Murder of the Bride: A Rex Graves Mystery

Challinor’s disappointing fifth Rex Graves mystery (after 2011’s Murder on the Moor) takes the Scottish barrister and his fiancée, Helen d’Arcy, to Aston-on-Trent in Derbyshire, for the wedding of Timmy Thorpe and the pregnant Polly Newcombe, Helen’s former student. Arsenic in the cake soon fells the bride and some of her guests, a valuable snuffbox collection is stolen, and Polly’s flirtatious aunt takes a dive off a parapet. With the blessing of the police, Rex investigates individuals who stand to benefit from deaths in the bride and groom’s families and who might have held grudges. Questions include the paternity of Polly’s baby, the dubious activities of Timmy’s brother, and the mysterious disappearance of Polly’s father years before. An awkward beginning with clunky conversations, situations that challenge the willing suspension of disbelief, and a late-breaking, unconvincing twist without proper foreshadowing will leave some readers feeling cheated. (Mar.)