Murder At The Wedding

The Carmel Cove #1

by M.A. Comley

Private investigator, Ruth Morgan, detests weddings, but when her best friend is about to get hitched, she finds it impossible to turn down the invitation.

A beautiful wedding, until the final kiss when the festivities turn sinister. The venue is now a murder scene.

Ruth quickly becomes frustrated by the fact the local inspector in charge of the case proves to be hopeless at her job. Therefore, it's down to Ruth to use her intrepid skills to find the murderer.

The more she digs, the more she learns about the victim and the web of lies he has spun over the years.

Ruth uncovers an extensive list of suspects, all of whom have a legitimate motive for wanting the victim dead.

But who is the murderer, and will Ruth solve the case before the inept local police?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

194 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2019

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, iBooks top 5 bestselling and #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble. Over one million copies sold world wide. I am a British author who moved to France in 2002, and that's when I turned my hobby into a career.

When I'm not writing crime novels I'm either reading them or going on long walks with my rescue Labrador, Dex.

I hope you enjoy reading my books, especially the Justice series, Cruel Justice, Impeding Justice, Final Justice, Foul Justice, Guaranteed Justice, Ultimate Justice, Virtual Justice, Hostile Justice, Tortured Justice, Rough Justice, Dubious Justice, Calculated Justice, Twisted Justice, Prime Justice. There are several novellas and short stories in the series too.

My other successful series are: The DI Sally Parker thriller series, which includes WRONG PLACE, NO HIDING PLACE and COLD CASE

The Hero series, TORN APART, END RESULT, IN PLAIN SIGHT and DOUBLE JEOPARDY(published by Bloodhound Books)

I have three books in the Intention series, Sole Intention, Grave Intention and Devious Intention.

I've also written a couple of standalone novels - EVIL IN DISGUISE and FOREVER WATCHING YOU.

As well as co-authoring The Caller with Tara Lyons.

And Clever Deception, Tragic Deception and Sinful Deception co-authored by fellow NY Times bestselling author Linda S Prather.

If you'd like to keep up to date with new releases you can find me on Facebook by following this link http://smarturl.it/sps7jh or sign up for my newsletter http://www.hyperurl.co/su1xnt

If you fancy a lighter read, why not try one of my romances: A Time to Heal, and A Time for Change--Based on a TRUE story. I also have a selection of short stories and novelettes available which I know you'll enjoy.

You can find out more about me at the following blogs.

http://melcomley.blogspot.com

http://melcomleyromances.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great new cozy mystery by the fantastic suspense writer MA Comley!! Intriguing new characters in this first book of the 'Carmel Cove Mystery Series', with excitement,back-stabbing events and a shocking murder at the fancy wedding of PI Ruth Morgan's best friend!! The wedding is going along nicely, vows made, rice thrown when there is a commotion in the front of the venue- the Groom is laying awkwardly on the ground...DEAD!!!
Ruth has had doubts about her friend's new husband, but now she must investigate every nook and cranny of his life, hoping to give her friend a reason and suspect in his death..
An amazing story that you jump right into, swept along by everything Ruth discovers and the troubles the town goes through, right to the eye-opening ending when you will start awaiting the next book with these fascinating characters!!

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Morgan attends her best friend's wedding. It's a beautiful wedding with a beautiful bride and a handsome groom. An hour after the vows are said, the beautiful bride becomes a grieving widow. Her brand new husband is found laying face down with a broken neck.

As Ruth is a Private Investigator, her friend asks her to take on the case and find who murdered her husband ... and why. The local inspector in charge does not like Ruth and Ruth is afraid that this case will wind up at the bottom of the pile.


The more Ruth investigates, the more she comes to understand that the groom was not well likes... but who hated him enough to kill him?

There is a smorgasbord of suspects... all whom have a motive for killing. So how is she going to tell her friend just what kind of man she married?

This is the first novel in the Carmel Cove Cozy Mystery series. It's well written with several characters that I hope will recur in future editions of this series. I really enjoyed how the characters interact with each other, especially Ruth and her boyfriend. The blend of personal and professional lend a air of credibility.

Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[J.A. Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wedding. A private investigator named Ruth Morgan who detests weddings, and the groom winds up murdered soon after the vows are exchanged. Whew - thus begins a brand new series by the hugely talented suspense writer, M.A. Comley, and what a treat it is.

Ruth Morgan, P.I., only attended because it was her best friend’s wedding. She sighs and smiles her way through it, but adrenaline spikes when her grieving friend asks her to investigate how her brand new husband wound up face down with a broken neck. Ruth is a terrific investigator who fast discovers two things: the groom was not well liked, and the inspector in charge is bad at her job. Ruth steps in.

There are several suspects, but who among them could have hated the groom enough to kill him? This cozy mystery has a real Agatha Christy feel to it, complete with secrets, back-stabbing, and wonderful characters like Ruth and her likeable boyfriend. This is a fabulous start to the new ‘Carmel Cove Mystery Series,’ with two more coming later this fall. Great news, great new series! Five stars!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So my favourite crime author has gone to the lighter side of crime with the first in her cozy mystery series.

Starting a new series can be both exciting and scary as we have new characters to learn about as well as not quite knowing what to expect. Having read a few different series’ by this author, I knew I had nothing to worry about as within no time I had settled in to the story which totally enraptured me.

The author has created likable and well rounded characters in her main roles of which I can’t wait to read more of. The story reminisces of an Agatha Christie novel with a solid setting and a real ‘who dunnit’ feel throughout.

Murder At The Wedding is an enjoyable start to a new series. The author has showed yet again there is no limit to her talents. She writes cozy crime with the confidence that she uses in her detective crime series and it is just as gripping. can’t wait for more.

My thanks to the author for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

[Betsy Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!

I liked this book! About to start the next one in the series! Hope it is just as good or better!!

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it’s time to make the acquaintance of a new heroine in a new series by M.A. Comley. I love a bit of cosy crime and I love a bit of Agatha Christie too so was looking forward to Murder At The Wedding. And I think the first thing I want to say is that this series would make a brilliant tv adaptation to fill that Sunday night spot on the tv. I can already visualise Ruth and know exactly who I would choose to play her!

Ruth isn’t a big fan of weddings but she wouldn’t miss her best friends wedding day for the world, even though she turned down the chance to wear a lovely bridesmaid dress on the day!! As a private investigator Ruth’s skills will be unexpectedly put to good use when there is a death by the end of the days festivities especially when her nemesis Inspector Littlejohn is brought in to investigate for the local police. Can Ruth use the clues she picked up on the day as a guest to solve the case before the police force do? And will her boyfriend ever get Ruth to accept his proposal?! Well, you’ll have to read it to find out!

One thing I will say is to try not to read any reviews before you go into Murder At The Wedding as I found some of them to mention who gets murdered which isn’t mentioned in the blurb for the book and I felt was a bit of a spoiler as the actual murder didn’t happen until about a quarter of the way through. Although I had a pretty good idea of who it would be, I still wish I hadn’t happened upon the reviews that told me. But apart from that Murder At The Wedding was a really enjoyable read! There was a “Death in Paradise” feel to it crossed with “Murder She Wrote” but set in a fictional village in England where everyone knew everyone else’s business! I wasn’t sure about Ruth to begin with and I do think she needs to grow on me a little more still. I felt really sorry for her partner due to her refusal to marry him but I wasn’t sure if she annoyed me more for being so negative about marriage or him for never shutting up about it!! I just love being a fly on the wall of people’s relationships don’t you?!

Murder At The Wedding is a twisty mystery where you never know who to trust. Ruth did a fantastic job of seeking out the guilty party although she needs to watch her boastful attitude as it’s not an attractive feature even when she’s trying to get one over on the local police chief! I’m keeping an open mind about her at the moment but I am looking forward to seeing how she develops over the series.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Murder at the Wedding has proven one thing, it doesn't matter what M. A. Comley turns her hand to, she will come up trumps.

This is a fabulous Cozy Mystery and had left me wanting more from Carmel Cove, and an incredibly competent private investigator.

It's great to see the author come at a crime from a different angle to for solving, and the body count was rather reasonable.

Turns out the groom who was murdered really is an unpleasant man, and we got a great introduction to Ruth. She has strong values, a great partner, who she is resisting marrying, her best friend, Geraldine is married and widowed on the same day, and then Ruth's sister's husband has an accident.

It's impressive to see how Ruth does her best to help everyone that she cares about, investigates a murder and also spends plenty of time with her dog Ben.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. I had an inkling as to who did it slightly ahead of Ruth, but I wouldn't have guessed the motivation. This made such a great change of pace from reading thrillers, and Christmas books and I do love a good cozy mystery - and this is definitely a great cozy.

Fabulous start to a series and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Mark Tilbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Ruth would rather do anything than attend a fancy wedding in a grand hall, she does, because it's her best friend getting married. It turns out that it's a good job she did agree to go as the bride also becomes a widow on the same day.

Ruth runs a private investigation business and begins to try and find out what happened to the groom, and why. There seems to be some underlying unfinished business between Ruth and the detective leading the police investigation. It'll be interesting to see how that pans out through the rest of the series.

I enjoyed this move to a more cozy mystery type of read and Comley has made the transition very well. The story flowed well and held my interest. Special mention has to be made to a canine character - Ben, Ruth's dog who made me wish there was a way I could get inside my kindle and give him a treat!

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth is attending her best friends wedding, all goes well until the reception when the groom is murdered! Ruth is a Private Investigator and promised her friend that she will do all she can to find out who the killer is. Ruth manages to dig up plenty of dirt on the deceased but can this be reason enough for him to be murdered?
This is the first in a new cozy mystery series by the author. I enjoyed the storyline and it was great getting to know some new characters. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Carmel Cove Cozy Mystery Series. Its set in Carmel Cove, a quaint harbourside town. Ruth Morgan is a private investigator and owned the Carmel Cove Detective Agency which is now in its fifth year. It is going from strength to strength.

Ruth detests weddings, can’t even commit to her long time partner about the ‘w’ word and her best friend is about to have one of the biggest weddings of the year at Carmel Cove Hall so she can’t really turn down the invitation. The wedding has gone exceptionally well until they cannot find the groom. Once they start searching, they find him sprawled on the floor but how did he get there? It’s now a crime scene and Ruth’s worst enemy on the force, Inspector Littlejohn is here to handle the case.

The police take their time interviewing the guests before letting them go but Ruth learns that it could be murder. She starts nosing around, believing she can find the murderer before anyone else. Also, people open up to her without always realising it. It transpires that Brady had spun a web of lies over a few years and Geraldine didn’t really know much about his life. Ruth soon finds there is a long line of people who would happily see the victim dead but who was the actual culprit? Can Ruth find the right clues to solve the case?

I really enjoyed reading this novel. Ruth was credible and brilliant as a private investigator, I liked the easy flowing style of the book, easy to read and read in one sitting. Just brilliant. 5 out of 5 stars from me. Looking forward to the next one!

[Sandra Duck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Morgan has her own Carmel Cove Detective Agency. Her best friend Geraldine was getting married at Carmel Cove Hall the Home of Lady Falkirk, who offered the venue to Geraldine. Ruth hated weddings, but knew she would have to attend. Soon after the wedding and reception was complete, with all guests still present, the scene becomes a possible murder scene. The inspector who was put in charge of the case was Janice Littlejohn. Ruth and Janice Littlejohn are arch enemies as in the past Ruth has solved a crime before inspector Littlejohn hardly started the investigation. The Inspector warned Ruth to not get involved in this case, but Geraldine asked her to. There are no leads so this story has you guessing all the way through. Another great novel by this very talented author, and I look forward to the second book in this series. Highly recommend this novel , every one of her books is a great read and will have you hooked from the beginning.

[Nick Morrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update. On further thought, months later, I have demoted this book from two stars to one star.
I originally gave it two stars which means, "It was ok," but really, it wasn't ok. This book is truly quite quite awful. I have read a few other books which are not very good, and this is worse by a long long way. It was quite badly written, everything was obvious and simplistic. The narration was 'third person point of view' when it read like first person point of view. I was more than half way through before I began to realise just how bad it was, but I still finished it because I did want to know who committed the crime. If someone had told me it was as awful as I found it, I would not have read it at all. I recommend, do not waste your time reading this. Hideously bad.

