Another theme that is very popular in the summer months is Weddings. This summer (August 2008), I am actually going to be touched by that theme… My niece is getting married in Chicago, and I am so excited about this! She is an innately good person… and I wish all good (as in WONDERFUL!) things for her.
The authors who I am going to include in the Wedding Cozy Mystery Theme are:
Beverly Allen (aka Barbara Early): Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series… Audrey Bloom co-owns a flower shop in Virginia that specializes in wedding arrangements.
Stephanie Blackmoore: Wedding Planner Mystery Series
Ginger Bolton (aka Janet Bolin): Goodbye Cruller World (Deputy Donut Mystery Series)
Mary Jane Clark : Piper Donovan Wedding Cake Mystery Series
Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): Bought the Farm (Farmer’s Daughter Mystery Series)
Marla Cooper: Destination Wedding Mystery Series…
Kathy Cranston ….. Weddings are Murder (Bee’s Bakehouse Mystery Series)
Deborah Donnelly: Donnelly has a masters in library science… I believe that her Carnegie Kincaid is the only wedding planner I know of who is also a sleuth, and who lives on a houseboat! (Carnegie Kincaid Mystery Series)
Laura Durham: Durham is a Duke graduate with a degree in English who became a wedding planner. That paved the way for her Annabelle Archer Mystery Series>>> Annabelle is also a sleuth and wedding planner…
Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Maid of Murder (India Hayes Mystery Series)
Agatha Frost: Champagne and Catastrophes ( Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series)
Lee Hollis: Death of a Wedding Cake Baker (Hayley Powell Mystery Series)
Nancy J. Parra (aka Nancy Coco) writes the Perfect Proposals Mystery Series. Pepper Pomeroy was an event planner until she tried coordinating a perfect marriage proposal, which quickly made her change her specialty.
There are, of course, several mysteries that feature weddings in their plots…
Donna Andrews included not one, but three weddings in Murder with Peacocks, her first Meg Lanslow Mystery.
Catherine Bruns: Frosted with Revenge from her Cookies & Chance Mystery Series.
V.M. Burns: Wed, Read and Dead from her Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series.
Meg Cabot has The Bride Wore Size 12, which is the fourth in the Heather Wells Mysteries.
JoAnna Carl (aka Eve K. Sandstrom) wrote a wedding-setting mystery in her Chocoholic Mystery Series named The Chocolate Bridal Bash.
The Jane Jeffry Mystery Series by Jill Churchill gave us A Groom with a View andThe Accidental Florist, while Goldy Bear (of the Goldy Bear Mystery Series) had her own wedding to plan in The Last Suppers by Diane Mott Davidson.
Kate Collins: Seed No Evil, of the Flower Shop Mystery Series.
Elizabeth Spann Craig: Tying the Knot Southern Quilting Mystery Series
Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block) has A Catered Wedding in her Mystery with Recipes Series, while Joanne Fluke‘s Cookie Jar Mystery Series has the Peach Cobbler Murder as its wedding themed-mystery.
Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block) A Catered Cat Wedding (Mystery with Recipes Mystery Series)
Krista Davis: The Diva Takes the Cake – Sophie’s sister is getting married >>> again. (Domestic Diva Mystery Series)
Kathleen Delaney: Murder Half Baked (Ellen McKenzie Mystery Series)
Laura Durham wrote To Love and to Perish, which is the third in her Annabelle Archer Mystery Series.
K.J. Emrick….. Till Death Do Us Part (Darcy Sweet Mystery Series)
Christy Fifield (aka Christy Evans) ….. Murder Ties the Knot, from the Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery Series.
Joanne Fluke: Wedding Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery Series)
Earlene Fowler: Steps to the Altar, in which sleuth Benni Harper is responsible for planning both her grandmother’s and best friend’s weddings
A. Gardner: Wedding Soufflé and a Dead Valet is in her Poppy Peters Mystery Series. Poppy is a former ballet dancer who then goes on to be a pastry chef.
Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino, Ada Madison, & Jean Flowers): Matrimony in Miniature (Miniature Mystery Series)
Sarah Graves: Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake (Death by Chocolate Mystery Series)
Yes, even the Gregor Demarkian Mystery Series (by Jane Haddam/Orania Papazoglou) has a wedding inspired mystery: Deadly Beloved.
Jean Hager‘s Iris House Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series gave us both Sew Deadly and The Bride and Doom… While Bride and Groom was offered up for our reading enjoyment from Susan Conant‘s Dog Lover’s Mystery Series.
Gemma Halliday: Mayhem in High Heels from her High Heels Mystery Series
Miranda James (aka Jimmie Ruth Evans, Honor Hartman, & Dean James): Dead with the Wind – The Southern Ladies, An’gel and Dickce Ducote, are off to a wedding!
Diane Kelly: Death, Taxes, and a Shotgun Wedding from the Tara Holloway Mystery Series.
Colette London: Dangerously Dark from her Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series.
Alyssa Maxwell: A Murderous Marriage (Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery Series)
Maggie McConnon (aka Maggie Barbieri): Wedding Bel Blues (Belfast McGrath Mystery Series)
Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Wedding Cake Crumble – Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series
Staci McLaughlin: Marriage is Pure Murder from her Blossom Valley Mystery Series.
Leslie Meier‘s Lucy Stone Mystery Series had the Wedding Day Murder, and who can forget M. C. Beaton‘s Agatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage… with its crazy ending!?! M. C. Beaton also has There Goes the Bride.
