Series: The Hopgood Hall Murder Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 07th September 2023
Genre: Contemporary Small Town Cozy Mystery
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Entertaining but a little slow
Social media influencer Crystabel Hughes is getting married at Hopgood Hall. The staff and owners are doing their best not to snap at the bridezilla’s extremities.
However, Alexi can’t help but feel a nagging sensation of something not being right.
The cheating groom, Giles, is found murdered a night before D-day with the would-be holding the dagger. Alexi and Jack jump into action, knowing they have to solve the case before Hopgood Hall faces the bad press.
Things aren’t easy with so many secrets, suspects, and Crystabel’s constant need to film everything for her social media popularity. Can the duo find the killer in time?
The story comes in Alexi and Jack’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I was excited to read book #3 after enjoying #2. This one also has a good load of drama, suspects, secrets, and of course, a murder.
The setting is the Hopgood Hall again, so naturally, Drew, Cheryl, and Alexi (the owners and investor) are worried about what it would mean to the place’s reputation. Being a scene of crime is hardly good business, though morbid curiosity did bring more guests and profits.
The concerns of the characters come across clearly. Alexi’s internal thoughts and conflict align with her worries and sense of justice. Solving the case is more important for them as their future depends on how well they can minimize the damage to Hopgood Hall’s reputation.
Though the book is just 270 pages, the pacing is on the slower side. Fortunately, there’s enough movement for the plot to progress. Just that recurring interrogations reduce the narrative pace.
Similar to book #2, we get a rough backstory in the first chapter so the reader knows the basic information about the main characters and the setting. While this technique works for now, it may feel odd as the series grows. Imagine Alexi thinking about the whole thing in book #10.
Cosmos does what he likes the best – be the darling of the press and scare the hell out of everyone else. Of course, he loves Alexi and Jack and tolerates little Verity. I like how Jack thinks Cosmos could help sniff out the potential murder. Maybe this huge black cat will have a prime role in one of the upcoming cases.
The mystery, as such, is intriguing. Crystabel is annoying and hard to empathize with. Her mom, Gloria, is worse, so it’s no wonder the wedding party wants her to be the killer. Yet, Alexi and Jack know they have to be sure. There’s something called conscience and justice, after all. The information is revealed in bits and pieces. The missing link comes in the last part of the book, though we can guess the killer based on other details.
It was a little hard to track the names Cheryl and Crystabel. The common alphabets in both make it tough to not confuse one with another, especially when both are mentioned in the same scene or conversation. This may not be an issue for other readers.
I’m not sure why we have this trend of ending a novel a couple of steps before the finish line. While it may work for some books, it doesn’t help when a few questions remained unanswered in a mystery. The subplot will anyway be left open for further development, but all aspects related to the book’s mystery need to be tied up in the same one.
To summarize, A Marriage To Murder For is an entertaining mystery that deals with issues like parental ambition, manipulation, and, most importantly, how much is too much where social media influencers are concerned.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.
#AMarriageToMurderFor #NetGalley
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