A Wedding to Die For

A Yellow Rose Mystery #2

by Leann Sweeney

From the author of Pick Your Poison comes a crazy case of matrimonial murder and a broken-hearted bride-to-be when a family guest gets hit over the head with a gift. The bad reception only gets deadlier for Houston PI Abby Rose, enlisted to resolve the wedding fiasco.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Audiobook

268 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Leann Sweeney was born and raised in Niagara Falls and educated at St. Joseph's Hospital and Lemoyne College in Syracuse, NY. She also has a degree from the University of Houston in behavioral science and worked for many years in psychiatry. Her short fiction won many awards and several mysteries were published in small market mystery magazines. Leann has written 13 cozy mysteries: 5 in The Yellow Rose Mystery Series and 8 in the Cats in Trouble Mysteries. #9 is being written now that Leann is recovering from a three year illness after a fall. Both series are published by Berkley and several titles made the NY Times bestseller list.

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an okay story for me. Quite a bit of swearing so I guess it’s not a cozy mystery series. Drugs, and mania with at least one character.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rookie PI is hired to find the birth mother of a bride by the wedding. Deadlines focus the mind, but she falls short. Then, there's the body, and our tyro tries to solve the murder, and still find the mother.

Tries a little too hard with the comedy, but humor is tough in print.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this in a library sale and that's where it's going to end up again. Abby Rose wasn't entirely awful but she's pretty damn annoying. She's a very wealthy young lady who's turned PI, specializing in finding birth parents for adoptees.

She was at the wedding reception for her client only to have the new bride's adoptive father to be killed. She's not really looking into that case but kinda is as she still tries to find the bride's real mom. Abby is almost obstructive to the actual detective mostly because a) the cops were 'mean' to her in book one I guess b) she's jealous of her cop boyfriend's former relationship to this detective (because that's a mature way to treat a homicide case).

I was more than ready to bail when she uses her wealth to book a one day flight to Jamaica (and all the borderline racist stereotypes that populate her Kingston, yikes) and once she's there she decides breaking and entering is fine for her to do but she doesn't even really know how DNA works (or how to harvest it. OMG) and the silliness of how SLOW Jamaican computers are because they're so poor, oh those slow year 2000 computers are (okay this was pubbed in 2005 so we're talking it was written 2003-2004 and we're bashing on three year old computers?!?)

Even Abby using the Yellow Rose name bugged me because yeah she's in Texas and her last name was Rose but the Yellow here refers to an old term for biracial people and the Yellow Rose was a real biracial woman who didn't need lily white here usurping her name to be cutesy. I won't be looking for more of this series.

[FangirlNation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby Rose has become a private investigator to help reunite adopted children with their birth parents and gets involved in a wild case in A Wedding to Die For by Leann Sweeney. Hired by Megan Beadford to locate her birth mother in the hope that Abby can arrange for Megan’s biological mother to attend her upcoming wedding, Abby has proved unsuccessful at her job. When the wedding’s guest book attendant gives birth a month early, Abby steps in, allowing her a chance to meet the family and friends, none of whom have been told Abby’s true connection to Megan. Abby takes her job a guest book attendant seriously, chasing down each and every guest to get their signatures. But one woman evades Abby despite all Abby’s best efforts. At the reception, Megan’s mother, Sylvia, pulls Abby off the job of guest book attendant, assigning her to help keep Megan’s inebriated uncle away from the liquor. But soon the guests all freeze when they hear loud screams coming from Megan. Abby runs into the side room to find Megan cradling her badly bleeding father in her lap after he has been hit on the head with a wedding present vase and killed.

Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't usually start reviewing a book before I've finished it, but I just want to say, if you hate spoilers, don't read this one before Book One of this (yet another) series, as the entire book is spoiled in the first few pages. I don't have access to Book One, but honestly, for the author to blow her own book out of the water like that, it must have been a very tiny blip on the publishing radar! She must not expect anyone to read it at all.

