rex doesn't know anyone in the wedding party or any of the guests other than Helen so he is watching as an interested outsider. When several people are poisoned at the reception Rex gets involved, mostly because he was watching all the people around him and he is really good at observing what is happening.
The police are more than happy to get Rex involved.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story and Rex is kept on his toes to try and follow the various hints, clues and red herrings.
I really like this series and can't wait to read more.
Rex doesn't know anyone in the wedding party or any of the guests other than Helen so he is watching as an interested outsider. When several people are poisoned at the reception Rex gets involved, mostly because he was watching all the people around him and he is really good at observing what is happening.
The police are more than happy to get Rex involved.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story and Rex is kept on his toes to try and follow the various hints, clues and red herrings.
I really like this series and can't wait to read more.
August 9, 2014
Just finished another in the Rex Graves series. Noticed something different. In the last two I have read in this series, the murderer is not one of the main characters, they aren't in the group of suspects. They either have a brief introduction at the beginning and then don't show up until the end when Rex figures it out. Not a usual plot device. In this one, the police and Rex thought they had the murderer and then it turned out to be someone else who wasn't at the wedding.
February 2, 2012
A country house, a wedding, a very pregnant bride and arsenic. This is just such a fun read, Challinor does a great job with time and place. Love Rex and his constant quest for a pint and rally enjoyed this old style cozy. Plenty of humor and red herrings kept me interested to the end.
Arc by NetGalley.
Arc by NetGalley.
March 19, 2012
2.5 stars. I was disappointed. I was really looking forward to a new (to me) author for cozy mysteries. I particularly like the ones set in Great Britain. Although the plot was not predictable I just did not enjoy it as much as I hoped. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for this book at this time. I will try another one by this author some time in the future to see if it was just me.
April 1, 2012
Scottish barrister Rex Graves joins his fiancee, Helen, at the wedding of one of her former students. The weather is dreary, the bride very pregnant, and when they get back to the bride's home for the reception, people start to die. Rex volunteers to help the police, and finds a murderer for them. But is it the right person?
January 26, 2012
This is an elegant mystery in the style of a Golden Age classic with a reasonably closed set of possible suspects and several deaths to investigate. I was hooked by a simple and direct approach to storytelling.
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April 23, 2012
C.S. Challinor delivers another well written and highly readable mystery that will satisfy cozy readers.
March 10, 2013
These cozy murder mysteries call back to the mysteries of Agatha Christie. They are fun, quick reads that usually have pretty stock characters but its a nice little mind exercise.
February 1, 2014
A decent & enjoyable mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews