Death of a Bride and Groom: A Honeymoon Falls Mystery

An overly large cast and some absurd plot developments mar Emerson’s debut. Since the local mill closed, the survival of the Canadian town of Honeymoon Falls has depended on wedding-related events. The discovery of the bodies of Iris Morland, an author whose latest book is being made into a movie, and a former lover of hers, the disgraced owner of the now-bankrupt mill, atop a wedding cake parade float is not good for business. William Halsey, Honeymoon Falls’s police chief, and his staff of two, who have never dealt with homicide, must scramble to find the killer after the town council makes it clear that their jobs are on the line. Readers will have trouble keeping track of who’s sleeping with whom in this disappointing effort peppered with mild expletives and sexual shenanigans that go beyond the average cozy reader’s comfort zone. Even the police chief can’t resist a suspect’s advances. (June)