A Wedding To Die For

by S. C. Merritt, Deborah Malone

When Kate Kennedy left her high-pressure job managing a ski resort and bought Paradise Cove Bungalows, she had no idea what awaited her on the beautiful island of San Cabela. The cozy island getaway would be the start of a new chapter for Kate, a small town girl with big dreams. With her first guests all checked in for their destination wedding, celebration turns to devastation when the groom is found dead before he can say, “I do”. If that isn’t enough to worry about, Kate’s cousin shows up for a surprise visit and finds herself at the top of the suspect list.
With tensions rising and accusations flying, Kate must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again—because at this wedding, “til death do us part” might come sooner than expected.
A sun-soaked, suspenseful, mystery with a tropical twist for all cozy fans!

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Short, Sweet and Cozy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wedding to Die For is Book 1 in S.C. Merritt's Paradise Cove Cozy Mysteries and the series is off to a great start. There are 2 prequel novellas, Caramelized Casualty and Killer Vacation (combined in a box set called Before Paradise), that introduces Kate Kennedy. They are helpful but the reader can start with A Wedding to Die For. Kate Kennedy had a stressful job managing a ski resort in Colorado. She needs a change and goes on vacation to San Cabelo Island in the Caribbean and decides to buy a small cabin resort and stay. This book begins when Kate returns to the island to start her new life. The previous owner Marie has a weekend wedding booked so Kate has to hit the ground running. Luckily Kate knows Simon who is a local and is really helpful, supportive and handsome. The wedding party is difficult and there is a lot of conflict among them. Kate's cousin Birdie Mae shows up unexpectedly and agrees to help. The groom ends up dead. Just about everyone has secrets and Kate, Simon, Birdie and Detective Dyanah Johnson have to sort through them to find the culprit. This is a wonderful debut cozy mystery with likeable characters, a good pace and a mystery that kept me guessing. I enjoyed it and look forward to more books in the series. I received a copy of the book for free from the author and I voluntarily leave this review.
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[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed meeting Kate’s cousin Birdie Mae who might’ve gotten herself into some really hot water in this case. I can’t say too much or it’ll spoil the surprises inside, but this book was just a lotta fun to read and I do highly recommend reading the first two novellas, especially the one set on this island. They really help give some backstory about Kate’s life and how she met the islanders.

I loved this book’s story and how Kate worked with her sweetie Simon and her cousin to take down a killer. Can’t wait for the next book!