[Maria Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mel Comley is a great author of gritty crime books and I have read, and loved, all her work. This change of genre to cosy mystery certainly did not disappoint! Her writing style is such that she draws you in to the story immediately.

This tale of the murder of the groom at his wedding was an absorbing read and I enjoyed it. It is set in Carmel Cove and we are introduced to Ruth Morgan, Private Investigator, whom I look forward to reading more about. This book was a whodunnit and had a bit of everything. Can’t wait to read more in this series.

[Felicity Gray1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is an author who can turn her hand to anything. In this well written book which has a totally different feel to her usual writing, you have everything. Murder, crime scene, heartbreaking storyline.
Ruth & her team are hard pushed to find any clues until she starts looking at some of the wedding photos taken before the groom was murdered. This eventually leads them onto the right track enabling them to hunt down the killer.
A brilliant read, which I'd highly recommend.

[Julie Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about reading this book as I love the authors more gritty reads and this is described as a cozy mystery. Well how wrong could I be? I loved it, read it in one sitting! Can see yet another great series coming up featuring Ruth Morgan private investigator. Will look forward to hearing more about Carmel Cove and it’s inhabitants.

[Susan Foy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of murder at the wedding totally different from all the other books l have read by the lovely Mel so was unsure of what to expect. But wow was l disappointed no way l loved it what a page turner l would recommend this book to anyone totally had me gripped nice one Mel carnt wait for the next one 5 stars all day long.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the usual style of MA Comley and wasn't really sure what to expect as this is a cozy mystery.
I really enjoyed meeting these characters as the author weaves them into the tale and it just was so enthralling. 
Ruth is a great new character and I think that it's a great start to a different style of writing. 
The story was flowing very well and kept a good pace. 

[Rituparna Choudhury · Rating 1 out of 5]

In Chapter 5 she says she has castrated her dog (ouch!) and in the rest of the book she obsesses about her dog mating with the neighbourhood poodle and producing labradoodles. That pretty much killed my interest.
Similar such discrepancies throughout the book.
Hasty plot, harsh and rude protagonist, everything seems just so contrived and unlikely.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook review

I’m loving this new series. Cosy crime at its best.

When a body is found at a friends wedding all mayhem & confusion breaks loose.
Lovely new main characters to get attached to.
Strong characters too, male & female, MA Comley has another great series here.

[Mary Tuohy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author and I love cozy mysteries. I am giving this book four stars because I enjoyed the outcome of who committed the murder and why. However, I felt that this book was easy to put aside and the characters needed more development. The PI Ruth didn’t do much investigating and her relationships with James, her family and friends seemed flat. Something was missing I didn’t feel engaged. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series because I feel the author will improve in time.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay mystery book, but it was a little boring. Not much really happened and the characters were a little annoying. Ruth attends her best friends wedding, where a murder occurs. She decides to try to solve the murder and doesn't like the inspector (but this is the first in the series and this is skipped). Can Ruth solve the murder and find out what really happened? Not much really happens as Ruth tries to solve the murder, and she is annoying. You can skip or read this book.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story and characters are good and well developed. The problem I had was with the narration. Part of the time the narrator sounded Australian, then a touch or New Zealand and very rarely British. It was very off putting I don't think I will listen to any more of these books, I will stick to reading them, at least until there is another narrator.

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Goody

I loved this one. A lady OK in a small town. I enjoyed the way the whole book read. Bravo to you for yet another great read. Thanks.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death by Murder

Another great read by M.A. Cromley. The ending was a total surprise. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good mystery.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this., looking forward to reading more in this series

[MelissaMangs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I kept reading this, the writing was stilted and characters boring but it was quick and wanted to find out who the murderer was.