Liz Mugavero (aka Cate Conte): Murder, She Meowed (Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series)
Cynthia Riggs: Widow’s Wreath (Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Series)
Sara Rosett: Marriage, Monsters-in Law, and Murder – This wedding has two mothers-in-law getting a little more involved than they should! This is from the Ellie Avery Mystery Series.
Sara Rosett: Death at an English Wedding – from the Murder on Location Mystery Series.
Arlene Sachitano: Double Wedding Death – from the Harriet Truman/Loose Threads Mystery Series.
Denise Swanson writes the Scumble River Mystery Series which has a Wedding Theme mystery called Murder of a Wedding Belle.
Teresa Trent: Buzzkill (Pecan Bayou Mystery Series)
LynDee Walker: Lethal Lifestyles (Headlines in Heels Mystery Series)
Marty Wingate: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Potting Shed Mystery Series)
I am sure that there are other Cozy Mystery novels with Wedding Themes that I have read, but I just cannot seem to remember their titles… If you know of a novel that I have been remiss in adding to the Cozy Mystery Wedding Theme list… please send a comment and I will gladly add it.
♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦
Rick says
I’d add Donna Andrew’s first Meg Langslow mystery, Murder with Peacocks. It involved 3 weddings in the same summer!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Rick… I knew there were others out there that I could not remember. I have gone ahead and made the addition!
Shirley says
This is off-topic, but what happened to Jean Hager? I loved each of her series. Did she pass away? I’d appreciate it if someone knows why she isn’t writing anymore. Thanks!
Shirley
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hi Shirley,
I just contacted her publisher and asked about her. I know that she is included in two anthologies from 2001…
I hope to hear from her publishers, but, when I looked through their list of authors, I didn’t find her name.
Perhaps she has retired from writing… and is running a phenomenal B & B!
Rochelle says
There’s also
Joanna Carl’s “Chocolate Bridal Bash”
Parnell Hall’s “With this Puzzle I Thee Kill”
Diane Mott Davidson’s “Fatally Flakey”
Elaine Viets’ “Just Murdered”
Cleo Coyle’s “Espresso Shot”
Laura Levine’s “Killing Bridezilla”
Now how’s that for a good wedding list 🙂 enjoy
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Rochelle! That is a good wedding list!
Cindy says
I loved reading the Karen Kijewski mystery writer! Her books were the first-So it seems to me-Stephanie Plum type character! Exactly like Stephanie!
Instead of a crazy grandmother, she had her aunt, etc. I never laughed so hard. I recommend them anyway but you’ll have to search for them. Maybe the author can be convinced to write again.
She got up to maybe 6 or so books and then they just stopped. Some of her titles that I remember: Kats Kradel, Kat on a hot tin roof. Many of them contained her name Kat. Does anyone know her and why she’s not writing? Help! Thanks.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hi Cindy,
I don’t know why she stopped writing, but here is a chronological listing of all of her books: Karen Kijewski.
Janet says
Laura Durham has one too, To Love and To Perish: An Annabelle Archer Mystery (Annabelle Archer Mysteries), which is referenced on this site. Just ordered another wedding theme cozy Murder of a Wedding Belle: A Scumble River Mystery by Denise Swanson. I see from this list I have plenty more wedding theme cozies to choose from.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Janet! I just added both of those Wedding Theme mystery books to the list.
Thanks, again!
Janie says
I’m also looking for info on Karen Kijewski who wrote the Kat Colorado Mysteries. Loved all the books but does anyone know why she stopped writing. I don’t even know if she’s still alive or not -can’t find anything on the web that says one way or the other. So… if anyone can fill the gap I’d appreciate it- Thanks.
Brenda says
I found this website called Whatever Happened To…? It discusses authors and what they’ve been up to. Here’s what they said about Karen Kijewski.
*NEW* Karen Kijewski – from what I can find out, Ms. Kijewski was previously the president of the Northern California chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and lives in Sacramento, California. Apparently she has retired from writing for family-related reasons.
Susan says
Hi. I’ve just come across Gemma Halliday’s “Mayhem in High Heels”. Part of the comic ‘High Heels’ series, it features the murder of the protagonist’s Beverly Hills wedding planner.
Along with the efforts of her two best friends to solve said murder – whilst organizing the wedding themselves…
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Susan. I just added Gemma Halliday’s Mayhem in High Heels to the mystery book Wedding theme.
kate says
does anyone know the name of a murder mystery about a wedding planner and her bridezilla who gets murdered.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kate, you might want to take a look at the Wedding Theme Mysteries list on my Theme page.
Susan* says
The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis.
Sophie Winston’s sister is getting married – for the third time ! – and more than the usual chaos reigns.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan*, thanks! I’m going to go add The Diva Takes the Cake to the Wedding theme. Thanks, again!
Susan* says
Ummm… Another one from me. (I feel like a know-all. Hope no-one minds.)
I’m just reading Earlene Fowler’s ‘Steps to the Altar’, which has heroine Benni Harper organising weddings for both her best friend and her beloved grandmother.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan, I certainly don’t mind – I rely on people sending this sort of thing in to keep making these lists better and better! I’ll add this to the list right away.
Christi King says
The first India Hayes book by Amanda Flower — Maid of Murder has a wedding theme.