Funny mystery with great characters

In <strong>Better Off Wed</strong> by Laura Durham, Annabelle Archer works as a wedding planner and is holding a wedding with a psychotic mother of the bride. Mrs. Pearce (or is it Pierce? You can't tell spellings in audiobooks!) is driving everyone crazy and making notes in the notebook she carries everywhere, even during the wedding, of complaints, such as the fact that Annabelle won't rearrange the seating chart 10 minutes before the reception to move the less well dressed people to the back of the room. So it comes as little surprise to us listeners when Annabelle and her assistant, Kate, go down a stairway and Kate falls over the body of Mrs. Pearce. The police say murder, and it appears that the woman was poisoned, so they shut down the kitchen of Annabelle's best friend, the famous caterer Richard.

Annabelle and a somewhat- grudging Kate set out to investigate this murder and clear Richard's name before his business falls apart. Visiting the homes of the bride, who is under heavy sedation, and the murdered woman, whose friends are throwing a wild party in her honor, they come to the conclusion that they have discovered their murderer, only for him to fall dead of poisoning himself. Annabelle may find the murderer, but will she do so before the murderer finds her?

I had a fun time with <strong>Better Off Wed</strong>. It has a creative setting, as a wedding planner has opportunities to interact with many crazy people, especially mothers of the bride. The plot had some really fun points, and the book was full of humor. However, I was less than satisfied with the conclusion, as it seemed to come out of the blue. I also enjoyed the setting of Washington, D.C. and only wished that there had been more ambiance from the capital city.

The characters in this book are what really make it delightful. Annabelle comes across as loyal to a fault, and once she gets her teeth into something, she can't let go. Kate likes to dress provocatively and use people's reactions to her clothing as a meter by which to gauge them. Richard is an especially fun character, being a very emotional, fashion- conscious man who clearly is gay without our having to be told so. Yet he somehow still doesn't come across as the stereotype of a gay man. Finally, Liatrice, the senior citizen lady who lives four floors beneath Annabelle, is good for a laugh as she is always poking her nose into Annabelle's life and offering advice based upon TV detectives like Jessica Fletcher and Matlock.

Stephanie Spicer performs the audio edition of this book and does a delightful job. She makes Annabelle seem highly realistic and human. However, it is in her fun voicing of Richard that she especially excels. I appreciate the fact that she did not resort to highly stereotypical images of gay men as overly feminine while still portraying him as the flamboyantly gay man he is.

I had a very fun time listening to <strong>Better Off Wed</strong>. The book kept my attention and drew me in right away. It gave me something to laugh at and characters to connect with. I had been seeing people rave about this series without being able to join in until today because the first book is finally on audio! I hope the rest join it soon! I give this book five stars!

3 people found this helpful

Good story, not so good naration

I don’t have a problem with her voice in general. It suits the atmosphere of the story and the main character.
But it’s not so easy to distinguish between characters. They sound pretty similar.

2 people found this helpful

Great!

loved it this was my first time listening to this author engaging. story and characters

1 person found this helpful

Really good. Already ordered book 2

First in a fun cozy series. Fully fleshed characters. Story that keeps you guessing right up to the end.

1 person found this helpful

Cute, but whiter than a wedding dress

A fun confection for matinee listening. It felt like a Reese Witherspoon movie, with silly jokes and physical comedy that stays in the fit-for-TV shallow end on the pool. The comedy sometimes veers into Anna Kendricks territory, where in real life the jokes would be in poor taste. For example, when Annabelle and bestie Kate (reminds me of Elizabeth Banks or Ilsa Fisher as the wild wing-lady) are supposed to be giving the groom condolences over the wedding-day death of the mother-in-law and Kate is flashing her ta-tas while they try not to laugh. The only diversity here is found in the men who work in the wedding industry, who are all narrated with gay-effect (like Annabelle’s other bestie Richard, and also the hairdresser to the rich and famous). On sale, a worthwhile purchase. I’m even getting book 2 and hoping the author builds on the fun foundation.