[Dianne Haras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder At The Wedding has litery consumed my attention from the first chapter where big wedding plans are been made & then latter I read about the grooms 'dubious past' through the a investigation.
M.A. Comley continues to secure her reader's addiction to her books.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, one of my favourite authors who usually delivers quite grizzly, hard hitting crime fiction has had a crack at writing a cosy! Hmmm, interesting. Have to admit that I wasn't quite sure how that would pan out for me but, having read and thoroughly enjoyed everything she's written so far, I was willing to take a punt at it! And, oh my days, she has only gone and done it again!
I have to admit at this point that I love the Agatha and Hamish books by MC Beaton and have pretty much read all of them so I am not a beginner with the cosy genre and pretty much knew what I was probably up for before I went in.
So, we first meet private investigator Ruth Morgan as she is preparing for the wedding of her best friend. She's not a fan of weddings herself, having resisted several efforts from her long term boyfriend to tie the knot, but she has to take one for the team, swallow her prejudices and be there for her friend on her big day. It also doesn't help that she really doesn't get on with the groom. There's something not quite right about him, nothing she can put her finger on or prove. But the big day arrives and the guests start arriving at the big house; Carmel Cove Hall to join in the celebrations. But it's not long after the ceremony that tragedy strikes and a body is found. Enter Inspector Janice Littlejohn to investigate. Ruth is devastated by both the death and the appointment of investigator as she has had many a run-in in the past with Littlejohn who she considers inadequate, having shown her up in more than one past investigation so, she takes it upon herself to investigate...
This book was a great introduction to some characters that I am really looking forward to reading more about in the future. Pretty much job done for a first-in-series book! I always love a good battle between cop and PI and that's front and centre in this book. I also love a good PI/busybody which Ruth is shaping up nicely to be.
Aside from all of this, this book contains everything else you'd expect from this author - apart from the nasty stuff, well, it is a cosy! We have the trademark banter and some wonderful character interaction throughout, as well as strong and well described characters. Oh, and most importantly, the story gets on with itself without any superfluous waffle.
One minor niggle though, I'm English and I want to spell Cozy as Cosy and, as such, I have not capitulated to the author's preferred American spelling of the word in my review.
All in all, Americanisms aside, another winner from an already well loved author. I understand the next book is out soon and I really can't wait.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I love this author’s books and I was so excited to see that she was releasing a brand new cozy mystery series set in Carmel Cove! As soon as I read the blurb and saw the cover I couldn’t wait to get my copy – and yet again she did not disappoint!

The pace was perfect for me and I loved every page, it was a proper page turner and it crept along really well – it is one of those books where you know something is going to happen from the title but you don’t know when, what and to whom and it builds up really well. Then we have the unravelling of the mystery. I thought that Ruth was a great character and definitely want to find out more about her as the books progress.

This is such a good move she has made in to this genre – the book is a suspenseful mystery, well planned and really well executed and she has done herself and all her fans proud in my opinion. The book has her brilliant writing style, an additive plot and I am genuinely thrilled that she decided to branch out and create this new series!

It is 5 stars from me for this one, it is a well written story, I loved the characters and how the plot developed too – very highly recommended by me – I loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series – Murder at the Hotel!!

[Michelle Dobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you enjoy cozy mysteries? Then Murder at the Wedding is a must read for You!!

I am a long time fan of M. A. Comley, and have been reading her books 📚📚 for several years. So I was rather surprised when I came across this book, "a cozy mystery for M. A. Comley?" I said. Then I thought, Mel has written books in other genres so why not add cozy mysteries to that list? All I have to say is.....

What a Fabulous, Bloody Brilliant, and Fantastic Read!!😀
Murder at the Wedding captured my attention from the very first page and held me captive right up to an ending that I never could have imagined!! Ruth and her boyfriend James are preparing to attend the "event of the year" in the small British Village that they live in, the wedding of Ruth's best friend Geraldine. It is to be a wedding matching that of British Royalty and will be held at Carmel Cove Manor itself. What could possibly go wrong? After a murder happens at her wedding, Geraldine hires Ruth, who is also a PI, to investigate and solve the crime. There is just a little problem with doing this, Ruth will be going up against her nemesis on the force, Inspector Littlejohn. As Ruth uncovered more and more facts about the case, I kept changing my mind as to who I thought committed the dastardly deed, and at the end I wasn't even close!!

This is the first book in a delightful new series by M. A. Comley, a series that I hope continues for a long time!!!