The narrative voice is much better than the "Cats In Trouble" series, but the grammatical howlers and misused language still abound. Wind does not get in "between every crack" but "through every crack" in a building. And that's just the first stylistic tooth-grinder. The authoress is still enamored of Merlot--is blood really that colour?

[Anne Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too romance novellish and filled with cutesy stereotypes of Texas women and expressions I have never heard any Texan say but a New Yorker might hallucinate that we say. To be honest, I wanted to puke on every third page. The only thing that saved the book from getting just one star was the central character having an appeal I can't quite explain.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painful to read. Grammatical errors.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series that I've read (as I misread the blurb on the back cover and thought it was the first book). It is the second book and gives a catch up of the first book which includes a spoiler, so I will just carry on with the next one now I think rather than going back.

The main character is a bit feistier than I'm used to in a cozy, but actually I found that quite refreshing after initially feeling a bit shocked.

[Christine Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still an enjoyable story, like the first book, but I did find that the language was stronger than the first book. Several F Bombs, which I really am not a fan of. I can usually get around other cursing, but that one really grates on me...Hoping the other books in the series are a tad more conservative in regard to language.

[Alyssa White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read. This book had a lot more police based things in it, almost like a CSI/Law and Order feel than a Cozy. The main character was great like before. I loved Jub. The minor characters seemed to hold a strong interest for me. Over all, as I said, good read.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series. Well written, concise, and fantastic characters who are wonderfully human.

[Janet Armentani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!!

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby Rose, now a semi-qualified P.I. in Houston, specialises in cases involving adoption. She's independently wealthy which allows her to scatter cash around as required and it certainly proves helpful, especially when she finds herself out of her depth in Jamaica!
But that's getting ahead of the story.
A soon-to-be bride wants to find her birth mother but insists that her family be kept in the dark. And the birth certificate she provides is a fake.
At the wedding the bride's father is murdered and one of those present is a mysterious woman, unknown to anyone else. Could she be ...?
Only time and many pages later will we find out whether Abby has been successful in her pursuit of the truth.
And, there's the small problem of the murder to be solved in the face of an antagonistic police detective who seems overly familiar with Abby's boyfriend Luke.
"A Wedding to Die For" has a solid plot but it does bear a lot of similarities to those of the first book in the series, "Pick Your Poison". The persistent use of Texan homespun sayings can get a little irritating, but it is a minor point.
It's a very pleasant read but I won't remember much about it in a couple of days, with the possible exception of the Jamaican cabdriver, Jugs, whose life Abby turns around.
There's a suggestion, just a little, towards the end that the author, Leann Sweeney, could be thinking of moving outside the cosy genre but only further reading will tell. If that becomes the case it would mark an improvement because cosies don't do tension or depth.
3 Stars.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good series. The premise, the characters, the setting..it all works wonderfully together. Abbey has taken herself on an interesting career path. In book one she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. Here, in book two, she is taking on private investigation with tenacity. Because she's specializing in investigating for adoptees who want to find their birth parents. She feels compelled due to her own past and that of her sister.
What starts out as a regular investigation takes on a twist when Abbey's asked to keep her investigation a secret, but it seems to be everything but. Then murder insinuates itself.
We get to see Abbey jealous, frustrated, have brain-farts, and show how strong-willed she is when it comes to doing the right thing.
I can't wait to read or listen to the next in the series, DEAD GIVEAWAY.
Definite recommend.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so pleasantly surprised by this series so far. I was expecting “fluff pieces” but these are well crafted, hook you right away, and are hard to put down. The premise of this series is different from the usual amateur detective series. Abby is really working toward becoming a private eye and is generally respected by her professional community. Her specialization is helping adoptive parents and children to find each other. The plots are complex and interesting, as well as informative. My one negative comment is that there is an extreme overuse of similes in the writing. I look forward to more of Abby Rose.

[Lainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd book in the series.
Abby is now a PI who helps adoptees find their birth parents.
Her clients request to have Abby find her birth mother & attend her wedding. Unbeknownst to Abby the woman she is searching for is aware of her daughters wedding and attends as a mysterious guest.
The brides father Is murder at the wedding and Abby starts to investigate that & another murder happens.
This book wraps up with mother & daughter reunited.
The author uses a lot of old sayings, such as “it was so cold a lawyer would put his hands in his own pockets”., but it tends to get a bit overused.

[Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, which is good because I didn't like #1 in the series. I'm glad I gave this one a chance. I'm getting to like Abby Rose, the main character, and her new career as an adoption detective. She is an apprentice to a real PI in this story and her actions aren't as stupid and illegal as in #1.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series, Leann didn't disappoint with Abby's quirkiness and storyline! Another great read with many possible suspects for the murderer, just when I thought I had it all figured out there was another twist and then another turn! Kept me guessing until the last page! A fun series for sure!

[Tracy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2nd book of A Yellow Rose Mystery series again had my laughing out loud at the comedy and kept me in great suspense and on edge as I tried to figure out “who done it?” It has several twists and turns to keep you guessing. A very heartwarming end to this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Looking forward to book #3.

[Shala · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun second installment for the series. I read the first one a long time ago, but I think I enjoyed this one more. I like the strong sisterly bond Abby and Kate have, and although it does have the jerk-detective troupe that annoys me, in the end even that was resolved nicely.

[Jolisa Gilchrist Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby is a PI who was hired to find the bride's birth mother. When she ends up at the wedding and sees a crime, she has to investigate. She just has to.
This was my first book in the series, even though it's the second one. It was fun but warning, spoilers. This book ruined the first one. I'll still read it but I know everything that happened. Still it was fun and that's my main requirement for a book these days.

[Chaitra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Abby Rose and I like her sister Kate, but I didn't like the Jamaica representation. There was something condescending in Abby's mons that I got quite irritated with her. Mostly because I was on the side of the Jamaicans who just didn't want to deal with her.

[Jenny J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this with Danielle Ferland narrating which made this story interesting. I am not sure I would stick with the story if I had read it. Often I got confused with how many characters there were in the featured family.

[Cheryl Speight · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the second book as much as the second. The new characters fit with the old. I loved the plot twists and turns, they were believable and occurred at the perfect time.

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Great characters and storyline another one that had me guessing until the end. I would recommend it. Another great one from Leann Sweeney.

[Angela]

0

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining and fun read for floating in the pool. I liked the characters and would read more of this series.

[Ewa · Rating 5 out of 5]

a nice book from this series, quite interesting

[Min · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second book in the Yellow Rose mystery (cosy) series. Abby decided to transition her blossoming P.I. career into the adoption area, doing birth parent searches. She neatly utilises her sister's training as a therapist to help screen potential clients, ensuring that they are ready for what awaits.

This story starts when Megan asks her to find her birth mother because Megan is getting married soon and she would love her birth mom to attend her wedding. But she doesn't want her adoptive family to know about the search. At the last minute, Abby is asked to attend the wedding as part of the bridal party (the guest book attendant), and as such, she notices someone who won't sign the guest book and doesn't seem to mingle with any of the other guest. But before Abby can track her down, Megan's adoptive father is killed at the wedding.

The local chief of police, Chief Fielder, is a woman who sneers at Abby being a P.I.-in-training. And, tensions get even higher when it turns out that Fielder used to date Abby's current boyfriend. Fielder focuses in on Abby as a suspect, while Abby tries to focus on getting Fielder to do her job while simultaneously trying to solve the murder and still trying to track down Megan's birth mother.

This book was even better than the first Yellow Rose book. One of the minor characters, Jug, was especially colourful, and I hope that he makes a return appearance in the following books, although I'm not quite sure how he could be worked in. I like how Abby's relationship with her Aunt Caroline has played out realistically from the first book, and I hope it continues to do so.

The "Southernisms" in the book are nice (having spent about half of my summers in the South, I can attest to this), without going overboard. Sweeney continues to sprinkle her books with a healthy balance of wit and intelligence. I'm definitely looking forward to the third book in the series!