By Elin Hilderbrand
Little, Brown and Company, 2018
466 pages
Motivation for reading: It's summer... and there's a new Elin Hilderbrand novel!
Source: hardcover book, borrowed from library
Publisher's summary:
It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer-the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate.
But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony-and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield-and no couple is perfect.
Opening paragraph:
A phone call before six on a Saturday morning is never a good thing, although it's not unheard of on a holiday weekend. Chief Ed Kapenash of the Nantucket Police Department has seen the Fourth of July go sideways. The most common accident is a person blowing off a finger while lighting fireworks. Sometimes things are more serious. One year, they lost a swimmer to the riptide; another year, a man drank ten shots of Patrón Añejo and then did a backflip off the Allserve building and hit the water in such a way that his neck snapped. There are generally enough drunk-and-disorderlies to fill a sightseeing bus, as well as a dozen fistfights, a handful of which are so serious the police have to get involved.My thoughts:
After reading Educated: A Memoir (my review), I was craving something lighter, less violent, and fun. This library hold came in at exactly the right moment!
I've read a few of Hilderbrand's novels and The Perfect Couple seems like a bit of a departure. Sure it's beachy and set on Nantucket, but it's also a murder mystery. On the morning of a big society wedding, the maid of honor turns up dead. Floating in the water behind the groom's family estate, her body is discovered by the bride. This was a quick read, filled with family secrets and deceptions. It kept me guessing until the end - very entertaining!
My rating:
I enjoyed it, too, JoAnn...just what I needed after my dark thrillers. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLaurel-Rain Snow - Exactly! We all need a change of pace sometimes :)
DeleteI tried to read this author before. She's so popular and her books are very well-received. I don't know if it was he book I had or if she always writes the same way but at only three pages in it scream shallow to me and I just could not read another word. I love a good summer read and all of her books have these wonderful covers and story lines but I can't get past the shallowness.
ReplyDeleteTi - I completely get it! This is as shallow as I can go... and I know what I'm in for before I even start. One year I read several of her Winter series books the week between Christmas and New Years when I was utterly exhausted. It was just what I needed after reading Educated, too.
DeleteI agree with Ti. I've read a few of her books, but they're too fluffy for me. I can understand, though, why you'd like a light, fun read after something heavy. Glad this one was a winner for you!
ReplyDeleteLes - You must have commented at the same time I was replying to Ti! I need to carefully select my reading times for her books... couldn't take a steady diet of them, lol! ;-)
DeleteI had the same issue as Ti & Les with this author but, I did place a hold for the audio and my turn will be here soon enough. It's worth a try and, the murder/ mystery aspects appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteDiane - I don't think she's done a murder mystery before. Hope it's just as entertaining on audio!
DeleteVicki - I love the cover, too... it just screams summer!
ReplyDeleteI understand that this one is a bit of change-up for her, though I've read a couple of her earlier books. They suit me when I'm in the mood. I've got this one on my list.
ReplyDeleteKay - It's all about mood with her books :)
DeleteI love a mystery that keeps me guessing.
ReplyDeleteKathy - I rarely figure them out, lol!
DeleteI also read Educated recently and it was a tough one to read, but enjoyable overall. So I hear you about needing a light, refreshing title after a heavy one. I do that a lot, and sometimes go even "fluffier" than you, reading mystery cozies or women's fiction.
ReplyDeleteI have this title on my kindle now and I really should read it before summer's over. Good review!
Rita - I think Educated will stick with me for a long time and I'm glad I read it, but I sure didn't enjoy it much, lol! This book was the perfect change of pace and exactly what I needed. Hope you get a change to read it soon :)
DeleteIt was a fun one!
ReplyDeletePatty - It sure was!! Definitely a case of the right book at the right time for me.
DeleteNice to read a fun and easy mystery.
ReplyDeleteHarvee - Yes, a great change of pace!
DeleteSometimes a lighter read is just the thing - the trick is to find a lighter book that isn't pure fluff (although sometimes that's just the thing, too!). Sounds like this was the right book at the right time!
ReplyDeleteLisa - There's definitely a line for me. I've had to quit on books that were too much on the fluffy side, but I know they have their place for some readers.
DeleteI keep meaning to try Elin Hilderbrand and I really like the mystery angle here. This may be the one I need to start with!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - This might be good place to start!
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